On Monday, April 18, TTA hosted our second Transit Academy Session.
In this session, we opened with a series of quick facts about public transit, focusing on different modes and the cost of transit to our community. Did you know that When the % of income spent on housing and the % of income spent on transportation for the average person is combined, it costs more to live in Tarrant County than it does to live in New York?
Next, students learned about the needs within our community with a presentation by Beth Watson of United Way of Tarrant County and a presentation by Matt Jacobs and Alisha Wilkinson Marrero on the service provided by Catholic Charities.
After a brief break, we learned more about the people behind transit & regional transportation planning with a presentation and panel discussion by Shannon Stevenson and Chad Edwards.
The class ended with group presentations on common concepts around public transportation, including “Only people who have no choice ride the bus;” “Transit should be run like a business - Right now, it loses money and isn't profitable, so we shouldn't invest in it;” And “Driving in my car is safer than riding public transit.”
Thank you to everyone who joined us, both in the room and on zoom, to UTA for sponsoring the Transit Academy and United Way of Tarrant County for sponsoring this session.