Profiles in Government: Capital Metro

As we prepare for our upcoming exclusive Industry Insider — Texas member briefing with Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CapMetro) and the Texas Department of Transportation, here is a look at the workings of CapMetro.

CapMetro, the regional public transportation provider for the city of Austin, was created in 1985 and is funded in part by a 1 percent sales tax levied by its service area members.

For fiscal year 2026, CapMetro is operating under a total budget of $625.2 million. Of that total, $155 million is for capital project expenses, including $15.7 million for information technology systems and infrastructure.

CapMetro is led by President and CEO Dottie Watkins. Senior Vice President and CIO Tanya Acevedo oversees the agency’s technology operations and investments.

Here is more information about the agency, including who leads it, how many staff the department employs and its strategic goals:

FAST FACTS

Budget: CapMetro’s total budget for FY 2026 is $625.2 million. Its capital plan includes $15.7 million for IT projects. That IT capital budget includes:

• $3.4 million for enterprise systems
• $1.4 million for infrastructure
• $10.8 million for transit systems

Leadership: CapMetro is led by President and CEO Dottie Watkins. Senior Vice President and CIO Tanya Acevedo oversees the agency’s technology operations and investments.

Staff: CapMetro employs 665 full-time equivalent staff members. Its IT Department accounts for 60.5 of those positions.

Strategic Goals: According to Strategic Plan 2030, CapMetro’s technology-related priorities include:

• Implementing a digital transformation strategy for internal and customer-facing technology
• Monitoring the reliability of customer-facing technology such as real-time arrival information and booking and payment apps
• Streamlining and automating business processes in coordination with the digital transformation strategy
• Addressing technology challenges related to fare systems
• Using security technologies as part of a broader safety strategy

The agency’s budget also shows recent and planned technology work tied to transit operations and customer experience, including fare payment tools, cloud migration, cybersecurity, public safety dashboards and upgrades to dispatch and fare box systems.

Industry Insider — Texas is hosting CapMetro CIO Tanya Acevedo at an exclusive member briefing March 26, alongside Texas Department of Transportation CIO Anh Selissen.