Fort Worth residents in the 76104 ZIP code say they need improvements to existing transit services and related infrastructure to provide them with better access to stores, schools and medical facilities.
Express bus service with faster, more direct connections — especially to hospitals and retail centers — is needed for residents to get the services and products they need. They also want to see more sidewalk improvements and safer, well-lit buses and bus stops.
Those are some of the initial recommendations from residents of the Historic Southside neighborhood, an area of persistent poverty that recorded the lowest life expectancy in Texas in 2019.
Resident input is being used for a North Central Texas Council of Governments transit study in the 76104 ZIP code, specifically looking at the historically Black Southside, Hillside and Morningside neighborhoods off Evans Avenue.
During a Nov. 19 meeting at the Ella Mae Shamblee Library, staffers from the council of governments revealed the initial results of a spring 2024 transit survey as the timeframe for public input continues until January.
“This is a very special project for us,” Gypsy Gavia, the study’s project manager, told about 25 community members at the meeting.
Most residents surveyed earlier this year said that they use Trinity Metro buses and trains. About 59% use the Trinity Railway Express commuter train that connects Fort Worth and Dallas while 54% use the agency’s buses. About 53% of residents also used TEXRail, a train line that extends from downtown Fort Worth to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
On-demand rideshare service was favored by 42% of residents while 41% relied on borrowing a vehicle or getting a ride to their destinations. About 28% traveled by bike while 22% used Fort Worth’s bike sharing program. About 9% used paratransit vehicles.
The council of governments’ planning study will identify transit solutions to help residents increase their mobility and access to food, health care, housing and jobs. The study is funded by an Areas of Persistent Poverty Program grant from the Federal Transit Administration, which is intended to improve transit in low-income areas identified by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Morningside resident Ornell Hinex, 68, said bus service used to be more convenient to her home.
“It used to be easier to get around,” she said. “I used to go all over the place by bus. Now I would have to walk farther to get a bus. That makes it harder for the older population.”
On June 17, Trinity Metro’s board of directors unanimously approved a new fare structure that resulted in some riders paying less for rail and rideshare programs.
The changes, made effective Sept. 15, included a dollar decrease in a $5 regular day pass. Frequent riders now pay $7 less for a seven-day pass, which decreased from $25 to $18. Other passes, sold on a monthly or annual basis, were eliminated. The transit agency’s research showed that riders preferred a cap on transit fares, said Chad Edwards, the agency’s executive vice president of strategy, planning and development.
Trinity Metro created “a simpler, easier-to-understand fare system” that is attractive to the public and will help increase ridership in coming years, Edwards said in June.
Residents said other barriers to transportation include lack of usable sidewalks, frequency of buses, limited operational times of buses and unsafe waiting conditions.
Safety aboard buses is also a concern.
On Nov. 19, Fort Worth police published a video on its Facebook page that shows a suspect attacking a bus passenger on Oct. 30 while the bus was stopped on East Lancaster Avenue at 2268 Handley Drive. The suspect allegedly took a person’s cell phone and struck the passenger during a struggle before he left the bus. He remains at large.
Transit survey results will help the council of governments staff identify ways to potentially assist with planning and funding opportunities. Public feedback on draft recommendations will be accepted through Jan. 17 at publicinput.com/76104survey. The final results of the survey will be released in March.
Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
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This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
