Pasadena mayor’s transit plan stalls

Delay in returning bus service to city raising doubts

A plan to resume public bus service in Pasadena has stalled, raising doubts about the prospects for public transportation in Harris County’s secondlargest city.

Mayor Jeff Wagner announced Aug. 9 that Pasadena would restore the service eliminated by his predecessor, the longserving Johnny Isbell. Four months later, however, Wagner’s administration is still reviewing a proposed agreement with Harris County Transit to provide the service.

Wagner’s pledge to resume bus service was one of several early steps he took to respond to the needs of the city’s Latinos, including many low-income residents who would benefit most from transit service.

Outreach to Latinos was seen as particularly urgent after a redistricting lawsuit in federal court last year that portrayed the city as hostile to political progress for Latinos, who now make up about two-thirds of its population.

Harris County Transit, part of the county’s community services department, operates daily routes using small, shuttle-like buses in Baytown, where officials say the service is a great success.

The agency provided service in Pasadena from January 2010 to October 2012. Pasadena and Baytown opted out of service by Metro, the regional transit agency, and residents there don’t pay its 1-cent sales tax.

Isbell and other Pasadena officials said they decided not to renew the service because too few riders used the buses to justify the cost.

“The mayor is still very interested in doing this. He just wants to make sure it’s done right.” James Rodriguez, Pasadena mayor’s chief of staff

After Wagner’s August announcement, Harris County Transit prepared a new agreement with Pasadena and forwarded a draft to the city on Oct. 2. The agreement for four routes would cost the city about $360,000 in its first year.

James Rodriguez, Wagner’s chief of staff, said Pasadena’s legal department is still reviewing the draft agreement and has concerns about potential costs beyond the first year of the service. The Pasadena Second Century Corp., an economic development agency funded by a 1-cent sales tax, has budgeted enough to cover the first year, he said.

Rodriguez said the city’s response to Hurricane Harvey has contributed to the delay.

“The mayor is still very interested in doing this,” Rodriguez said. “He just wants to make sure it’s done right.”

In a recent application for a federal grant, Pasadena officials said that 11 percent of households within the city’s historic center lacked access to a vehicle and 40 percent of households had access to only one vehicle.

The application seeks a $160,000 grant for a study of possible redevelopment of about 3.6 square miles bounded by Richey Avenue, Shaw Avenue, Red Bluff Road and Southmore Avenue. The study area lies within the northern section of Pasadena, where most of its Latinos live.

The grant would come through the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s “livable centers” program, established in 2009 to “support local governments in creating quality places that provide alternatives to vehicle travel and improve access to transit,” according to the H-GAC website.

The availability of bus service is a key element of Pasadena’s application for the grant.

“Pasadena has committed to support the return of Harris County Transit,” the application states. “Bus service on four routes is proposed to start in late 2017 or early 2018.”

The H-GAC staff has recommended approval of the grant, which the agency’s transportation policy council will consider in January.