Get going, by land or by ferry
Ride one of RTA's 30 regular bus routes, seven days a week

By Sara Lee Fernandez, Caller-Times

   Corpus Christi has a population of about 300,000 people, and with a naval air station, refineries and the fifth largest port in the country, the roads in and around the city are busy.
   For decades, the Regional Transportation Agency and the Texas Department of Transportation have been helping residents and visitors get where they are going.
   Port Aransas ferry
   TxDot took over operations for the Port Aransas ferry system in 1968.
   Thirty-four years later, two boats run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  

Getting around Don’t miss the bus Time About 30 regular bus routes travel the city from 5:15 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. On Sunday, routes run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Cost Adults: 50 cents Seniors, the disabled and qualifying Medicare patients: 25 cents during peak weekday hours (6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m.) Students (elementary through high school): 25 cents College students with a valid school or Regional Transportation Agency ID: 25 cents Park and Ride program: $1 Schedules Pick one up at Del Mar College, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, the Texas Workforce Commission, Padre Staples and Sunrise malls, all H-E-B Food Stores and most social service agencies. B-Ride The RTA offers an automated 24-hour B-Ride Line at 289-2600, and customer service can be reached at 883-2287 for help with routes. Hearing- or speech-impaired customers can phone 883-3808. To schedule B-Line curb-to-curb pickup, call 289-5881. More information RTA office 289-2712 Web site www.ccrta.org

Two additional ferries run 16 hours a day, one from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and the other from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
   A fifth ferry runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
   A sixth ferry is kept on standby.
   301,452 vehicles carried
   "Last year from May through July, we carried 301,452 vehicles," said Cliff Bost, spokesman for TxDot. "Every year, traffic has constantly increased."
   Bost said each ferry can carry 20 average-size vehicles, but less are carried if a vehicle is pulling a trailer, or if a recreational vehicle, mobile home or a large sports utility vehicle is on board.
   He also said there are some basic rules that all motorists using the ferry must abide by: No smoking is allowed, and motorists must turn off their engines and set the vehicle in park with the emergency break activated.
   Public bus system
   Corpus Christi has had a public bus system for many decades, but in 1986 the RTA was formed, offering a variety of pickup programs.
   About 30 regular bus routes travel the city from 5:15 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. On Sunday, routes run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
   The only time that the buses don't run is Christmas Day and Thanksgiving.
   And aside from the regular bus line, the RTA also has the B-line, formerly the Care-B.
   The B-line allows passengers with disabilities to schedule pickups from their home to go to appointments.
   Wave transports students
   There is also the Wave, route No. 63, which goes to apartment complexes off the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi campus to pick up students attending classes.
   A new bus route, No. 67, takes passengers as far as Port Aransas and Padre Island seven days a week.
   In addition, a Park and Ride program has been in place for many years, allowing people traveling in from area towns to park their vehicles and ride an RTA bus to the Corpus Christi Army Depot for $1.
   The Park and Ride lots are on U.S. Highway 181 at Gregory, Interstate 37 between Violet and Callicoatte roads, and at Avenue A and Fourth Street in Robstown.
   Harbor Ferry
   RTA buses also work with the Corpus Christi Independent School District to help students who need rides home during the school year.
   And one of the RTA's most popular programs has been the summer Harbor Ferry pickups.
   "We've had fantastic ridership this season since we added the stop over at the Peoples Street T-head," said RTA spokeswoman Vangie Chapa.
   The Harbor Ferry runs from the Peoples Street T-head to Corpus Christi Beach, docking near the Texas State Aquarium, then stopping at the barge dock near the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and Natural History.
   The Harbor Ferry runs from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Sunday, from the start of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.