FORT WORTH (March 4, 2010) – The T seeks public input at meetings on proposed service changes that would reduce frequency, hours or portions of nine bus routes. Meetings will be on March 9 at 6 p.m. at Southwest Regional Branch Library, 4001 Library Ln. (MAPSCO 89F) and on March 10 at noon and 6 p.m. at the Intermodal Transportation Center, 1001 Jones St. (MAPSCO 77A).
The T does not plan to eliminate service from any neighborhoods. Only frequency and times may change.
The T will evaluate public input from the meetings, its website and phone line in preparing a final proposal of service reductions that it will provide to its board of directors for approval at its monthly meeting on March 17. The T has placed notices about the public meetings on buses and on its website at www.the-t.com.
The proposed service reductions would save The T about $700,000 annually to help offset lower sales tax revenues that are down by $1.9 million.
As with other transit agencies across the country, The T’s sales tax revenue has been declining, down by 11 percent since September. The T implemented salary freezes, cut administrative items and adjusted bus routes to better align route service with rider use. However the decline has been greater and continued longer than expected, according to Dick Ruddell, president of The T.
“The T has refrained from raising bus fares due to these difficult economic times,” said Ruddell, “but with the continued decline in sales taxes that has not yet bottomed out for The T’s collections, these modifications to our bus route service are necessary to maintain a balanced budget.”
In considering bus service reductions, Ruddell explained that The T evaluated modifications that would impact the fewest riders, such as late trips that carry only a few people, and by changing some non-peak frequency from 30 minutes to an hour.”
Proposed bus service reductions:
*Route 4/East Rosedale – Reduce frequency from 30 minutes to hourly on Saturdays.
*Route 7/University – Route 7 reduce frequency to hourly weekdays and Saturdays and eliminate the last three trips after 8 p.m.
*Route 10/Bailey – Change route to eliminate an additional leg begun in January to Will Rogers Complex, which is not being used by riders.
*Route 22/Meadowbrook – Reduce frequency from 30 minutes to hourly during non-peak period and eliminate one trip to make it hourly after 6 p.m.
*Route 23/Mercantile – Combine this route with Route 11 and provide a one-seat ride from downtown; extend route to Mercantile only during peak periods.
*Route 25/Crosstown – Split east and west portions of route so that those west of La Gran (with lower ridership) have hourly instead of 30 minute frequency.
*Route 26/Ridgmar Mall-Normandale – Change Saturday frequency to reduce the early morning schedule from every half hour to hourly; also eliminate three latest trips in the evenings on weekdays and Saturdays.
*Route 68/Arlington-Park Springs Park and Ride – Eliminate the last evening trip that was added in September but carries very few riders.
*Route 993/Expanco – Eliminate one trip in the mornings.
Written or oral comments may be submitted at the hearing, or until March 15 via email to Tweb@the-t.com , on The T’s Comment Line at 817-215-8669 or in writing to The T, 1600 E. Lancaster Avenue, Fort Worth, Texas 76102, attention Joanne Heredia.
