5/19/88 First bus, first rider The South Belt Express Houston Metro 143

Metro planner John Quinn (right) welcomes Richard Meyer as the first passenger on the South Belt Express which began service at 5:58 a.m. Monday. Passengers can travel to downtown or transfer at the Eastwood Transit Center and travel to the University of Houston or the Medical Center. Meyer boarded the bus at Beamer and Hughes. The route begins at San Jacinto College South and has about 100 stops. 

[The 143, South Belt Express would run for 13 years before Houston Metro eliminated the route.]