[cloverich]

As in much of Texas, not very good in most places. If you are central there are some options. And Prop A passed in the last election, which will expand the (single) commuter rail line that exists now (among a few other things). If it is well received, it could potentially expand beyond that. Most residents I know are hopeful but skeptical. Living along Lamar puts you in the best position to take advantage of it, and there is concomitantly a "rapid" bus line that runs regularly North / South fully along it -- I used that on occasion too.

I was fortunate to live in a community on the Commuter rail stop (in Crestview) while I worked downtown and took the train daily for a couple years -- splendid. But though it was packed, I knew nearly nobody else in person that had used it, and many did not even know it existed -- such is the small areas it served.

IMO the best (commuter) features of Austin is it has the room to grow. Unlike Houston (or Dallas, I assume), it has much less roadway infrastructure and things seem slow to build here. So, despite being in and out of this city since college (~20 years ago), I still feel unsure what the future looks like.