Students may DART to shuttle
by Connie Yu, Managing Editor

  A free shuttle service that will connect NE Campus directly to the 34-mile rail line of The T and DART from downtown Fort Worth to Dallas may be available to TCC students as early as late October.
   Officials from the City of North Richland Hills and The T will hold a special information session Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 1:30 p.m. in College Hall (NCAB 112) on the NE Campus for interested students, staff and community members.
   Under the proposed plan, the shuttle will stop at the NE Campus, U.I.C.I.-The Insurance Company and the TRE train station in North Richland Hills. Four shuttle rides will be available from 6:30 to 9 a.m. and five in the afternoon from 4 to 7 p.m.
   Five cities-Hurst, Haltom City, North Richland Hills, Arlington, Bedford and Grapevine-have worked with the North Central Texas Council of Government to secure $3 million in federal and local funding for the shuttle service that will last at least two years.
   "The program was originally started when the economy was pretty good, and a lot of employers were looking for ways to bring in more employees," Ashley Stathatos, marketing and research coordinator for the city of North Richland Hill, said.
   The ride schedule will initially gear toward the needs of commuting employees in the area, but Stathatos said there might be more rides friendly to TCC students if student ridership increases.
   With a budget of $60,000, North Richland Hills will be the first city to bring forth the service.
   "If it's successful," she said. "We will continue to try to fund it."