Fort Worth To Study Transit Opportunities in its Poorest Neighborhoods

“The North Central Texas Council of Governments was awarded a grant of approximately $270,000 to identify innovative, affordable transit solutions to improve access to basic needs such as grocery stores and doctors offices” in one of the region’s poorest zip codes. The grant is part of a $16.2 million Federal Transit Administration (FTA) program aimed at fighting persistent poverty, according to an article by Nichole Manna written for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and republished in Mass Transit.

A 2019 study from UT Southwestern revealed that people residing in the 76104 zip code had the lowest life expectancy in Texas. “The irony of the story of 76104 is that the ZIP code takes in the city’s medical district, which includes five hospitals and hundreds of medical offices. Yet residents described a lack of access to health care driven by a lack of transportation, insurance, and awareness of programs available to help.”

The grant will support a study to develop transit solutions that improve access to essential services for transit-dependent residents. “In part, the study will examine current transit options available in the 76104 ZIP code and whether they should be enhanced or revised to better meet demand. The study will also look at transit fares and their impact on equitable access to these transit services.”