The Hill Country Transit District – also known as HOP – is changing the face of public transportation in Harker Heights and surrounding cities.
Starting in late summer, the district is expected to replace its large transit buses with smaller passenger vans as part of HOP’s new micro-transit ride-sharing system.
The HOP officially launched the service, called Cavazos Connector, on March 2 at Fort Cavazos.
The microtransit service will resemble a ride-sharing service like Uber or Lyft, but will still only cost the current price of a ride on one of the city’s public buses: $2.
For people who rely on buses to get around, the new microtransit service is expected to reduce waiting times and increase passenger satisfaction.
“It’s very different from what we’ve done in the past,” said Darrell Burtner, HOP’s deputy general manager, before a presentation to Harker Heights officials earlier this year.
He explained at the time that some of their vehicles had been recalled, which is why there was no exact date for the switch to the ride-sharing system.
“But we’re really excited about it,” he said, explaining that microtransit is relatively new and started just before the COVID pandemic, which he said caused it to not get the traction it needed. “We lost about 30.6% of ridership, which sounds like a bad number and it is a bad number, but the rest of the systems, DART up in Dallas … were in the minus 70 range.”
He said these various systems have switched to microtransit “in a big way.” Burtner said he has spoken to operators of microtransit systems and all have given positive feedback.
“The most important thing for you as passengers is that it is a simpler and more convenient system,” Burtner told the audience in Harker Heights.
HOP currently operates 11 fixed-route buses that run in a loop through Copperas Cove, Killeen, Harker Heights, Belton and Temple.
To get from one city to another, passengers must ride the Loop to a transfer point to transfer to another bus that heads onto Interstate 14 and stops at other transfer points in the city. From there, they must wait for another bus to join that city’s Loop to get to their destination – or as close to it as possible.
As part of the new service, HOP will temporarily suspend all scheduled service and use some of these buses for transfers between the cities. For example, the travel time from Copperas Cove to Temple will be significantly reduced.
According to Burtner, the microtransit service is a origin-destination service. This means that the bus can pick up the passenger from their home – provided they live within the service area – and take them directly to the next transfer point in that city. There they have to wait no more than 30 minutes for the next connecting bus.
Within each city, buses can take passengers directly from their home to their destination.
Mercedes Fosheg, a transportation planner at HOP, said people can check their phones to see if they are getting to work on time because the system is updated regularly.
She also said they are looking to expand the connection from Harker Heights to Killeen to Copperas Cove.
Burtner said the old large buses that are still operational would continue to be used and would be gradually integrated into the microtransit service for the connecting routes.
“We’re buying new vehicles for the microtransit system and they’re smaller,” he said. “But as for the big buses – the ones that are still in their useful life – we’re going to take those out of regular service and put them on the connector route that goes up and down the interstate.”
To fund this service, the HOP funds it in the same way as the line network: federal funds, state funds, and local grants from cities. Each city pays a different amount depending on what service it wants to receive from the HOP.
Harker Heights has been asked to contribute $65,000 to the service in the coming fiscal year.
A smartphone is not required to book rides. As long as the mobile phone has SMS services, people can call customer service to book rides.
The HOP also proposes a new $4 toll for trips between urbanized areas. Copperas Cove-Killeen-Harker Heights is considered an urbanized area and Belton-Temple is considered another urbanized area.
As with other services like Uber or Lyft, once the individual requests a ride, they can track the vehicle through the app and know when they need to be outside to pick it up.
If you don’t have a smartphone or access to the app, you can still book a ride by calling HOP dispatchers at 254-933-3700. You can also book online at www.takethehop.com.
