One-way fares start at $1.25 on METRO Bus 83 Monroe
Bus 83 Monroe is a local METRO route that links southeast Houston neighborhoods to downtown, and you reach it from George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) only by transferring from other METRO services. There is no direct 83 stop at terminals A–E, so this is mainly useful if you already use METRO daily and need to connect between IAH and areas along Monroe Road or toward Hobby Airport.
To reach any METRO bus from IAH, you first take a shuttle or walk to the METRO bus stop on John F. Kennedy Blvd near Terminal C, then ride a route such as the METRO 102 or METRO 108 toward downtown. From central Houston, you transfer to Bus 83 Monroe at a downtown stop or transit center, then continue southeast. Expect at least 2 transfers between IAH and a typical Monroe corridor stop.
Standard METRO local fare is $1.25 per ride when you tap a METRO Q Card or use the METRO app, with free transfers within 3 hours as long as you keep tapping the same card or ticket. If you pay cash on board Bus 83, you’ll also pay $1.25 but won’t get electronic transfer credit, so most regular riders stick to the Q Card or mobile ticket instead of cash.
Weekday service on Bus 83 usually starts around 5:00 am and runs until about midnight, with off-peak headways in the 20–30 minute range along Monroe. On weekends, service starts later and can stretch to 30–40 minute gaps, which makes timing tight if you’re pairing the 83 with an airport-bound route like the 102 from downtown.
This bus makes frequent local stops along Monroe Road and nearby streets, so a full ride from downtown Houston to the outer end of the route can easily hit 50–60 minutes before you even add the downtown–IAH leg. If your goal is a hotel along JFK Blvd or a same-day flight at Terminals C or E, that total travel time often lands around 90+ minutes with all transfers.
In practice, METRO Bus 83 Monroe works best if you already live or work along Monroe and treat IAH as one of several commuting endpoints. Visitors fresh off a flight at Terminals A–E usually do better with a direct rideshare or shuttle, since those often cut total travel time by at least 30–45 minutes versus a METRO transfer chain that includes the 83.
Practical tip: If you still plan to string together IAH–downtown–83 Monroe, pad your schedule by at least one full headway on Bus 83 so a missed connection downtown doesn’t make you miss check-in or the start of a work shift.