Denton County Transportation Authority's Connect shuttle |
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| Founded | 2002 |
| Headquarters | 1660 South Stemmons, Suite 250 Lewisville, Texas 75067 |
| Service area | Denton, Highland Village, Lewisville |
| Service type | Bus, Demand Response, Commuter Rail |
| Routes | 9 UNT, 8 Denton, 3 Lewisville, 1 NCTC |
| Daily ridership | 13,840 (Average weekday) |
| Fuel type | Primarily diesel |
| Web site | dcta.net |
The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) is the transit authority that operates in Denton County, Texas, USA, which is northwest of Dallas County. It operates bus service in three cities within Denton County, as well as the A-train, a regional commuter rail line to Carrollton.
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DCTA was created by House Bill 3323, under Chapter 460 of the Texas Transportation Code, approved by the 77th Texas Legislature and signed into law by the Governor in 2001. On November 5, 2002, the voters in Denton County approved the confirmation of DCTA by 73%. The DCTA Board of Directors represents every geographic area of the county.
In 2006, DCTA absorbed LINK, the mass transit service operated by the City of Denton since 2002. LINK's bus routes were absorbed into DCTA's local Denton services (now called Connect). Paratransit services in the three member cities were also absorbed and renamed DCTA Access. Neither Lewisville nor Highland Village (the other current members of DCTA) operated bus lines prior to DCTA's formation.
The following cities voted to join the DCTA on September 13, 2003 and levy a half cent sales tax to finance the system.
No other cities have joined DCTA since its inception, and none of the original cities have held elections to pull out.
The Denton County Transportation Authority is governed by a 14-member board appointed by respective entities:
Although a DCTA Board member must reside in Denton County, the member does not have to reside in a DCTA-member city.
All members serve two-year terms. Board members must have professional experience in the field of transportation, business, government, engineering or law. In accordance with DCTA By-laws, the Board adopts the annual operating budget and is responsible for setting policy. The president oversees the day-to-day operations of the DCTA and implements policies set forth by the Board.
The Denton County Transportation Authority offers several services to the general public in the Greater Lewisville and Denton area. These services include fixed-route service in Denton and Lewisville, an on-demand service in Highland Village, shuttle routes serving UNT and NCTC and a regional commuter service connecting Denton, Lewisville, Carrollton, and downtown Dallas. Additionally, DCTA offers demand response/paratransit service in Denton, Lewisville, Highland Village, Hickory Creek and Corinth.
Commuter Express takes passengers to downtown Dallas from Park & Ride locations in Denton and Lewisville. Reverse trips from downtown Dallas stop at Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s North Carrollton Transit Center, the Lewisville Park and Ride, the University of North Texas, Texas Woman’s University and DCTA's downtown Denton transit center.
Most Commuter Express trips serve the central business district of downtown Dallas. However, the mid-day and late evening Commuter Express trips only go as far south as the North Carrollton Transit Center. Transfers to DART services can be made in both downtown Dallas and north Carrollton, but DART and DCTA do not yet honor each other's tickets and passes. That is expected to change when both systems' rail lines reach north Carrollton.
DCTA currently operates three Commuter Express Park & Ride locations, two in Lewisville and one in Denton. Two of the current locations are located at the parking lots of nearby businesses and the third is located at a future A-Train station:
DCTA Connect offers local fixed-route services operating in the cities of Lewisville and Denton. The routes were configured to provide easy access to many destinations within these cities.
DCTA currently operates nine routes in Denton (numbered 1 through 9), three routes in Lewisville (numbered 21 through 23), and an on-demand service called Connect RSVP in Highland Village.
DCTA also operates nine shuttles that serve University of North Texas students:
DCTA also operates a shuttle service for Denton and Lewisville commuting students to the North Central Texas College Corinth campus.
DCTA offers curb to curb ADA paratransit service in Denton and Lewisville and demand-response (Non-ADA) service in Lewisville, Highland Village, Denton, Hickory Creek and Corinth for disabled and elderly (65 years and older) patrons. Passengers can schedule trips to begin and end in any of the three DCTA member cities as well as non-member cities Corinth and Hickory Creek.
ADA Paratransit service is provided within three-quarters of a mile on either side of the Connect local fixed routes in Lewisville and Denton. All other trips within the service area are classified as Non-ADA. Non-ADA demand response trips are provided on a first-come first-served basis and are subject to capacity constraints.
DCTA operates the A-train, a regional passenger rail line connecting Carrollton and Denton, to meet growing transportation demands in eastern Denton County. The A-train parallels Interstate 35E and is a logical extension with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Green Line at Trinity Mills Station in Carrollton.
It has five stations — two in Denton and three in Lewisville[1] — and opened June 20, 2011.[2]
DCTA ridership fluctuates greatly with the academic calendar, as a considerable portion of passengers are UNT and TWU students, faculty, and staff. As an example, DCTA average daily fixed-route ridership in September 2008 was 13,840 passenger trips, while in July 2009 it was 2,695.
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