"Where'd all these people come from, barging into my a.m. commute? Can't miss my train. 2 hours ago"
"People decked out in blue took all the parking and my usual TRE seat. Grump! 90 minutes ago""Not enough ticket kiosks. Need more coffee. 70 minutes ago""How hard to work a ticket dispenser? Never ridden public transport? 64 minutes ago""Because of the #mavsparade, the @dartmedia train was as crowded as @theLondonTube during rush hour. 1 hour ago"That last one was a real tweet from a rider to Thursday's downtown Dallas victory parade for the NBA champion Mavericks. The others, though made up, describe part of what Mavs fans and daily commuters headed east by rail encountered en route.Yet again, overwhelming use of public transit to reach a special public event sent transportation coordinators scrambling to accommodate riders.Twitter users reported that the Trinity Railway Express from Fort Worth to Dallas was packed before 7 a.m. One tweeter reported that a westbound train changed course and headed east. Another would have paid premium for a commuter-only train.It became clear early that the T, which runs the Tarrant County stations, would have to dispatch buses to the Richland Hills, Hurst/Bell and CentrePort/DFW Airport stations to help shuttle passengers to the parade.Seventeen buses ran at capacity back and forth, and all available trains operated between Fort Worth and Dallas throughout the day, T spokeswoman Joan Hunter said.It was another "Hello? Get the message?" moment.North Texans will trade their vehicles for trains and buses if public transportation seems to provide the simpler, cheaper, less headachy way to get where they're going.The keys: making it simpler, cheaper and less headachy. Going where people want to get. Convincing more travelers they needn't wait for jam-packed events to hop on.No doubt some riders were put off by the crushing crowds and long waits Thursday, whether they were bound for where the cheering started or just to another day at the office.And a region's transportation needs can't be gauged by a gargantuan event where attendance of 250,000 was predicted.But those types of events are opportunities for learning how to improve existing service and for demonstrating to new or casual riders the value, as well as the limitations, of public transportation.The 2009 Texas-OU game provided a humiliating lesson when DART officials woefully underestimated how many fans would ride rail to Fair Park and thousands missed the kickoff. But capacity was added and planning improved for the 2010 State Fair and the 2011 Ticket City Bowl played at the Cotton Bowl.Before the Mavs parade, DART, which operates Dallas' network of light rail and buses, put out tips for travelers, such as where to park and catch trains. E-mail and Twitter alerts were issued about additional buses and trains. Extra ticket sellers were on hand at Dallas and Tarrant rail stations.The TRE was extended to downtown Fort Worth less than 10 years ago. Average daily ridership on the 35-mile line is 8,500, with 3,600 attributed to Tarrant County on a normal Thursday. Officials estimated that the Mavs' festivities boosted Tarrant ridership to 7,600, plus 900 passengers who were transported by bus.Even under the best circumstances, public transit users need time and patience. But transit system officials need a winning game plan for turning big-event riders into loyal fans.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
