FY 2013 Popular Annual Financial Report FY 2013 Popular Annual Financial Report | Page 17

Ride the
MAX

A

new pilot commuter
service called the Metro
ArlingtonXpress, or MAX,
began rolling through Arlington streets.
For a $5 fare, riders board at the
College Park District of UT Arlington
and head for the Trinity Railway
Express (TRE) CentrePort station at
DFW International Airport. There,
riders catch a TRE train bound for Fort
Worth or Dallas and connect to a T bus
in Fort Worth or a DART bus or train
in Dallas. The MAX is a partnership
between the City of Arlington, UT
Arlington and the private sector.
The two-year pilot project marks
an important step in connecting
Arlington with the Metroplex and
represents the first time residents have
been linked seamlessly to a regional
transit grid. The project is designed to
test service and gather ridership and
demand data. The total number of
trips taken on MAX from its August 19
debut through the end of December
was 21,474. The project costs $700,000
per year to operate.

Buses, which feature wireless
Internet, operate Monday through
Friday from about 5:30 a.m. to 11:30
p.m. with pick-ups and drop-offs
scheduled at multiple times throughout
the day. Parking is free. GoPass, a
mobile ticketing application, enables
riders to buy and use passes instantly on
web-enabled devices.

Service also was adjusted to make it
more convenient. A few additional
evening trips were added to the schedule
to accommodate the late TRE train
heading west after weekday events at
the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
And a new stop on Collins Street in
the Entertainment District was added,
providing commuters with access to
several major Arlington attractions.
The City was awarded the 2013
Special Recognition Award from
the Midwest Section of the Texas
American Planning Association for
the MAX pilot project. The award
is given to outstanding planning
efforts, innovative projects and best
practices and to examples of planning
leadership, advocacy and education.

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