A free ride to college and everywhere else

Tarrant County College students are getting a big buss, or should we say bus, from the school's leadership. And we're on board with the idea.

Thanks to an agreement between TCC and Trinity Metro, students can ride on any of the transportation authority's 38 bus routes for free starting on May 15. They don't even have to be going to class, because the college will be picking up the tab. Students will use valid school ID cards at the fare box.

College officials don't know exactly how many students will board the buses, but a survey indicates that up to 30 percent of their 100,000 student body needs public transportation to get to school and around town. While not everyone will take advantage of the program, the school estimates it will cost $200,000 its first year. Money to pay for it will come from auxiliary funds like the book store.

As part of the agreement, Trinity Metro will start a new service to TCC's Northeast campus in North Richland Hills and to its Southeast campus in far south Arlington beginning in August, prior to the start of the fall semester. Trinity Metro already is connected to TCC's three other campuses and its center dedicated to aviation maintenance and logistics.

Providing transportation to the region is essential to our economic growth. So is access to an affordable, quality education.

This agreement is more than a token effort by Trinity Metro and TCC to provide both to Tarrant County.

This story was originally published April 10, 2018 at 9:36 PM with the headline "A free ride to college and everywhere else."