George Bush Airport shuttle bus drop fares

Beginning January 23, 2011 George Bush Airport shuttle bus drops fares by 70 percent and have more options in drop-off or pick-up locations in downtown Houston when traveling to or from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).This dramatic drop in fares – from $15 to $4.50 for a one-way trip – comes after careful cooperation with the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau (GHCVB).
For the Metropolitan Transit Authority the move also aims to increase ridership and reduce costs. The 52-passenger Airport Direct Shuttle currently averages only two riders per trip every 30 minutes between Metro’s passenger plaza at 815 Pierce in downtown Houston and Terminal C at IAH.

“It hemorrhages money,” confessed George Greanias, president and CEO of Metro, about the current shuttle service. “We think it’s a valuable service, (but) we need to reconfigure it in a way that’s more cost-effective.”

The new route will avoid the passenger plaza completely, transporting travelers instead to and from the George R. Brown Convention Center, as well as downtown hotels: the Hilton Americas, the Doubletree, the Hyatt Regency, the Marriott, the Four Seasons, and the Crowne Plaza, all in downtown Houston.

In fact, the passenger plaza will be completely shut down by Metro to further reduce costs. As a result of these changes, and despite the fares being dropped, Metro authorities project a savings of $350,000 overall during the first eight months of the rerouting.