Fort Worth Transportation Authority
Encyclopedia
The Fort Worth Transportation Authority is the operator of the bus
system in Fort Worth, Texas and Richland Hills, Texas popularly known as The T. The T also partners with DART
of Dallas
through the Trinity Railway Express
(TRE), which offers commuter rail service from downtown Fort Worth to DFW Airport and downtown Dallas
.
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 and is the thirteenth most-ridden commuter rail system in the country.
(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.
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.
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".
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.
(which is pegged to diesel fuel costs).
This will be their first fare increase since October 2003. The Premium Day Pass is valid on all DART, T, and TRE services for one day.
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
system in Fort Worth, Texas and Richland Hills, Texas popularly known as The T. The T also partners with DART
Dallas Area Rapid Transit
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority is a transit agency based in Dallas, Texas . It operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and 12 of its suburbs...
of Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
through the Trinity Railway Express
Trinity Railway Express
The Trinity Railway Express is a commuter rail line in the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex. It was established by an interlocal agreement between Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority . Each transit authority owns a 50% stake in the joint rail project and...
(TRE), which offers commuter rail service from downtown Fort Worth to DFW Airport and downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...
.
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.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
Lake Worth, Texas
Lake Worth is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,584 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to, and named after, Lake Worth, a popular recreational lake in the northwestern portion of Tarrant County.-Geography:...
voted 344-206 in favor of joining the T. That prompted three more elections on May 2, 1992 when Blue Mound
Blue Mound, Texas
Blue Mound is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,394 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Blue Mound is located at...
, Forest Hill
Forest Hill, Texas
Forest Hill is a suburb of Fort Worth in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,355 at the 2010 census.-History:Forest Hill began around 1860. The community was called Brambleton Station and Forest Hill Village before being named Forest Hill. By 1896 the community had its first...
and Richland Hills
Richland Hills, Texas
Richland Hills is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,801 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Richland Hills is located at ....
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
Trinity Railway Express
The Trinity Railway Express is a commuter rail line in the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex. It was established by an interlocal agreement between Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority . Each transit authority owns a 50% stake in the joint rail project and...
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 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 CenterFort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center
The Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center is a Trinity Railway Express commuter rail and Amtrak intercity rail station located in Fort Worth, Texas at the corner of 9th and Jones Streets, on the northeast side of downtown Fort Worth...
(ITC) and the T&P Station
T&P Station
Fort Worth's Texas & Pacific Railroad Passenger Station is a Trinity Railway Express commuter rail station located at 1600 Throckmorton Street in Fort Worth, Texas, on the south side of downtown. It is the western terminus of the TRE commuter line, serving the Fort Worth Convention Center, the...
. 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
Vanpool
Vanpools are an element of the transit system that allow groups of people to share the ride similar to a carpool, but on a larger scale with concurrent savings in fuel and vehicle operating costs...
/carpool
Carpool
Carpooling , is the sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car....
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
- 2W Camp Bowie
- 2E East Lancaster
- 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
- 12 Greenway
- 14 North Riverside Dr/Northside Transfer Center
- 15 Stockyards
- 16 Rosedale/Montgomery St
- 17 Central Ave
- 21 Boca Raton
- 22 Meadowbrook
- 23 Mercantile
- 24 Berry St
- 25 Crosstown
- 26 Ridgemar Mall/Normandale
- 27 Como/Ridgemar 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
- 65 South Fort Worth Park & Ride Express
- 66 Candleridge Express
- 68 Arlington/Park Springs Park & Ride Express
- 69 Alliance Express
- 72 Hemphill/Sycamore School Rd Express
Expansion
- FWTA is planning the Southwest-to-Northeast Rail Corridor commuter service to connect southwest Fort Worth to DFW Airport through Tarrant County. The service is planned to begin in 2013.
Labor relations
From November 6, 2006 through November 11, 2006, around 100 of The T's unionTrade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
workers went on strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
, 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
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
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.
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".
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. The fares went into effect 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 gasCompressed natural gas
Compressed natural gas is a fossil fuel substitute for gasoline , diesel, or propane/LPG. Although its combustion does produce greenhouse gases, it is a more environmentally clean alternative to those fuels, and it is much safer than other fuels in the event of a spill...
(which is pegged to diesel fuel costs).
| Service Type | |Previous Fare | New (Current) Fare | Pct Inc | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local Single Ride | $1.25 | $1.50 | 20% | ||
| Local Day Pass | $2.50 | $3 | 20% | ||
| Local Monthly Pass | $40 | $50 | 25% | ||
| Premium Single Ride | $2.25 | $2.50 | 11% | ||
| Premium Day Pass | $4.50 | $5 | 11% | ||
| Premium Monthly Pass | $70 | $80 | 14% | ||
| MITS (Paratransit 1-way) | $2.50 | $2.75 | 10% |
This will be their first fare increase since October 2003. The Premium Day Pass is valid on all DART, T, and TRE services for one day.