The Fort Worth Transportation Authority set to begin bus service Sept. 26, opening training opportunities to more residents
FORT WORTH, Texas (August 30, 2016) – The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (FWTA) will soon begin bus service to Tarrant County College’s Erma C. Johnson Hadley Northwest Center of Excellence for Aviation, Logistics and Transportation at Alliance Airport—creating new opportunities for residents across the area to access high-demand career training programs.
FWTA will serve the Alliance area through an extension of Route 63, which starts in Downtown Fort Worth, and the new Route 64, which provides express service between Denton and Fort Worth. Route 64 will provide arrivals and departures throughout the day and evening, while Route 63 is designed to serve commuters in the morning and afternoon peak travel times. Stops at the Hadley Center of Excellence begin Sept. 26 and will allow riders to attend class in TCC’s aviation, logistics and transportation programs as well as access other area businesses.
TCC began working with FWTA to establish the route when the College acquired the Alliance facility in 2012. Students, faculty and staff provided feedback on transit needs during the development of FWTA’s Transit Master Plan, which will guide service in the coming years.
FWTA President/CEO Paul Ballard said public input, such as TCC’s support for the Alliance route, was key in formulating the Transit Master Plan. “We spent a year gathering feedback on our services and listening to what is important to our communities and our riders. As we continue to implement the Master Plan, we are working with funding partners to implement services in more areas to increase service for more people. TCC’s Andre McEwing, our board vice chair, was very instrumental in making this all happen.”
“Public transportation supports students as they strive to meet their educational and career goals,” said Elva LeBlanc, Ph.D., president of Northwest Campus. “Currently, Tarrant County College students have limited transportation options to the Hadley Center of Excellence. We believe that the introduction of bus service to the Alliance area will contribute to greater access to higher education for students throughout Tarrant County.”
The Hadley Center of Excellence trains students for careers as pilots, aircraft maintenance specialists, dispatchers, distribute on managers and more. Significant employment growth in these careers is projected for Tarrant County and beyond. The worldwide aviation industry, for example, is expected to need nearly 1.3 million new commercial pilots and maintenance technicians in the next two decades, according to Boeing’s 2016 Pilot & Technician Outlook, a respected industry forecast.
At 163,500 square feet, the Hadley Center of Excellence is the largest aviation education facility in Texas. Students learn with professional training equipment, including a fuselage mockup of a G-280 Gulfstream aircraft donated by Gulf Aerospace and aircraft windows donated by Southwest Airlines. Logistics students use a warehouse laboratory with an on-demand warehouse management system.
A regular day pass for FWTA buses is $3.50; the price for a monthly pass is $45 for students and Alliance-area employees, and $60 for others. Reduced fares may also be available. Call FWTA Customer Service at 817-215-8600 for details. FWTA riders will be able to check their routes at www.fwta.org and track buses in real time by selecting “Fort Worth The T” at www.nextbus.com or on the NextBus app.
The Transit Master Plan also calls for future service to TCC’s Northwest, Northeast and Southeast campuses as funding becomes available and community partnerships are formed. Read the Master Plan at www.TMasterPlan.org and watch for social media updates tagged with #MasterPlanInAction.
