METRO plans faster service on three routes starting Nov. 16

Rock Region METRO plans to run buses more frequently on Routes 3, 4 and 22 beginning Nov. 16, with the largest interval reductions scheduled for Route 22. The changes affect routes serving Little Rock and North Little Rock.

Route 22 service is planned to improve on weekdays from every 60 minutes to every 35 minutes, and on Saturdays from every 80 minutes to every 30 minutes. Saturday service on Route 3 is set to move from every 70 minutes to every 35 minutes; Route 4 Levy/Amboy is set to move from every 70 minutes to every 60 minutes.

That means Route 22’s scheduled interval would shrink by 25 minutes on weekdays and 50 minutes on Saturdays. Route 3’s Saturday interval would be cut in half, while Route 4’s would shorten by 10 minutes. METRO says Routes 3 and 4 will stop sharing buses and drivers, but their route patterns will stay the same.

Streetcar, pilot and fare changes i

Also scheduled for Nov. 16, the winter streetcar timetable would keep service every 20 minutes while changing operating hours: 11 a.m. to 9:20 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 10:20 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 8:20 p.m. Sunday. Streetcar rides are to remain free.

METRO plans to start a Providence Park microtransit pilot on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The pilot is expected to run for about six months, after which the agency says it will evaluate whether to expand the service zone to Southwest Little Rock.

A separate set of fare changes is planned for a date in January 2027 that METRO has not specified. The adult one-way fare would rise from $1.35 to $1.50, an increase of 15 cents, while the adult day pass would fall from $3.75 to $3. The one-way increase is about 11%; the day-pass reduction is 20%. Transfers would no longer be offered as a separate fare product.

The planned fare list also includes a 75-cent one-way fare for children ages 5 to 11 and discount riders, free rides for children 4 and younger, and adult 10-ride and 31-day passes for $13 and $40. Discount 10-ride and 31-day passes are listed at $6.50 and $20, a student 31-day pass at $25, and Links paratransit fares at $3 one way or $30 for 10 rides. METRO says Conway and Sherwood microtransit fares will not change.