Hill Country Transit District
| Founded | 1988 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 4515 West US Highway 190, Belton, Texas United States |
| Service area | Bell County, Coryell County, and Milam County |
| Service type | Bus service, paratransit, microtransit |
| Routes | 5 bus routes 9 microtransit zones |
| Stops | 19 |
| Hubs | 1 |
| Fleet | 153 |
| Fuel type | Diesel & Unleaded Fuel |
| Operator | Hendrickson Transportation Group (Management Only since 2022) |
| General Manager | Raymond Suarez |
| Website | http://www.takethehop.com/ |
The Hill Country Transit District, branded as The HOP, is a public transit operator serving the Killeen–Temple metropolitan area. The HOP operates microtransit services in nine cities, four bus routes connecting the cities and rural demand-response service in three counties. The district also operates transit service within Fort Hood under the name Cavazos Connector.
The district is governed by a board of directors with a representative of each county and major city served and is a member of the Killeen Temple Metropolitan Planning Organization.[1] Funding for the district comes from transit fares, the Federal Transit Administration, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), contract revenue from Medicaid, and contributions from the counties and cities served.[1]
Services
Microtransit
The HOP operates microtransit services in nine cities: Belton, Cameron, Copperas Cove, Gatesville, Harker Heights, Killeen, Lampasas, Salado, and Temple. Trips cost $4 and can be scheduled up to 14 days in advance, but they must stop and end in the same city (except for Killeen and Harker Heights, which allow for travel between each other).[2]
Regional Commuter bus
The HOP operates four Regional Commuter routes, which operate on weekdays on a fixed schedule. Routes are subdivided into Urban and Rural routes; Urban routes cost $2 per ride,[3] while Rural routes cost $6 per ride.[4]
| Route | Route description | Other served locations |
|---|---|---|
| Urban | Copperas Cove to Temple along I-14/I-35 | |
| Coryell Rural | Gatesville to Temple along SH 36 | |
| Lampasas Rural | Lampasas to Copperas Cove along US 190 | |
| Milam Rural | Cameron to Temple along US 190 |
Cavazos Connector
Cavazos Connector service consists of a circulator route and a microtransit service. The circulator route serves three stops: the Copeland Soldier Service Center, Carl R. Darnall Hospital, and the Fort Cavazos Visitor Center (which allows for transfer to The HOP's Urban Regional Commuter bus). Microtransit services the fort's barracks, cantonments, and family housing areas. Unlike most of The HOP's services, Cavazos Connector services operate seven days a week and are free.[5]
Rural Demand-Response
The HOP operates demand-response service in Coryell County, Milam County, and non-urban portions of Bell County. Trips cost $4 and can be scheduled up to 14 days in advance, but they must stop and end in the same county.[6]
The HOP previously operated Rural Demand-Response services in Hamilton County, Llano County, Mason County, Mills County, and San Saba County. On March 1, 2025, service in these counties was transferred to the Capital Area Rural Transportation System (Llano), the Concho Valley Transit District (Mason), and the Central Texas Rural Transit District (Hamilton/Mills/San Saba)
Former bus routes
The HOP previously operated local fixed-route bus services, which were replaced with microtransit in September 2024.[7]
| Route # | Route Name[8] | Cities Served | Discontinued date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Killeen Zephyr Road | Killeen | Modified along Veterans Memorial Blvd and renumbered Route 11 on November 1, 2005. |
| 2 | Texas A&M North / Lake Rd. / Rancier Ave. | Killeen | Replaced with microtransit in September 2024.[7] |
| 3 | Killeen Lake Road | Killeen | Merged with Route 2 in November 2008. |
| 4 | Killeen Mall / Walmart / Scott & White Clinic | Killeen | Replaced with microtransit in September 2024.[7] |
| 5 | H-E-B / DPS - Killeen | Killeen | Replaced with microtransit in September 2024.[7] |
| 6 | Killeen / Florence Road | Killeen | Merged with Route 5 in November 2008. |
| 7 | Killeen Scott & White Clinic / Mall | Killeen | Discontinued on November 1, 2005. |
| 7 | Robinett Rd. / Texas A&M South/ Airport / Metroplex Hospital | Killeen | Discontinued on September 1, 2017. |
| 8 | Killeen Downtown / Northwest | Killeen | Discontinued on November 1, 2005. |
| 11 | Killeen Zephyr Road / Veterans Memorial Blvd | Killeen | Discontinued on May 1, 2006. |
| 20 | Killeen Westcliff / Industrial Park (via Business 190) | Killeen | Discontinued on November 1, 2005. |
| 21 | Veterans Memorial Blvd. / W.S. Young Dr. / Killeen Civic Center / KPD | Killeen | Discontinued on September 1, 2017. |
| 30 | Killeen Ellison High School / Harker Heights | Killeen | Merged with Route 4 on May 1, 2006. |
| 30 | H-E-B / Stan Schlueter Loop / Lions Club / Harker Heights Wal-Mart | Killeen | Discontinued September 1, 2017. |
| 35 | Harker Heights Loop | Harker Heights | Replaced with microtransit in September 2024.[7] |
| 40 | Fort Hood / Darnall Hospital | Killeen | Discontinued on January 1, 2004. |
| 60 | Copperas Cove Civic Center | Copperas Cove | Combined with Routes 70 and 75 into Route 65 in late 2005. |
| 65 | Copperas Cove Loop | Copperas Cove | Replaced with microtransit in September 2024.[7] |
| 70 | Copperas Cove Civic Center | Copperas Cove | Combined with Routes 60 and 75 into Route 65 in late 2005. |
| 75 | Copperas Cove HEB / WalMart | Copperas Cove | Combined with Routes 60 and 70 into Route 65 in late 2005. |
| 100 | Metroplex / CTC / Copperas Cove | Killeen Copperas Cove |
Replaced with microtransit in September 2024.[7] |
| 200 | Nolanville Shuttle | Nolanville | Discontinued on January 1, 2004. |
| 200 | Harker Heights / Nolanville / Belton / Temple Connector | Killeen Harker Heights Nolanville Belton Temple |
Replaced with microtransit in September 2024.[7] |
| 300 | The Connector | Discontinued on November 1, 2005. | |
| 510 | VA Hospital / Temple College / Temple Mall / Walmart | Temple | Replaced with microtransit in September 2024.[7] |
| 520 | Scott & White Hospital / King's Daughters Clinic / Sam's Club | Temple | Discontinued in late 2016. |
| 530 | Adams Ave / Temple HS / Social Security Office | Temple | Replaced with microtransit in September 2024.[7] |
| 550 | Silver Line Flex Route | Killeen | Replaced with microtransit in September 2024.[7] |
| 610 | Belton | Belton | Replaced with microtransit in September 2024.[7] |
References
- ^ a b "The HOP General Information". Hill Country Transit District. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
- ^ "Microtransit". The HOP. Hill Country Transit District. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
- ^ "Urban Regional Commuter". The HOP. Hill Country Transit District. Archived from the original on August 15, 2025. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ "Rural Regional Commuter". The HOP. Hill Country Transit District. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ "Cavazos Connector". The HOP. Hill Country Transit District. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
- ^ "Rural Demand-Response". The HOP. Hill Country Transit District. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Alexander, Adriana (September 3, 2024). "Five Central Texas cities launch 'The Hop' micro-transit program". KCEN-TV. Tegna Inc. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ "The HOP Urban Time Schedule". Hill Country Transit District. Archived from the original on March 17, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
External links