Trinity Metro
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. Trinity Metro primarily operates the region's bus service, and partners with Denton County Transportation Authority to operate express bus service to  Denton on the North Texas Xpress (Route 64). The agency is also involved in the operation of two commuter rail lines: TEXRail, a commuter rail service connecting downtown Fort Worth with DFW Airport via Northeast Tarrant County; and Trinity Railway Express (TRE), operated in partnership with Dallas Area Rapid Transit, which offers commuter rail service from downtown Fort Worth to downtown Dallas via DFW. 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, 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), with transportation services for the handicapped (MITS) 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 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. 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 and is the thirteenth most-ridden commuter rail system in the country. 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. The rail line was initially envisioned to run along the existing Cotton Belt Railway Corridor 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. 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. 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. 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. 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". 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. Member  cities. In its 1983 creation, Trinity Metro, then known as the Fort Worth Transit Authority, consisted of only one city, Fort Worth. Over the next 10 years, three small communities joined Trinity Metro, only one of which remains a member city. No new cities joined Trinity Metro until 2006, when Grapevine joined the authority in response to the promise of TEXRail. Later, in 2018, the city of North Richland Hills joined Trinity Metro, also in response to potential economic development associated with TEXRail. This made North Richland Hills the second largest member city behind Fort Worth. Below is a table  displaying current and former Trinity Metro member cities, when they joined the authority, and if applicable, when they left. Services offered. The bulk of Trinity Metro's operations involve 46 bus routes within Tarrant County. Most route through downtown Fort Worth, where the TRE has two train stations, Fort Worth Central Station and T&P Station. Fort Worth Central Station is the major transit station for Trinity Metro, where the TEXRail and TRE commuter rail lines and twenty-five bus routes meet. Prior to 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 – 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 Trinity Metro ACCESS (formerly MITS - Mobility Impaired Transportation Service). It offers door-to-door transportation within the service areas of Forest Hill, 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. 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. 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". 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.