Fort Worth Transportation Authority

Fort Worth Transportation Authority

#557 idling at the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC).
Headquarters	1600 East Lancaster Fort Worth, TX 76102-6720
Locale	Tarrant County, Texas
Service area	Tarrant County, Texas
Service type	Bus, commuter rail
Routes	37
Hubs	5
Fleet	147 fixed route 76 demand response[1]
Operator	McDonald Transit
Chief executive	Paul J. Ballard
Website	www.the-t.com

The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (popularly known as The T) is a transit agency located in Fort Worth, Texas.

The T primarily operates Fort Worth's bus system which also serves several Fort Worth suburbs. The T also partners with Dallas Area Rapid Transit to operate the Trinity Railway Express (TRE), which offers commuter rail service from downtown Fort Worth to DFW Airport and downtown Dallas.

History

Through the early 1970s, bus transit services in Fort Worth were provided by City Transit Company, a private enterprise. Starting in 1974, the city's Traffic Engineering Department began coordinating bus operations. In 1978, the city established the Fort Worth Department of Transportation, which took over public transit operations. These operations included the City Transit Service (CITRAN) and the Surface Transportation Service (SURTRAN), with transportation services for the handicapped (MIPS) being added in 1979.^[2]

On November 8, 1983, voters approved formation of The T. To finance the system, voters levied a half-cent sales tax. The CITRAN, SURTRAN, and MIPS services were folded into the new agency, along with carpool and vanpool coordination.

The agency's first addition came on November 5, 1991 when the small suburb of Lake Worth voted 344-206 in favor of joining the T. That prompted three more elections on May 2, 1992 when Blue Mound, Forest Hill and Richland Hills had the issue of joining the agency on the ballot. Blue Mound and Richland Hills voted in favor while Forest Hill declined the measure nearly 2-1.

The T saw its first departure when voters in Lake Worth approved a pullout in September 2003. Service withdrawal became effective on March 21, 2004. Lake Worth had previously tried to pull out in 1996, but that measure failed.

In 2001, the T saw its cooperation efforts with DART pay off as the Trinity Railway Express reached downtown Fort Worth. The other end of the line terminates in downtown Dallas.

The TRE commuter line has a daily ridership of 9,100^[3] and is the thirteenth most-ridden commuter rail system in the country.

Services offered

The bulk of the T's operations involve 36 bus routes within the service area. Most route through downtown Fort Worth, where the TRE has two train stations, Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC) and the T&P Station. The ITC is the major transit station for the T, as the TRE trains and twenty bus routes meet.

The T also operates a vanpool/carpool service. A vanpool/carpool is a group of at least seven people who share the costs of getting to and from work. These individuals usually live and work near each other. Monthly fares will vary, depending on the origination point of the van and the daily miles involved. Riders pay only for the portion of the trip they use. For instance, if the service picks up riders in different counties, it's possible for some riders to pay more than others.

The last service The T offers is the Mobility Impaired Transportation Service (MITS). It offers door-to-door transportation within the service areas of Fort Worth, Richland Hills and Blue Mound. Trained drivers are available to assist passengers in boarding and alighting vehicles specially designed to accommodate the mobility impaired.

Route List

• 1N North Main
• 1S Hemphill
• 2 Camp Bowie
• 3 South Riverside/Tarrant County College
• 4 East Rosedale
• 5A Evans Ave
• 5B Glen Garden
• 6 8th Ave/McCart/Hulen
• 7 University Dr/Museum District
• 9 Ramey/Vickery
• 10 Bailey/Sondra
• 11 Sylvania Ave/Mercantile
• 12 Greenway
• 14 North Riverside Dr/Northside Transfer Center
• 15 Stockyards
• 17 Central Ave
• 20 Handley
• 21 Boca Raton
• 22 Meadowbrook
• 24 Berry St
• 25 Crosstown
• 26 Ridgmar Mall/Normandale
• 27 Como/Ridgmar Mall
• 29 TCU Frog Shuttle
• 30 CentrePoint
• 32 Bryant Irvin
• 41 Richland Hills (Rider Request)
• 46 Jacksboro Hwy
• 57 Como/Montgomery Plaza
• 61 Normandale Express
• 62 Summerfields Express
• 63 North Fort Worth Park & Ride Express
• 65 South Fort Worth Park & Ride Express
• 66 Candleridge Express
• 72 Hemphill/Sycamore School Rd Express
• Spur* E. Lancaster
• Molly the Trolley (Free)

Expansion

• FWTA is planning the Southwest-to-Northeast Rail Corridor, now known as "TEX Rail", commuter service to connect southwest Fort Worth to DFW Airport through Tarrant County. The service is planned to begin in 2018.

Labor relations

From November 6, 2006 through November 11, 2006, around 100 of The T's union workers went on strike, citing the agency's policy regarding termination of employees who had used up their short-term disability benefits. This represented about a third of the workers represented by Teamsters Local 997. Service continued with delays the next morning by non-striking drivers, and The T began advertising for replacement drivers. During the dispute, bus rides on The T were free, and the agency announced that monthly pass holders will receive a 25% discount on their December passes. By Friday, replacement workers and other drivers willing to cross the picket lines had restored service to normal levels.^[4]

The T offered a new contract proposal late in the week, which was rejected on Saturday by a vote of 37 to 21. But because less than half of the 155 union members voted, a 2/3 majority of the vote was required to reject the contract. That would have required 39 of the 58 votes, so the contract was declared "accepted".^[5]

Service on the Trinity Railway Express was not affected, as the rail line's employees work under a different contract.

Nine years earlier, a four-day strike in 1997 shut down 75% of The T's service.

Fare increase/fuel surcharge

The T's Board of Directors are allowing public comments on a proposed a fare increase.^[6] The fares last increased on October 1, 2007 to pay for extremely high fuel costs that were the result of the oil price increases since 2003. The 25-cent increase in this case is effectively a fuel surcharge, and also covers the cost of compressed natural gas (which is pegged to diesel fuel costs). Below is a list of the new fares as of 2 December 2012. No fare to kids below 6 with fare-paying rider, limit 3.

^[7]

This is their 2nd fare increase since October 2003. The Premium Day Pass is valid on all DART, T, and TRE services for one day.

Roster

References

External links

• The T
• Transit-Oriented Development