,

Woodlands Express Ends Downtown, Med Center Fares Adjust

**The Woodlands Express Halts Downtown Houston Service, Focus Shifts to Medical Center with New Fares**

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Commuters relying on The Woodlands Express for downtown Houston travel will need to find alternative transportation as the service officially discontinues all routes to the city center, with the last day of operation set for Friday, August 30, 2024. The decision, made by The Woodlands Township, comes after a sustained period of significantly low ridership on these routes, failing to recover to pre-pandemic levels.

Historically serving 800-1000 daily passengers to downtown offices, ridership plummeted to approximately 200, rendering the service financially unsustainable. This shutdown affects all three routes traditionally serving downtown: those originating from the Research Forest, Sawmill, and Cochran’s Crossing Park & Ride locations.

However, The Woodlands Express will not cease operations entirely. Service to the Texas Medical Center will continue, operating exclusively from the Research Forest Park & Ride. This streamlined service aims to cater to essential medical commuters, running five times in the morning and five times in the afternoon, Monday through Friday.

The revised Medical Center schedule, effective September 1, 2024, is as follows:
* **Morning Departures (from Research Forest):** 5:10 a.m., 6:00 a.m., 6:30 a.m., 7:00 a.m., and 8:00 a.m.
* **Afternoon Departures (from Medical Center):** 3:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m.

In conjunction with the service restructuring, The Woodlands Express is introducing new fare adjustments and discount pass options for the Medical Center route, also effective September 1. The one-way fare, currently $15, will decrease to $13. Additionally, commuters can now purchase a 10-trip pass for $110 (averaging $11 per trip) or a 20-trip pass for $200 (averaging $10 per trip), offering significant savings for frequent riders.

The Woodlands Township, which operates the express service, unanimously approved the changes. Chairman John Wessner underscored the importance of ensuring the service makes “fiscal sense” given the operational costs. The annual budget for The Woodlands Express is around $2 million, partially offset by a federal grant specifically allocated for the Medical Center route.

The Woodlands Express service was first launched in 1999, initially focusing on connecting residents to the Texas Medical Center. It later expanded to include downtown Houston routes to accommodate growing demand for office commuters. The recent decline in downtown ridership reflects broader shifts in work patterns, including the prevalence of remote work and hybrid schedules that have significantly reduced the daily commute into central business districts across the nation.

For commuters previously using the downtown routes, this decision necessitates exploring alternative transportation options such as personal vehicles, carpooling, or other public transit available in the wider Houston metropolitan area, including METRO services. The Woodlands Township encourages affected residents to visit their official website for detailed schedules, fare information, and updates.

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