Trinity Metro

Trinity Metro

Route 2 bus driving towards ITC on a rainy day in downtown Fort Worth.
Headquarters	1600 East Lancaster Fort Worth, TX 76102-6720
Locale	Tarrant County, Texas
Service area	Tarrant County, Texas
Service type	Bus, Commuter Rail, Paratransit
Routes	40+
Stops	2000+
Hubs	5
Fleet	147 fixed route 76 demand response[1]
Daily ridership	18,000 - 21,000
Fuel type	Compressed Natural Gas, Diesel
Operator	McDonald Transit Associates, a subdidary of RATP Group
Chief executive	Paul J. Ballard
Website	www.FWTA.org

Trinity Metro is a transit agency located in and serving the city of Fort Worth, Texas and its suburbs in surrounding Tarrant County, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Since 1983, it was known as the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (popularly known as FWTA and The T). As of January 29, 2018 the Board of Directors has voted to rebrand bus services as Trinity Metro, replacing the previous and long standing name.^[2]

While it primarily operates the region's bus service, Trinity Metro 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, and Denton County Transportation Authority for express service to Denton on the North Texas Xpress (Route 64). Trinity Metro is currently constructing TEXRail, a commuter rail service to connect downtown Fort Worth with DFW Airport through Northeast Tarrant County. Construction is expected to finish in late 2018.

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 (MITS) being added in 1979.^[3]

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 MITS 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. On November 8, 2016, Richland Hills residents voted to withdraw from the agency's services. FWTA's final day of service in Richland Hills was November 23, 2016.

Official logo of the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, publicly known as Trinity Metro after a rebrand in early 2018.

In 2001, the FWTA 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^[4] and is the thirteenth most-ridden commuter rail system in the country.

On January 29, 2018, the transit agency's board of directors voted to rebrand FWTA/The T as Trinity Metro, and revealed a new logo, that depicts three triangles forming the letter "M" in its negative spaces. The name change officially took place on March 23, 2018 on its website and social media presence.^[5][6]

Services offered

Trinity Metro
T&P Station Fort Worth ITC North Side TEXRail Equipment Maintenance Facility Mercantile Center Richland Hills North Richland Hills/Iron Horse North Richland Hills/Smithfield Grapevine-Main Street Hurst/Bell DFW Airport-North CentrePort/DFW Airport DFW Airport Station (Terminal B) TRE Maintenance Facility West Irving Downtown Irving/Heritage Crossing Medical/Market Center Victory Dallas Union Station

The bulk of Trinity Metro's operations involve 41 bus routes within Tarrant County. 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 Trinity Metro, as the TRE trains and twenty-five bus routes meet. (Before the ITC opened in 2001, the main downtown transit hub for The T (at the time) centered around bus lines all converging along the Houston/Throckmorton corridor, with northbound service on Throckmorton Street and southbound service on Houston Street – between Lancaster Avenue and Belknap Street.)

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

Eliminated

• 1N North Main (now 15)
• 1S Hemphill (now 1)
• 16 Downtown Trolley
• 16 Rosedale/Montgomery
• 17 Central Avenue
• 23
• 23 Mercantile
• 28 Diamond Hill
• 29 TCU Frog Shuttle (earlier TCU Circulator)
• 31 Sycamore School Road
• 31 Stonegate/TCU Shuttle
• 40 Bridgewood
• 41 Richland Hills Rider Request
• 42 Southeast Rider Request
• 43 Town Center Rider Request/Fixed
• 44 Alta Mesa Rider Request
• 45 Forest Park/Mistletoe Heights
• 46 Lake Worth Rider Request
• 47 Northsider Rider Request
• 48 Northside (originally Samuels)
• 57 Como/Montgomery
• 62 Summerfields Express
• 67 Dallas Express
• 67 Lamar Blvd. Park & Ride
• 68 Park Springs Park & Ride
• 69 Alliance Express
• 81
• 82 Southeast Zone Rider Request
• 83 Southeast Zone Rider Request

Expansion

• Trinity Metro (as FWTA at the time) is currently constructing TEXRail, a commuter rail service to connect downtown Fort Worth with DFW Airport through Northeast Tarrant County. Construction is expected to finish in late 2018.

Labor relations

From November 6, 2006 through November 11, 2006, around 100 of FWTA'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 FWTA began advertising for replacement drivers. During the dispute, bus rides on FWTA 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.^[8]

FWTA 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".^[9]

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.

References

External links

• Trinity Metro
• Transit-Oriented Development