During the early morning hours of August 19, 2013, the City of Arlington successfully rolled out the Metro ArlingtonXpress, or MAX, allowing the city to shed the label of being the largest U.S. city without public transportation.

MAX is two-year pilot program. The commuter bus service travels between UT Arlington and the Trinity Railway Express CentrePort/DFW Airport Station. From there, passengers can take the TRE to Fort Worth or Dallas, go to the airports or go anywhere served by the DART and The T transit network. A third stop - on Collins Street near Lincoln Square - was added last November.

Now, nearly a year later, city officials are pleased with current ridership numbers, which are exceeding the initial goal: providing an average of 250 trips per day each month. In fact, MAX hit a first-time high of more than 400 trips per day in June 2014 during "Dump the Pump" week. According to a recent survey, there is a fairly even split between riders using MAX to get to school and those commuting to work. Half of the riders use the service five days a week. On a scale of 1 to 6, rider satisfaction was at a 5.24.

Running MAX costs $700,000 a year, but Arlington is paying for only half of the first year's operation in the two-year contract. UT Arlington picked up $230,000 of the tab, and business partners have paid $120,000 of the first year's costs. The Federal Transit Administration is covering the cost of the second year through a grant.

There are no immediate plans to expand the service; however, as the two-year pilot nears its end date, Arlington will evaluate the program's success and viability for future growth.

For more information about MAX fares and schedules, visit RidetheMax.com.