HOUSTON — The Houston-Galveston Area Council is making millions of dollars available that can be used as matching funds for federally-funded transportation initiatives, Houston Public Media reports.

Some of the money is being set aside for local transit services that want to develop a regional fare collection system, which would allow smaller, commuter bus system users to transfer to the METRO bus or rail system while paying a single fare. The regional fare system would also be helpful to people who do reverse commutes.

METRO has already done some work on a regional fare collection system, but putting it into effect could still be a few years away, according to the report. Some of the regional agencies that provide transportation services include Harris County Transit, Fort Bend Transit, and Connect Transit in Galveston and Brazoria Counties. For the full story, click here.