Thomas Jasien, Interim President & CEO, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County

Invest: sat down with Thomas Jasien, interim president and CEO of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO), to discuss how METRO is rebuilding public confidence as Houston grows, from stronger safety and cleanliness measures to expanded microtransit and new fare technology. “All of our metrics are moving in a positive direction, and that reflects growing confidence in the system,” Jasien said.

What have been the most important changes shaping METRO’s priorities over the past year?

Over the past year, and really over the last two years, we have focused on continuous change and improvement as our system moves into a new era. Coming out of COVID, a lot of transit systems were being pulled in different directions, but in Houston, under this mayor, this board, and our broader political leadership, we decided to focus on the basics.

We’re back to the basics in Houston. That means addressing the issues that help rebuild public confidence in transit, especially safety, security, cleanliness, reliability, and accessibility. We have doubled, and in some cases tripled or quadrupled, our investment in those areas. All of our metrics are moving in a positive direction, reflecting growing confidence in the system.

That work is especially important because Houston is growing rapidly. We are serving daily commuters while also supporting major events and a strong job market. Houston has one of the hottest job markets in the country, and our role is to help move people to those jobs, as well as to education, healthcare, and other opportunities. We are seeing a real turnaround, and we are proud to be part of what is happening in Houston right now.

What specific actions is METRO taking to continue rebuilding ridership, and how are you measuring success?

We measure everything we do, and we do not rely on a single metric. One of the clearest examples is our increased law enforcement presence across the system. In many cases, deterring a crime is just as important as responding to one, so we have focused on making sure there is a visible police presence during key hours. We have doubled, and in some instances tripled, that presence so riders know they are entering a space that is safe and orderly.

We also measure the outcomes of that effort. We track officer activity, arrests, citations, and other enforcement actions. For example, fair enforcement has become a major priority. Where previous years may have seen only a few hundred citations, this past year we issued more than 3,000. That matters because it reinforces that transit is a transportation service, not just a place to occupy. It helps ensure that people using the system are there to travel, and it contributes to a safer, more reliable environment for everyone.

At the same time, we are transitioning to an entirely new fare system. That system will allow people to tap a credit card or use modern payment tools such as Apple Pay, which makes the system much easier for visitors and occasional riders to use. It also improves access to fare cards and allows us to offer discounts and ride incentives in a more seamless way. We are more than halfway through that transition, and that is a significant operational effort given the size of our network.

We are also improving the physical environment riders encounter every day. In the past, a bus stop might have been cleaned once a week. Now we are cleaning stops five days a week so that they remain welcoming and clean. We are also replacing nearly all of our bus shelters. We want the entire transit system to look better, smell better, and feel like a place where people are comfortable being.

Another important part of this work is our care unit, which engages people who may be sleeping in shelters or using the system because they have nowhere else to go. We spend significant time trying to connect those individuals with proper care and treatment instead of leaving them to exist in transit spaces. Altogether, these efforts are about making the system safer, cleaner, and more dependable, because those are the conditions that bring riders back.

How is METRO using technology, on-demand service, and microtransit to reshape the network for the long term?

Microtransit is an important part of our strategy. We went through a pilot phase in partnership with other entities, including the city of Houston, and over the last several months, we have taken on that service more directly. Our focus now is on how to scale it and extend it to more communities.

We think about this as a first- and last-mile solution. Houston is a large service area, and it is difficult to put a bus at the end of every street. Microtransit helps close that gap. It follows a model that many people already understand from Uber and Lyft. Riders can use an app to request service, get picked up, and either travel to a nearby destination or connect to a bus or train line.

The results have been encouraging. Ridership on that program has grown exponentially, from a few dozen rides to tens of thousands in a relatively short period of time. That tells us there is strong demand for flexible, technology-enabled service.

We also operate curb-to-curb service in areas that are difficult to serve with fixed-route transit. In some places, the road network, sidewalks, lighting, and other infrastructure simply are not ideal for a traditional transit model. In those cases, we are able to pick riders up at home, at a church, at a business, or at another nearby point and get them where they need to go, generally within about a 5-mile radius. That service has also seen explosive growth.

Technology is central to making both of those services work. The app is what allows riders to access them easily and gives us the tools to manage demand effectively. We also offer app-based options on the broader system, although the bulk of our ridership still comes through traditional fixed-route service. Last year, we carried just under 80 million rides across the region, and this year we expect to surpass that. Those are real performance numbers, and they reflect the growing strength of the system.

How is METRO approaching workforce development as it prepares for this next phase of growth?

Workforce remains one of our biggest challenges because none of this progress is possible without the right people in place. We have been fortunate that METRO is viewed as one of the stronger employment opportunities in the community, so there is real interest in working here. That gives us a strong foundation, but attraction is only one part of the equation.

Retention and development are just as important. We have to make sure employees have not only the skills they need, but also the training, tools, and long-term support that encourage them to stay and grow with the organization. In an era when many employers have moved away from traditional pension structures, we have built an aggressive retirement matching program that helps address employees’ financial needs and long-term planning.

We also invest heavily in education and training. We provide funding for continuing education, whether that supports a professional certification or an additional degree. That kind of investment helps our employees strengthen their capabilities while also signaling that METRO is committed to their future.

As Houston continues to grow and as our system evolves, having a strong workforce will remain essential. We are focused on making sure we have the people, training, and culture necessary to support the next phase of service delivery and system improvement.