(FORT WORTH, TEXAS) June 11, 2024 — Trinity Metro is proud to announce a significant advancement of its investment in technology and innovation to create a more agile and accessible future of public transportation in Tarrant County. In the midst of booming population growth in the Dallas-Fort Worth area1, investment in public transit is more important than ever and represents a visionary approach to accessibility, managing congestion, and ensuring residents and visitors have an affordable option to get where they need to go.
Through an expanded partnership with TransitTech provider Via, which has powered the successful ZIPZONE on-demand rideshare transit service since 2019, Trinity Metro will embark on a path to deploy intuitive technology and efficient operations across its entire transit network.
The refreshed transit program includes broadened and improved on-demand and paratransit services, which will increase transit access for more people in Tarrant County than ever before. The agency will also become one of the first in the nation to merge on-demand rideshare services and paratransit operations, an innovative solution designed to maximize service efficiency and improve experience for all riders while minimizing overhead costs.
On-demand transit works by matching riders headed in the same direction into one vehicle, which creates efficient shared trips. The flexible model uses “virtual bus stops” based on the rider’s pickup and dropoff location instead of traditional physical stops and predetermined routes. The expanded on-demand service will provide easy connectivity to Trinity Metro’s existing bus lines.
Trinity Metro is planning a phased roll-out of improvements over coming months. Key upcoming milestones include:
- July: Introduction of new zone: Trinity Metro On-Demand Mansfield. Via will also assume operations for the Alliance zone (previously operated by Lyft) to provide shared rides that can easily connect with the broader Trinity Metro network.
- September: Launch of new zones in Fort Worth’s North Side and near Tarrant County College Northeast Campus, expanded coverage in the Southside zone (Sycamore Heights).
- October: Enhancements to the Trinity Metro paratransit program.
“Dallas-Fort Worth is one of the fastest-growing metros in the nation, and Via is thrilled to deepen our partnership with Trinity Metro. Together, we’ll ensure Tarrant County’s public transit network remains resilient and flexible through the use of world-class technology and operations,” said Alex Lavoie, Co-Chief Operating Officer at Via.
“Trinity Metro’s decision to take transit innovation to the next level underscores our dedication to meeting the evolving needs of our community, with the goal of public transit becoming the preferred mode of travel for Tarrant County residents and visitors for years to come,” said Wayne Gensler, chief operations officer at Trinity Metro.
Both Via and Trinity Metro are dedicated to maintaining open communication and engagement with the Tarrant County community. This collaborative approach is aimed at ensuring a smooth transition for riders, with a focus on transparency and responsiveness to feedback.
This announcement follows more than five years of successful collaboration between Trinity Metro and Via for the ZIPZONE on-demand rideshare program, one of the first public-private partnerships to use TransitTech and an on-demand model to expand transportation access.
For more information, please visit: https://ridetrinitymetro.org/
About Via
Founded in 2012, Via pioneered the TransitTech category by using new technologies to develop public mobility systems — optimizing networks of buses, shuttles, wheelchair-accessible vehicles, school buses, autonomous vehicles, and electric vehicles around the globe. Building the world’s most efficient, equitable, and sustainable transportation network for all passengers — including those with limited mobility, those without smartphones and unbanked populations — Via works with its partners to lower the costs of public transit while providing transportation options that rival the convenience of a personal car while reducing environmental impact. At the intersection of transportation and technology, Via is a visionary market leader that combines software innovation with sophisticated service design and operational expertise to fundamentally improve the way the world moves, providing technology in 700 communities and more than 35 countries and counting.
About Trinity Metro
Trinity Metro is a regional transportation system that provides public transportation to meet the mobility needs in Tarrant County. The agency offers connections throughout the North Central Texas region, providing passenger trips on buses, TEXRail, ACCESS paratransit, ZIPZONE on-demand rideshare services, Fort Worth Bike Sharing, vanpools and Trinity Railway Express. TRE, a 34-mile commuter rail line jointly owned and operated by Trinity Metro and DART, operates between Fort Worth and Dallas. Trinity Metro is the sole owner and operator of TEXRail, a 27-mile commuter rail line that runs between downtown Fort Worth and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s Terminal B.