The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) will implement service changes in the City of Lewisville effective Monday, August 29, 2016. These service changes are part of the first phase of DCTA’s implementation of its Comprehensive Operational Analysis (COA) which identified service changes to existing bus services that would maintain strongest areas of existing service, strengthen the weaker areas, fill existing service gaps and ensure all significant transit markets are well served.
The main goals of the COA were to identify strengths and weaknesses of the agency’s existing system and to develop recommendations for improving service. Listed below are final recommendations from the COA that will be implemented on Monday, August 29:
- The three existing Lewisville Connect Bus fixed-routes (21, 22 and 23) will be consolidated into two new routes – 21 and 22 – that will better serve the needs of Lewisville residents.
- These new routes will preserve service coverage to nearly all existing riders, and also introduce a new service extension to north Lewisville via Summit Avenue. A transfer opportunity to the Highland Village Connect Shuttle will be provided at Summit Avenue and FM 407.
- Both routes would operate every 30 minutes during the weekday peak (5:30 to 9:00 a.m.) when demand for transit is greatest, and every 60 minutes during weekday off-peak service (3:00 to 7:00 p.m.) and on Saturdays.
“DCTA recognized the need to improve existing services in order to increase efficient mobility solutions in the City of Lewisville,” said Jim Cline, DCTA President. “Improving our existing services will have a positive impact for residents and the community at large.”
In June 2015, DCTA began work on its COA for Lewisville Connect Bus service and Highland Village Connect RSVP service. The COA was data-driven and began with a 100 percent “ride check” to collect boarding and alighting data by trip and by stop for all three Lewisville Connect routes and Connect RSVP.
Key elements of the COA included a market analysis, service analysis, and stakeholder outreach:
- The market analysis focused on identifying areas of Lewisville and Highland Village that were most conducive to transit service, as well as areas that lack the attributes to support productive fixed-route service.
- The service analysis was a detailed assessment of the effectiveness and efficiency of the current route network. Each route was evaluated based on ridership, productivity, and on-time performance.
- The COA included a robust effort to elicit stakeholder and public feedback, including both online and onboard surveys, as well as a series of public and stakeholder meetings. DCTA and its project team reached more than 600 riders, community members, and stakeholders as part of this effort.
On April 4, 2016, DCTA launched new services in Highland Village – Connect Shuttle and Community On-Demand – based on COA recommendations. A separate COA was also conducted for DCTA services in Denton, with those recommendations to be implemented in future phases.
For more information about DCTA’s COA implementation plan and new schedule information, visit www.RideDCTA.net.
