Disclaimer: This pro­file is made available for general information purpose. The pro­file is accurate as of May 2024. You may visit the transit agency’s website or contact the transit agency’s contact person for the latest information

The Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) was originally organized in 1978 under the Interlocal Cooperation Act of 1971 and was subsequently authorized by Texas Transportation Code Chapter 458 as a Rural Transit District (RTD). It is eligible for formula apportionment of state and federal funds for transit services for the non-urbanized areas of ten counties in central Texas, including Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, Travis, and Williamson Counties.

The CARTS family of services includes general public demand-response paratransit (Country Bus) throughout the district and a scheduled regional intercity bus service from nine CARTS stations in the region (Interurban Coach). This regional service connects several cities in the CARTS District to one another and to Austin as well as Metro service centers and Amtrak and Greyhound services. The newest member of the family is CARTS Now, an on-demand microtransit service that provides rides within 15 minutes of the passenger request through an app or via phone requests. It now operates in six cities (Bastrop, Lockhart, Taylor, Marble Falls, Elgin, and LaGrange) and will be expanded to other cities in the future.

All CARTS stations are Greyhound stations and CARTS operates its Eastside Bus Plaza (EBP) intermodal station as the sole Austin terminal for Greyhound and FlixBus. At the EBP several Cap Metro routes operate on 15-minute frequencies offering connecting service throughout the Austin Metropolitan area. Interurban Express routes serve commuters on routes between Austin and San Marcos.

CARTS collaborates in its region with CapMetro through a Regional Mobility Agreement and with the City of San Marcos through an Interlocal Agreement (to operate The BUS, its local fixed route) under which it provides services of regional importance that are integrated into a regionally connected system. CARTS and CapMetro also jointly operate an Office of Mobility Management to assist in planning, integrating services and filling gaps in service.

CARTS is governed by a board made up of a member from each of the ten Commissioners Courts in its District.

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Projects in FY2024-2028