Transportation operating within San Marcos

By Andrea Narro  

News Reporter 

SAN MARCOS – The City of San Marcos along with The Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) provides many transportation options for all citizens within the city, and other routes to surrounding cities such as Austin, Wimberley, and Bastrop. 

The Municipal bus, also known as SMTX The Bus, is one of the most common transit services people use within the area. Donna Aaron, Office manager/ ADA Coordinator, explains the new approval that the city council announced regarding fares for this service.  

“They recently went before the city council that they were all fare-free now,” Aaron said. “The city council approved that permanently, so there are no charges on any of the local buses.” 

Interurban Coach is another popular service that CARTS provides. These are known as the Yellow Route 1510 and the Gold Route 1517 connecting San Martians to Austin. With the Interurban buses people have the chance to have connections to other Central Texas cities once in Austin. 

“You can make connections to other places,” Aaron said. “Including the airport, going to Georgetown, Bastrop, there are several places you can make connections to.” 

The senior shopping is another transportation service that CARTS offers to all seniors in San Marcos who are looking for independence, operating Tuesdays, and Thursdays to HEB and  Wal-Mart supercenter. 

“I can tell you that from the perspective of the seniors in this town that don’t have cars this is a godsend for them, this is their independence,” Aaron said. “And of course, it’s for those with disabilities.” 

CARTS offers many beneficial services for those who need transportation within and outside of the city. Working on improvements for the system to be even better, CARTS has now introduced a real-time tracker for their local buses, as well as the Interurban routes to Austin. 

To find the real-time tracker go to www.sanmarcostx.gov/bustracker. 

For more information regarding the services go to www.ridecarts.com or call their main line at 512-805-7433.