Transportation Planning Agencies

Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is the organization responsible for transportation planning for the Austin metropolitan area. A Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is a regional planning agency established by federal law to assure a continuing, comprehensive and cooperative transportation planning and decision making process for metropolitan areas containing a population of 50,000 people or more.

Major responsibilities include the development of a long-range transportation plan and approval of the use of federal transportation dollars.

Capital Area Planning Council

Capital Area Planning Council (CAPCO) was organized in 1970 to serve local governments in its ten-county region, known as State Planning Region 12. CAPCO is a regional planning commission organized under Chapter 391, Local Government Code, and is one of 24 within the State of Texas. CAPCO is commonly referred to as a Council of Governments (COG). The primary focus of CAPCO is to serve as advocate, planner and coordinator of initiatives that, when undertaken on a regional basis, can be more effective and efficient. These include emergency services, elderly assistance, law enforcement training, criminal justice planning, solid waste reduction, infrastructure development, and housing and economic development.

Capital Area Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CARTPO)

Capital Area Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CARTPO) was created by the Texas Councils of Governments to help address rural transportation needs. CARTPO works with officials in non-metropolitan areas on transportation planning and programming decisions.

Transportation Providers

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) provides the state of Texas with transportation systems and alternatives that are comfortable, safe, durable, cost-effective, accessible, environmentally sensitive and aesthetically appealing.

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CMTA) is the agency established to operate transportation programs for the Austin metropolitan service area's residents, including public transit systems, special transportation for the disabled and information dissemination on alternative transportation modes.

The Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) delivers transportation tailored specifically for each of the one-hundred and twenty-three communities it serves in the counties of Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Travis and Williamson. Service frequency in the various locales ranges from several times a day to once a month. Four inter-modal transit facilities combine a variety of transportation options including fixed route, commuter vans, inter-city, inter-state motor coach passenger freight service, carpool, taxi and intra-county, inter-city and local paratransit services.