A new bus route that’s about to start rolling will connect downtown Fort Worth with Alliance and Denton, providing a fresh option for frequent travelers of I-35. Known as the North Texas Xpress – or NTX – the route will begin at the Intermodal Transportation Center and will stop at the Alliance Opportunity Center and the North Park & Ride before reaching the final stop by Apogee Stadium at the University of North Texas (UNT). The route will also service Tarrant County College’s Erma C. Johnson Hadley Northwest Center of Excellence for Aviation, Logistics and Transportation at Alliance Airport.
Paul Ballard, president/CEO of the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, believes the NTX will be a great addition for Fort Worth residents who work in the Alliance area. “Employees drive that route every day, but now they have the choice of using that time catching up on email or just relaxing while someone else handles the driving,” he said. “Students traveling to UNT or TCC for classes can get in a little extra study time by choosing public transportation.”
FWTA is implementing the service beginning on Monday, Sept. 26, and will celebrate the route with a kickoff event at 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3, at the ITC. The first bus will leave the ITC at 6 a.m. and service will conclude at 9 p.m. weekdays. Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) is joining FWTA on the route to provide service every 90 minutes.
“Hillwood applauds the Fort Worth Transportation Authority and the Denton County Transportation Authority for establishing this new route, which increases mobility to the broad range of workforce and educational opportunities along the Alliance Corridor and at the University of North Texas,” said Mike Berry, president of Hillwood Properties. “Fort Worth residents will now have public transportation options from downtown Fort Worth to the jobs at AllianceTexas, and Alliance area employers will have access to an even larger pool of job candidates. This new route is a big win for our regional mobility and workforce development efforts.”
Providing more regional bus service to more people is part of FWTA’s objective with its Transit Master Plan, which was unveiled earlier this year.
“The North Texas Xpress falls in perfectly with our plans to serve more residents in our community and to work with partners to make it happen,” Ballard said. “Branching out with this new route opens opportunities for anyone who lives in Fort Worth, the Alliance area or Denton.”