FortBendNow.com

County Commissioners Court members approved an agreement Tuesday that will create subsidized express bus service from Sugar Land and Katy to the Texas Medical Center.

The buses will provide service to some of the 14,000 medical center employees in the Fort Bend County area, and to patients and visitors as well.

The agreement, between the county’s Public Transportation Department and the Texas Medical Center, was approved at Tuesday’s court session.

While commissioners indicated some details have yet to be worked out, the Fort Bend Transit Authority is expected to provide 20-passenger express buses that would leave several times per day from two locations in Sugar Land and one in Katy, and then head straight to Texas Medical Center.

Texas Medical Center Senior Vice President Joyce Camp said about 14,000 people in the Fort Bend area work at institutions in the medical center. About 8,300 live in zip codes abutting the proposed bus routes.

The express buses aren’t just for medical center employees, but for patients, visitors or anyone who ponies up the money. The cost is estimated to be $4 each way from the Katy route, and $3.50 each way from the two Sugar Land routes.

One route would start at the University of Houston-Sugar Land campus, and make a second stop at the AMC Theaters near First Colony Mall. From there the buses would drive non-stop to the medical center, where they would make several stops within the center.

The other Sugar Land route would begin at Imperial Sugar on U.S. 90A, and would make a second stop at a former Kroger store on 90A, before driving non-stop to the medical center.

The Katy route would begin along the Interstate 10 corridor, Camp said.

“We’re excited; we would very much like to have the service from Fort Bend County,” Camp said, adding that she is “very appreciative” of the support that county Transportation Director Paulette Shelton has shown in working toward putting the project together.

Camp also expressed thanks that county commissioners for approving the transportation agreement.

The cost of providing the bus service likely will have to be subsidized by some of the approximate 46 medical institutions comprising the Texas Medical Center, Camp said.

She said a meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at which such subsidies may be discussed.