The Hill Country Transit District, branded as The HOP, is a public transit operator serving the KilleenâÂÂTemple metropolitan area. The HOP operates microtransit services in nine cities, four bus routes connecting the cities and rural demand-response service in three counties. The district also operates transit service within Fort Hood under the name Cavazos Connector.
The district is governed by a board of directors with a representative of each county and major city served and is a member of the Killeen Temple Metropolitan Planning Organization. Funding for the district comes from transit fares, the Federal Transit Administration, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), contract revenue from Medicaid, and contributions from the counties and cities served.
The HOP operates microtransit services in nine cities: Belton, Cameron, Copperas Cove, Gatesville, Harker Heights, Killeen, Lampasas, Salado, and Temple. Trips cost $4 and can be scheduled up to 14 days in advance, but they must stop and end in the same city (except for Killeen and Harker Heights, which allow for travel between each other).
The HOP operates four Regional Commuter routes, which operate on weekdays on a fixed schedule. Routes are subdivided into Urban and Rural routes; Urban routes cost $2 per ride, while Rural routes cost $6 per ride.
Cavazos Connector service consists of a circulator route and a microtransit service. The circulator route serves three stops: the Copeland Soldier Service Center, Carl R. Darnall Hospital, and the Fort Cavazos Visitor Center (which allows for transfer to The HOP's Urban Regional Commuter bus). Microtransit services the fort's barracks, cantonments, and family housing areas. Unlike most of The HOP's services, Cavazos Connector services operate seven days a week and are free.
The HOP operates demand-response service in Coryell County, Milam County, and non-urban portions of Bell County. Trips cost $4 and can be scheduled up to 14 days in advance, but they must stop and end in the same county.
The HOP previously operated Rural Demand-Response services in Hamilton County, Llano County, Mason County, Mills County, and San Saba County. On March 1, 2025, service in these counties was transferred to the Capital Area Rural Transportation System (Llano), the Concho Valley Transit District (Mason), and the Central Texas Rural Transit District (Hamilton/Mills/San Saba)
The HOP previously operated local fixed-route bus services, which were replaced with microtransit in September 2024.