The Fort Worth Transportation Authority launched bus service Sept. 26, opening training opportunities to more residents
Tarrant County College’s Erma C. Johnson Hadley Northwest Center of Excellence for Aviation, Transportation & Logistics at Alliance Airport is now available to people across the region. In late September, the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (FWTA) began providing bus service to the site, creating access to additional opportunities for residents to prepare for high-demand careers.
FWTA launched service to the Alliance area Sept. 26 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.
“TCC’s aviation, transportation and logistics programs are now in reach for more people than ever before,” said Michael Lucchesi, Ph.D., director of the Hadley Center of Excellence. “Transit service is a key aspect of making higher education truly accessible, and that’s especially important in these growing career fields. Even among current students, there is a lot of excitement about the chance to use travel time to study or just relax.”
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.
“We gathered public feedback for a year to maximize opportunities for input,” said Shawn M. Donaghy, FWTA chief operating officer. “As we continue implementing the master plan, we pursue opportunities to work with funding partners so that we can serve more people in more places. Providing a new route to Alliance and Denton is a prime example of meeting the needs of our community. This will be a great transportation option for the Hadley Center of Excellence and for the AllianceTexas mixed-use development.”
The Hadley Center of Excellence trains students for careers as pilots, aircraft maintenance specialists, dispatchers, distribution managers and more. Employment growth is projected in 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.
In addition to serving the Hadley Center of Excellence, the stop also provides a point of access for area businesses. 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 also may be available. Call FWTA Customer Service at 817-215-8600 for details. FWTA riders may 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.
