Denton County Transportation Authority is on track to surpass last year’s ridership number with ridership growth over 10% in 2024.

President and CEO Paul Cristina said DCTA provided 2.6 million rides in fiscal year 2023-2024. With significant growth in A-train Ridership, as well as bus and GoZone, Cristina said DCTA could exceed last year’s 2.9 million rides.

The organization provides transportation throughout its member Cities of Denton, Highland Village, and Lewisville via rail and bus routes, rides for senior citizens, and GoZone, its on-demand ridesharing service.

“All of our modes of transportation are up year over year,” Cristina said. “Most significantly, the A train is at 16.2% growth year over year for the third consecutive year and is among the top-performing commuter rail services in the Country with regard to ridership growth.”

Ridership has increased significantly due to individuals returning to in-person work and DCTA reallocating its resources to better serve residents.

DCTA launched its GoZone service in September 2022, which has enabled the agency to grow ridership quickly. The on-demand service uses a mobile app where passengers book their trips in real time. A fleet of dedicated branded vans is used to pick up and drop off riders at virtual stops within the zones. The service operates seven days a week and costs $1.50 per passenger. In Denton only, for any trips over 4 miles, an additional charge of $0.50 per mile may apply, up to a cap of $5.

“We've given our member cities and our riders what they want in terms of modal offerings when we made the transition from buses to microtransit,” Cristina said. “In the city of Lewisville, for instance, 80% more people are using microtransit than were using the fixed-route transit. In Highland Village, the ridership has quadrupled since the service started with more and more residents beginning to use the service .”

The on-demand ridesharing service completed its one-millionth ride after just 18 months of service.

Public transit is about more than just convenience; it helps drive economic growth.

“We assembled data late last year to illustrate GoZone as a key part of our area’s economic engine,” Cristina said. “A majority of trips in Highland Village are concentrated on the FM 407 corridor that features many shops and restaurants. Many trips that originated in Lewisville ended their trips along FM 407 in Highland Village. That means that people use transit to go out to eat and shop, and employers have more access to the workforce and people who may not own a vehicle.”

As DCTA continues to grow, the organization will continue to examine data to determine the best way to serve residents in its member cities.

By collecting this data, DCTA can provide the best, most cost-effective service to Denton County and member city residents.

To learn more about DCTA and how its services can benefit you, visit www.dcta.net.

The above story was produced by Multi-platform Journalist Mary Katherine Shapiro with Community Impact's Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.