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Bus service linking Fort Worth, Denton to start in September

August 23,2016

Reposted from The Denton Record-Chronicle

By Britney Tabor

 

Denton residents soon will have another option for weekday commutes to Fort Worth.

Beginning Sept. 26, an express commuter bus service operated by Fort Worth Transportation Authority, The T, will connect the two cities.

On weekdays between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., The T will operate five round trips between downtown Fort Worth and Denton every three hours. The Fort Worth Transportation Authority approved the new bus route Monday, and has budgeted $480,400 to operate it for the next fiscal year.

The first 45-passenger bus will depart the Intermodal Transportation Center in downtown Fort Worth at 6:15 a.m. and arrive in Denton at 7:39 a.m. The first bus departing from Denton will leave at 7:45 a.m. and arrive in downtown Fort Worth at 9:15 a.m., according to The T officials. The last trip departing from Denton will leave at 8:15 p.m. and arrive in downtown Fort Worth at 9:45 p.m.

Along the Interstate 35W corridor, stops will include the North Park-n-Ride in north Fort Worth, and in the Alliance area, the Alliance Opportunity Center and the Tarrant County College Center for Excellence and Aviation, Transportation and Logistics.

Denton stops include the intersection at Bonnie Brae Street and West University Drive, which connects to Denton County Transportation Authority’s Route 6 to Texas Woman’s University; the intersection of Bonnie Brae and Hickory streets, which connects with DCTA’s Route 7 to the Brock Downtown Denton Transit Center and University of North Texas shuttles; and along the southbound I-35E service road near Apogee Stadium. Depending on traffic, travel time one-way is about 80 to 90 minutes.

“We’re pretty excited about that,” said Curvie Hawkins, The T’s assistant vice president of planning. “I just think that this is a great new service.

“Hopefully this is a great success.”

Officials with The T hope to attract students and employees working in downtown Fort Worth and Denton, at TWU, at UNT’s main campus in Denton and the UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth, and in the Alliance area.

The express bus service is a partnership between The T and DCTA. Officials with The T anticipate DCTA providing additional trips between Denton and Fort Worth throughout the day, which would double service frequency and fill in wait time gaps, at a later date.

There’s no timeline for when DCTA will start concurrent bus service between Denton and Fort Worth, according to DCTA officials.

“DCTA is looking forward to the new commuter bus service that will bring together Fort Worth and Denton communities,” Nicole Recker, the agency’s vice president of marketing and communications, said in a statement Tuesday. “Providing transportation service along the I-35W corridor is a key component of DCTA’s long-term planning initiatives. We continue to identify opportunities to provide commuters with efficient mobility solutions for their travel needs.”

There were three public meetings and a public hearing in June to discuss the new bus service with residents in Denton and Tarrant counties. Most people providing public comments about the proposal were in favor of it. Those opposing the idea said that The T should focus on residents in the Fort Worth area and that it appeared the service would provide discounted rides to UNT students or only give Denton-area residents rides to Fort Worth.

Plans still are being discussed for one day providing Wi-Fi on the commuter bus and UNT allowing commuters to park at the Apogee Stadium lot, Hawkins said.

One-day regional passes, good for travel between Denton and Fort Worth or vice versa, purchased through either The T or DCTA, cost $10. A one-way pass purchased from The T is $5. DCTA day passes for travel between Denton and Alliance or the North Park-n-Ride are $6, and two-hour, one-way passes are $3. Riders with a regional pass will have access to most bus and rail services operated by The T, DCTA, Trinity Railway Express and Dallas Area Rapid Transit and can purchase tickets through the GoPass application or at downtown kiosks. Local passes will be available for purchase on the commuter bus, Hawkins said.