Capital Metro will keep running buses in Manor and Lago Vista after voters in each city rejected attempts to cancel transit service and redirect the cash that pays for it to local government.
The landslide victory for Proposition A in Manor saw 79% of voters elect to stay in CapMetro. Manor will retain the on-demand minibus Pickup and a commuter bus running into downtown Austin called Express Route 990.
Lago Vista results were closer but still showed a 10% margin of victory for CapMetro, with 55% of voters approving Proposition A to stay with the regional transit system.
Lago Vista also has Pickup service along with local bus route 214, which takes people to popular destinations like Austin Community College's Cypress Creek Campus, the Lakeline Mall and Jonestown.
Mayors and city councils in each city called the elections after questioning whether they were getting their money's worth. Manor and Lago Vista pay for public transit with a 1% sales tax. For Manor, that was $1.6 million last year, up 29% from the year earlier. Lago Vista sent CapMetro $746,336 in sales tax last year, up 24% from the prior year.
A second question on the ballot asked voters if that 1% sales tax should be redirected to city coffers, should voters choose to leave CapMetro. In both cities, that measure was defeated — indicating voters would rather have a lower sales tax if they lose transit service.
CapMetro is "eager" to keep transit service running in both cities, the agency said in a statement, "as we recognize how vital these partnership are to connecting customers across the Central Texas region."
