The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) is a major public transportation agency based in Houston, Texas, United States.

In 1978, Houston-area voters created Metro and approved a one-cent sales tax to support its operations.

Metro opened for business in January 1979, taking over the bus service owned by the City of Houston known as HouTran.

HouTran was plagued by outdated equipment, infrequent service and a route structure which failed to account for Houston's rapid population growth.

[6] Previously, Thomas Lambert held the position for a decade, being formally appointed in February 2014, although he had been operating as the agency's interim CEO since the beginning of 2013.

He was named agency police chief in 1982, ultimately overseeing close to 100 officers, then moved into higher ranks of management.

Metro's local bus service usually runs on city streets, typically stopping at every other corner along its entire route.

[citation needed] Metro also operates express bus routes on the Houston region's freeway high-occupancy vehicle lanes, which stop at park-and-ride lots.

Metro had originally attempted to generate extra revenue by only advertising in its bus shelters, but a city ordinance blocked the decision.

After a failed attempt to get permission to partially use advertisements on buses, Metro has since decided to continue enforcing its policy.

[32] Due to the lack of funding for METRORail expansion, the policy has been proposed to be expanded to light rail vehicles in order to generate additional revenue.

Currently another fare increase is being mulled as a means to pay for constructing the expansion of the light rail.

This concept used the inside freeway lane of the "opposite" direction separated by traffic pylons and is closed to all vehicles except buses and vanpools.

Although a head-on collision involving a car and a bus occurred in 1980, the concept became permanent, but with the HOV lanes separated from the rest of traffic with Jersey barriers.

[36] The Authority's METROLift paratransit service will have provided 1.9 million trips to 16,178 eligible riders in FY2017, using both METRO-owned lift-equipped vans and contractor-owned and operated accessible minivans.

Metro offers a trip planner on its web site that provides information for public transit in the region it serves.

Now extended to 12.8 miles, the line begins at the Northline Transit Center, serving HCC Northeast and Northline Commons mall, and then continues south through Houston's Central Business District, Midtown, the Museum District, Rice University, the Texas Medical Center and the NRG Park Complex to the Fannin South Transit Center [37] It is the second major light rail service in Texas following the DART system.

[44] Three of the five lines were previously going to be bus-rapid transit, but due to high ridership possibilities, the decision was made to make them all light rail.

The bus rapid transit lines would have later been converted into light rail when ridership warranted the conversion.

With over 185 Texas peace officers and 88 non-sworn, civilian employees, the department's main goal is to ensure safety and security on the transit system.

It was moved March 23, 2005, to the Lee P. Brown Metropolitan Transit Authority Administration Building, where it is on permanent display.

[61][62] The agency occupied 10 floors in the building and did not receive any federal funds to cover the $3.8 million annual rent.

[57] A Regional Fixed Route Transit Rider survey sponsored by the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), in partnership with METRO, was completed in 2017.

[66] Metro provides transportation services to fifteen member cities, as well as some unincorporated portions of Harris County.