Texas Transit Association

Eight Northeast Tarrant County cities, The T, and the American Red
Cross will embark on a precedent-setting agreement on September 24, as they symbolically sign a regional cooperative arrangement to provide transportation service within their cities. The T, a metropolitan transit authority, provides service in and around Fort Worth in Tarrant County, while the Northeast Transportation Service Urban Transit District serves smaller urbanized areas.

Fort Worth Transportation Authority
*Press Release*

T partners with Northeast Tarrant County cities

Eight Northeast Tarrant County cities, the T, and the American Red
Cross will embark on a precedent-setting agreement on Wednesday,
September 24, at 10:00 a.m. as they symbolically sign a regional
cooperative arrangement to provide transportation service within their
cities. The ceremony will be held at the North Richland Hills City
Hall.

The Mayors from the cities will be represented along with the T’s Chair
Gyna Bivens and President Dick Ruddell, who will salute the governmental
cooperation that the NETS Urban Transit District represents.
Additionally, a representative from Congresswoman Kay Granger’s staff
will represent her at the ceremony. Granger supports the regional
initiative and secured federal funding for NETS vehicles.

The Cities have united to provide transportation services to the
disabled, elderly and other qualified individuals through the Northeast
Transportation Services Urban Transit District (NETSUTD). They have
signed a regional cooperative agreement with the T and the American Red
Cross to provide these transportation needs within their cities.

The eight members of NETS are: Bedford, Colleyville, Euless, Grapevine,
Haltom City, Hurst, Keller, and North Richland Hills. The NETSUTD is
governed by a Board of Directors and is eligible to receive federal
grant dollars for the provision of the service. The North Central Texas
Council of Governments provides general direction and support regarding
the grant process. Grapevine is the chair of the NETSUTD Board of
Directors and files the federal grant applications on behalf of the
District. North Richland Hills acts for the District in submitting and
reporting on State grant applications.

“The mayors and city managers of these cities are trailblazers,”
commented the T’s Chair Gyna Bivens. “They’re putting aside turf issues
and working together. We applaud their leadership and are pleased to
partner with them in addressing transit needs within their communities.”

The T provides transportation services in its three member cities of
Fort Worth, Richland Hills and Blue Mound. The American Red Cross
provides transit services in Northeast Tarrant County under the WHEELS
name. NETSUTD will pay $500,000 to the T and American Red Cross in
fiscal year 2004 for the transportation services provided to its
residents.

The regional cooperative agreement will be signed in a press conference
on Wednesday, September 24, 2003, at 10:00 a.m. The Conference will be
held at the North Richland Hills City Hall, 7301 N.E. Loop 820. For
further information, call Jenny Mabry, North Richland Hills Public
Information Director, at 817-427-6125.