CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Some of Corpus Christi's City Council members hitched a ride on an RTA bus Monday to get a first-hand look at changes being made to the transportation system.
The ride-along started in downtown Corpus Christi at the Regional Transporation Authority's busiest bus station. The seats were filled with City Council members and executives like RTA President Jorge Cruz-Aedo.
"We're here to provide your transportation needs, your mobility needs, and we want to do it in a very safe a secure way for you," Cruz-Aedo said.
Council Member At-Large Paulette Guajardo was also one of the passengers on the bus. She said growing up, her family relied heavily on public transit to get around Corpus Christi; but Guajardo said the buses have changed a lot since her childhood. Now they are even equipped with Wifi.
"You can do quite a whole lot while you're waiting on that bus, in terms of work or phone calls or what have you, then you did before," Guajardo said.
The RTA plans to change even more, starting in the fall with autonomous vehicles on the campus of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
"Autonomous meaning a driverless vehicle on the campus shuttling students between classes and parking lots," Guajardo said.
RTA Chairman Edward Martinez said they are constantly looking for new ways to evolve and integrate different types of public transportation.
"What's going on with Uber, what's going on with Lyft, and how do we incorporate that into our old system," Martinez said.
Martinez also said they plan to reconstruct a bigger station at Port and Ayers within the next five years.