World Travel Guide

City Guide  - Houston  - Getting Around
Getting Around

Public transport in Houston is fairly well developed and reasonably priced but is mainly used by commuters. Most visitors to the city generally prefer to hire a car for ease of movement. The Metropolitan Transit Authority (METRO; tel: (713) 635 4000; website: www.ridemetro.org at 2400, although certain services stop earlier in the evening.
A one-way fare in the city centre zone costs US$1, although higher rates apply to other zones. There are fare boxes on the bus and the correct change is required. Alternatively, visitors can buy tokens in advance. When purchasing tokens to the value of US$8, two rides are free. Day passes cost US$2 and allow unlimited travel in a 24-hour period, while weekly passes cost US$9. Information and tickets can be obtained from RideStores, located at 720 Main Street, and 813 Dallas Street, open Monday-Friday 0730-0530. Local shops displaying the sign METROstop also sell tickets.
In addition, METRO operates a free trolley bus service downtown covering five different routes linking the major hotels with tourist destinations every seven minutes.

Taxis

Taxis are plentiful but can be rather expensive for short distances. Generally, there is a charge of US$3 for the first mile and US$1.50 for each additional mile. A tip of around 10% of the fare is usual. There are plenty of cabs downtown but elsewhere they are harder to find and it is better to phone for one. Companies include Fiesta Cab Company (tel: (713) 236 9400), Square Deal Cab Company (tel: (713) 659 5105) and Yellow Cab Company (tel: (713) 236 1111).

Limousines

Sapphire Limousines
(tel: (281) 759 6084 or (800) 586 9160, toll free USA and Canada only) offers a stretch limousine service. Prices cost US$55-75 per hour with a minimum of three hours' rental.

Driving in the City

Most visitors to Houston prefer to hire a car as it is the best and most cost-effective way of travelling around the city. Parking is generally not a problem with plenty of car parks, such as Park on the corner of Milam and Texas Streets and Alright Parking on the corner of Travis and Prairie Streets. These cost around US$10 for the day and US$5 for the evening.
Some on-street parking is available, although difficult to find in the downtown area, where the maximum period is only one hour, for US$1.
Generally, driving in the morning and evening rush hours (0700-0900 and 1630-1830) should be avoided, as the roads are very congested. Other than that, Houston is one of the few major US cities where congestion has declined in the past ten years, mainly due to a massive construction programme. The highways have Protected High Occupancy Vehicle lanes for buses, carpools and vanpools, which reduce the commuter traffic. Houston is encircled by Interstate 610, known as 'the Loop'.

Car Hire

Insurance is compulsory when hiring and it should also be confirmed that there is adequate Loss Damage Waiver and personal liability insurance. The minimum rental age is generally 25 years, although some companies will rent cars to drivers aged between 21 and 24 years at a higher rate. Renters must be in possession of a full national driving licence. The following car hire companies all have offices in Houston city: Avis, 4825 Richmond Avenue at Galleria (tel: (713) 629 7230), Dollar, 8686 Kirby Drive (tel: (713) 797 9624) and Hertz, 2120 Louisiana Street (tel: (713) 629 0190). Prices start from around US$40-70 per day.

Bicycle Hire

Very few people attempt to cycle around Houston and so there are currently no outlets from which to hire a bike. There are some bike trails in Houston's parks but even the parks do not have any facilities for bicycle hire.



Copyright © 2001 Columbus Publishing
    
GENERAL
City Overview
City Statistics
Cost of Living
 
GETTING THERE
Air
Road
Rail
 
GETTING AROUND
Getting Around
 
BUSINESS
Business
 
SIGHTSEEING
Sightseeing
Key Attractions
Further Distractions
Tours of the City
Excursions
 
ENTERTAINMENT
Nightlife
Sport
Shopping
Culture
Special Events
Food and Drink