Passenger Transport 2010 APTA Annual Meeting - 20

2010 Annual Meeting

In Fort Worth, The T Is the ‘Smart Choice’
McDonald Transit Associates, Inc.
3800 Sandshell Drive, Suite 175, Fort Worth, Texas 817-232-9551
BY JOAN HUNTER Communications Manager Fort Worth Transportation Authority Fort Worth, TX
honna Walker, a mother of two who lives in Fort Worth, TX, had never ridden public transportation until a day in 2003 when her already extensively repaired car broke down. “I could not afford another car at the time, but I was afraid to take the bus. I thought I’d get lost, miss a connection; it wouldn’t be fast enough or go all the places I could drive,” she said. But her husband-to-be, who grew up riding the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Metrorail system, climbed aboard to help guide her for two weeks and proved how easy, timely, and safe it is to travel all over the city using only the buses of the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T). Today, Walker and her family own no vehicles—by choice—and she has become a strong transit advocate who looks for opportunities to encourage others with her story. One of those opportunities made her the grand prize winner in a regional “Telling Your Story” contest on how customers stopped talking out of their tailpipes and started using public transportation. The contest was the culmination of a summer-long joint campaign of The T, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), and the Denton County Transportation Authority in Lewisville to promote the benefits of public transportation throughout North Central Texas. Customers had the opportunity to submit short written or video stories on how and why they started using public transit to a central “Stop Talking Out of Your Tailpipe” campaign microsite. Each

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Shonna Walker won The T’s grand prize in a regional “Telling Your Story” contest on how and why she started riding public transportation.

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agency then posted qualified entries to its website and Facebook page. The participating transit systems also are sharing the winning entries with other transit agencies around the country to help educate commuters and policymakers on the benefits of transit, part of the national effort led by APTA to promote ridership and encourage support for expanded transit choices. The “Stop Talking Out of Your Tailpipe” campaign was the first time the three transit agencies worked together on a region-wide education effort. They also pooled clean air grants that each received to fund the campaign. The North Texas Clean Air Coalition also participated, soliciting signatures from riders for Congressional petitions to urge passage of the public transportation authorization bill. Sponsors came on board to donate prizes for customer appreciation events and contest winners. The T’s grand prize was a luxury stay and dinner at Fort Worth’s Renaissance Worthington Hotel, where Walker and her husband plan to

FORT WORTH CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

20 | Passenger Transport
Passenger Transport 2010 APTA Annual Meeting

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Passenger Transport 2010 APTA Annual Meeting
