Texas' DCTA launches new on-demand pilot service

Texas’ Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) is launching a new on-demand pilot service that will operate in the newly designated Denton Enterprise Airport Zone, with a stop at the University of North Texas (UNT) Fouts Field for travel to the designated zone. DCTA is utilizing software from TransLoc, which allows the agency to provide on-demand service for riders to have real-time mobility options and be able to optimize service during the pilot program. The free pilot service will end on Jan. 14, 2019.

Riders can book a trip in the Denton Enterprise Airport Zone in real time via the microtransit mobile app, which can be downloaded from the Apple and Google Play store, online, or by phone. The service will operate Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. DCTA will not operate this pilot service on major holidays.

Passengers who ride the new on-demand pilot service can also connect to other DCTA services such as Denton Connect Routes 7 and 8; North Texas Xpress (Route 64); and the Mean Green, Eagle Point, and North Texan UNT Campus Shuttle Routes at the UNT Fouts Field transfer point.

Microtransit service offers real-time flexible routing and scheduling of minibus vehicles. Similar to Uber and Lyft, DCTA-branded vehicles will carry a handful of riders at a time. The driver will have an iPad showing the shortest route to get passengers to their individual destinations. The service is being offered at no charge during the pilot period.

“This is the first time in agency history for us to offer a real-time, microtransit solution,” said Jim Cline, DCTA president. “Our new Denton Enterprise Airport On-Demand pilot service is a key step in DCTA’s plan to explore new and more cost-effective ways to provide innovative mobility solutions to our passengers.”

DCTA plans to roll out a similar on-demand project in the City of Lewisville in January 2019.