CapMetro providing free rides to cooling centers, no matter the temperature
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As Austinites endure one of the hottest summers ever, CapMetro is helping offer some relief.
CapMetro is now providing complimentary rides to cooling centers until Sept. 30, effective immediately, no matter the temperature. Riders just have to inform the bus operator as they're boarding that they are going to a cooling center. Any person who informs an operator they are traveling to a cooling center can ride without fare if they cannot afford to pay.
The service was announced Thursday as a way for CapMetro to ensure care for unhoused community members, a press release stated.
CapMetro recently changed its protocols when offering free rides to cooling centers; previously, CapMetro would activate complimentary rides to cooling centers once its service area was under an excessive heat warning (over 105°, or a heat index of 113°). Then they adjusted to offering free cooling center rides once the Austin region entered a heat advisory (over 103°, or a heat index of 108°).
Now, the rides are offered regardless of temperature.
Austin continually broke heat-related records this summer. The city experienced its hottest May and July on record and hit the hottest seven-day stretch in history in July from the 7th to the 13th.
If you have any questions, call CapMetro's Customer Service GO Line at 512-474-1200.