Fort Worth Public Transportation

Fort Worth Public Transportation
Chris Knott
COMM/215
February 2, 2015
Carol J. Amato, M.A.
Table of Contents

Introduction……………………………………………………………………..3

Background of the Problem…………………………………………………...3-4

Solution……………………………………………………………………….4-5

Action Statement……………………………………………………………...5-6

References………………………………………………………………………7

Fort Worth Public Transportation
The City of Fort Worth provides public transportation for many of its citizens. However, the current route schedules are confusing and inefficient. As the population of Fort Worth increases the number of routes and frequency of bus runs should increase as well in order to better serve the growing population.
Background of the Problem
The 2013 census reported the population of Fort Worth, TX to be 792,727 (Census 2013). The Fort Worth Transportation Authority is currently operating forty-three total bus routes. With the current schedules and routes most bus riders are on the bus for a minimum of thirty-five to forty-five minutes while some riders are on the bus even longer. Not only are passengers on the bus for an extended period of time, many must change buses during their trip. If a person is unfamiliar with the area the bus maps, routes, and schedules are difficult to follow and understand which causes issues when trying to travel using public transportation. If a rider is trying to get from Las Vegas Trail to Colonial Parkway, which is a nine mile route, he or she must board the bus at 6:53 a.m. and be dropped off at 7:39 a.m. at the downtown bus depot. The rider then must locate the stop for a different bus which boards at 8:15 a.m. and drops off the at the riders final destination at 8:26 a.m. A nine mile trip currently takes a bus rider one hour and thirty-three minutes during the week. Thirty-six minutes of which involves waiting at the downtown bus depot for the next one to arrive. This same route on Sunday takes two hours and twenty minutes. The rider must catch the bus at 6:04a.m. and be dropped off at the downtown depot at 7:15a.m. He or she must then wait at the depot for one hour before the next bus arrives to be dropped off at their final destination at 8:26a.m. (The-t.com Schedules). Due to long travel times and inconsistent schedules only a small percent of the population is utilizing the bus system. In 2013 the average weekday ridership was 25,000 which is approximately 33.15% of the population at the time (The-t.com Facts).
Solution
The Fort Worth Transportation Authority needs to increase the number of buses running as well as simplify the bus maps and route schedules. Given the continuous growth of the City of Fort Worth a better bus system is imperative.
Changing Schedules and Maps
The current bus schedule is inconsistent depending on the day of travel. A rider has potentially three different schedules to view for the same route depending on the day of the week. (the-t.com schedules). If the Schedules were the same for every day of the week it would simplify the process and potentially increase rider ship by eliminating confusion. The maps also need to be simplified. Currently the maps available are based on your familiarity of the area. Which can make them difficult to follow if you are new to the city.
Add buses to Existing Routes
With the current system that is in place a rider could potentially be waiting an hour at a stop for the next bus. There is also the possibility of having to walk four miles to the closest stop in the morning on certain days or changing your bus route. If more buses were added to the existing routes riders wouldn’t need to wait as long between bus runs which would increase the number of riders utilizing public transportation.
Organization to Facilitate Change
Currently public transportation in the City of Fort Worth is operated by the Fort Worth Transportation Authority. The entity is governed by a board of directors and the President/CEO is Paul Ballard. Ballard was recently quoted stating “We don’t have

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