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 previously known officially as the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (FWTA), and branded itself as 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.[4] In 2023, the system had a ridership of 5,717,800, or about 20,500 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.
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, a service jointly owned between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, shuttling passengers to and from DFW from stops in Dallas (including Dallas Union Station), Fort Worth and Arlington),[5][6][7] with transportation services for the handicapped (MITS) being added in 1979.[8]
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.[9]
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.[10]
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.
On August 24, 2016, Trinity Metro broke ground on TEXRail, the second commuter rail project undertaken by the agency, and the first built solely by Trinity Metro.[12] The rail line was initially envisioned to run along the existing Cotton Belt Railway Corridor[a] from DFW airport to the Fort Worth Stockyards, head South along Union Pacific owned track to the Fort Worth Central Station, and continue along Fort Worth & Western Railroad tracks to Benbrook Lake.[14] As of the FWTA 2015 master plan, citing "project costs and other considerations", the agency decided to build the 27 mile Minimum Operable Segment (MOS) between downtown Fort Worth and DFW Terminal B. The other considerations likely included stalled negotiations with Fort Worth & Western, Union Pacific, and DART, over securing right of way for TEXRail trains.[15] The MOS included 2 new stations in Fort Worth, one in Grapevine, two at DFW Airport, and 3 potential stations in North Richland Hills and Haltom City. The three potential stations were conditional on either city joining the Trinity Metro service area, which requires imposing a half-cent sales tax to help fund the agency.[b] North Richland Hills joined Trinity Metro in 2018, while Haltom City never did, as a result, two stations were built in North Richland Hills, and the Haltom City station was not.[16] The MOS was completed, and TEXRail began service between downtown Fort Worth and DFW airport on January 10, 2019, with free rides until January 31, 2019 to " give everyone an opportunity to ride".[17]
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.[18][19]
Member cities
At its creation in 1983, Trinity Metro, then known as the Fort Worth Transit Authority, consisted of only one city, Fort Worth. In the following years, three small communities joined Trinity Metro: Lake Worth, Blue Mound, and Richland Hills. Only Blue Mound remains a member city.
Joining Trinity Metro requires the new member to levy a 1⁄2¢ sales tax. Because the state of Texas caps the total sales tax for a municipality at 2¢,[20] many municipalities are unable to join.
Trinity Metro allows cities to gain service through interlocal agreements. Grapevine and North Richland Hills made agreements in 2006 and 2016, respectively, to obtain stations on the then-planned TEXRail line. While these two cities are usually listed as member cities, including by Trinity Metro itself, they do not pay the 1⁄2¢ sales tax[21] and all non-TEXRail public transit is provided by third parties.
Grapevine levies a 1⁄2¢ "economic development tax", of which 3⁄8¢ is earmarked for Trinity Metro. This levy was approved by voters in 2006 through a referendum.[22]
Grapevine is not serviced by Trinity Metro bus routes or paratransit. Three shuttle bus routes are operated by the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau, and paratransit is provided by Northeast Transportation Service (NETS).[23]
North Richland Hills funds its two TEXRail stations under an agreement with Trinity Metro.[24]
North Richland Hills is not serviced by Trinity Metro bus routes or paratransit. Paratransit is provided by Northeast Transportation Service (NETS).[25]
Richland Hills was serviced by the TRE Richland Hills station and by a flexible-service route, Richland Hills Rider Request (route 41).
In November 2016, just over 55% of voters in Richland Hills voted to leave Trinity Metro. The city continued to pay off its contracts with Trinity Metro before cutting the half-cent sales tax.[10] The TRE station is still in operation but is set to be replaced by Trinity Lakes station (located in Fort Worth) in late 2023.
As of September 18, 2022[update], Trinity Metro operates twenty-seven regular bus routes, six Xpress/Limited routes, and four specialty services.[26] The bus network travels throughout Fort Worth, with its main hub at Fort Worth Central Station. The system has three additional transfer locations and five park-and-rides.
Prior to Fort Worth Central's opening in 2001, the main downtown transit hub centered around bus lines all converging along the Houston/Throckmorton corridor, with northbound service on Throckmorton Street and southbound service on Houston Street.
Xpress routes connect suburban park-and-ride locations to Fort Worth Central station using local highways. These routes only operate during weekday peak times.
Specialty
991, LL
15
Specialty routes are short shuttle routes.
Trolley
MOLLY, THEDASH
15
Trolleys are tourist-friendly routes with unique branding and vehicle colors. Despite the "trolley" designation, they do not use trolley-replica buses.
Trolley Routes
Molly the Trolley is a free shuttle route which loops around downtown Fort Worth. It stops at major downtown destinations such as Sundance Square, the Fort Worth Convention Center, and the Fort Worth Water Gardens, as well as Fort Worth Central station.[27] The route uses dark green buses.
Launched in July 2019,[29] ZIPZONE is an on-demand curb-to-curb service operated in partnership with Via Transportation. The service allows riders to book trips on-demand using the ZIPZONE app (or a phone number) so long as each trip starts and ends within specially designated zones. Travel between zones is not permitted. The service costs $1-3 per ride and is included with multi-ride passes.[30]
Trinity Metro offers the Alliance ZIPZONE in Fort Worth's Alliance neighborhood in partnership with Lyft. While it shares the same branding as the other ZIPZONE services, it is not operated in the same manner. Instead, the service offers a complimentary Lyft ride (up to $50 value) within the zone via a promotional code if the rider has a multi-ride pass.[30]
Fort Worth Bike Sharing
Operated in association with BCycle, Fort Worth Bike Sharing is a short-term bike rental service. Users check out electric bikes from docking stations across Fort Worth and ride them for up to two hours.[32] This service is not included with any Trinity Metro tickets, though bike-exclusive memberships, which allow unlimited rides for their duration, are available.
VANPOOL
VANPOOL is a service which allows groups of five to fifteen people to collectively rent an SUV or van for travel to and from work, with prices varying based on the type of vehicle and distance traveled by each rider. Trinity Metro covers the cost of registration, insurance, fuel, and maintenance, though they do not cover tolls.[33]
ACCESS Paratransit (originally Mobility Impaired Transit Services, or MITS) is an ADA-compliant paratransit service for riders with disabilities that prevent them from using standard Trinity Metro services. The service allows eligible patrons to schedule curb-to-curb transportation to any location in Blue Mound, Fort Worth, or River Oaks.[34]
List of Bus Routes
Current
1 – Hemphill
2 – Camp Bowie
4 – East Rosedale
5 – Evans Ave/TCC South
6 – 8th Ave/McCart
11 – North Beach/Mercantile Center
12 – Samuels/Mercantile Center
15 – Stockyards/North Main
16 – Alliance Town Center/Mercantile Center Station
21 – Boca Raton
22 – Meadowbrook
23 – TCC Northeast Campus/TRE
24 – Berry Street
25 – Miller/E. Seminary
28 – Mansfield Hwy/Sierra Vista
45 – TCC Northwest/Angle Ave/Azle Ave
46 – Jacksboro Highway
51 – Bryant Irvin
52 – Hulen
53 – University
54 – Riverside/Sylvania
55 – Handley
72 – Hemphill/Sycamore School Rd
89 – SPUR/East Lancaster
91 – Normandale/North Side Station
Xpress/Limited routes
30 – CentrePort Circulator (Amon Carter Loop / East Loop / West Loop)
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.[51]
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".[52]
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.
Notes
^ The Cotton Belt Corridor is a 56-mile disused rail line, running between Wylie and the Fort Worth Stockyards. It was purchased by DART in 1993.[13]
^Texas law limits local governments to a sales tax of, at most, 2%
