TRE shuttle service to NE Campus to begin next week
by Rawly Bransom, Sports Editor

   TCC has entered into a shuttle contract with Trinity Railway Express for easier access to and from different areas of the Metroplex.
   The TRE will start a shuttle service to and from its Richland Hills Station to NE Campus as well as UICI Insurance Company Monday, Oct. 13.
    The TRE currently runs from the T&P station in downtown Fort Worth through Tarrant County into Dallas County. It stops at Victoria Station in the American Airlines Center and ends in downtown Dallas at Union Station.
   The TRE currently covers six Tarrant County cities: Arlington, Bedford, Grapevine, Haltom City, Hurst and North Richland Hills.
   Shuttles will run from 6:30 a.m. through 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. through 6 p.m.
   At this time TRE has scheduled no afternoon shuttles, but TRE and TCC representatives say if there is large enough student interest to increase time slots, more slots may be added.
   The funding for both the TRE and the shuttle systems come from two sources: $1.5 million from local governments and a matching grant from the federal government. The federal grant comes from a “reverse commute” program that was set up to help urban people reach suburban jobs.
    North Richland Hills, despite falling sales tax revenues, has dedicated $60,000 to the shuttle service for a one-year trial. The city’s decision was based on an undisclosed company’s setting up offices in mainstream Fort Worth instead of North Richland Hills because officials were reportedly worried about employees being able to have access to other employee markets.
    In February, voters in North Richland Hills will decide whether to keep a half-cent sales tax that goes to support the Richland Hills station. If the tax is reversed, then officials say that the shuttle could be moved to the Hurst-Bell station. Funding, however, would still be coming from North Richland Hills.
   Arlington recently worked on a shuttle system from its park-and-ride lots to CentrePort-DFW Airport Station. Arlington cut the program during a round of budget cuts the city has been forced to make.
   Currently no buses or transit trains run inside Arlington, and the $250,000 the city was going to spend originally would have been Arlington’s first official mass transit system.
   A one-day pass for one zone, which is either Tarrant or Dallas County, costs $2.50 while a two-zone fair is $4.50 a day. Monthly tickets are also available.
   The TRE spokesman says TCC will benefit by improved recruitment and access to new students and areas, a reduced need for parking and flexibility to grow and expand.
   Officials say faculty and staff will benefit by reduced travel expenses, less stressful commutes and more leisure time for other activities.
   TRE officials believes the community will benefit from decreased congestion and traffic and enhanced air quality.
   The TRE recently conducted a survey of 94 people from TCC and UICI Insurance.
   Out of the 94 respondents 62 people were in areas that allowed them access to ride the TRE either to work or school.
   Of those surveyed, 89 percent currently drive to work or school; 8 percent were dropped off by another person, and 3 percent arrived by other means.
   For more information on the TRE shuttle call 817-215-8600, visit www.the-T.com or contact Dr. Van Parker, dean of student development and educational services on NE Campus, at 817-515-6203.