Category: News Release

To show our appreciation for military personnel who have served our country, Trinity Metro will offer free local rides to all veterans on Friday, Nov. 11.

All of Trinity Metro’s local services – including buses, TEXRail, ZIPZONE and ACCESS – are available on Veterans Day at no cost to veterans. To receive a free ride, show proof of service to your driver or train conductor.

Veterans Day began in 1947 as a way to honor veterans of all wars. The first celebration using that name occurred in Birmingham, Ala., and it featured a parade and other festivities to show support for veterans.

For questions about free rides on Veterans Day, call customer care at 817-215-8600.

(FORT WORTH, TX – Oct. 25, 2022) – Trinity Metro convened a task force to evaluate ridership and develop plans to promote and encourage greater use of Trinity Metro’s services. The results of the task force were announced at the agency’s board of directors meeting on Monday.

“Trinity Metro is leading in Texas with 81% ridership recovery from pre-pandemic levels,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Andreski. “We want to keep that momentum going by finding more ways to engage riders and to generate excitement about public transportation.”

The Ridership Task Force came together over the course of 30 days to create goals and tactics for enhancing ridership throughout the next year. The first of the nine ideas will occur in January, when the agency celebrates a “Re-Grand Opening” event for TEXRail, which began operating on Jan. 10, 2019.

“This will be a fun way to celebrate TEXRail’s fourth anniversary and to generate excitement about riding the rails,” said Melissa Chrisman, the executive sponsor of the Ridership Task Force and vice president of marketing & communications. “TEXRail’s ridership continues to grow, and an event like this could generate interest from people who haven’t tried it yet.”

Another event will be tied in with the Spring Service Change. Trinity Metro modifies schedules twice a year, and customers may not always be aware of the changes or understand that their feedback and the need for increased efficiencies spur the updates. To share information and answer questions, the agency will have a designated day when representatives will be out talking with customers and community partners to raise awareness and engagement.

Throughout the year, the agency will be working on bus stop and transit station improvements.

“Improving stops and stations is an importance step for customers,” Chrisman said. “Anything we can do to provide a better customer experience means they will be more likely to ride again.”

The agency also plans to implement a rewards/loyalty program, much like other businesses and restaurants offer. Participants would earn points and rewards to encourage their continued utilization of public transportation.

Some of the proposals are more behind-the-scenes efforts, including upgrading technology, mobile app integration and website improvements. Additional ideas include security initiatives and including veterans in the agency’s reduced fare program.

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, ZIPZONEs, Fort Worth Bike Sharing, vanpools and Trinity Railway Express (TRE), a 34-mile commuter rail line jointly owned and operated with Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). 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.

(FORT WORTH, TX – Oct. 25, 2022) – TEXRail service will be modified on Tuesday, Nov. 1, while crews perform maintenance work, beginning at 3 a.m. During that time, a bus bridge will operate between North Richland Hills/Smithfield Station and Grapevine/Main Street Station.

Trains will run every 30 minutes for the duration of the disruption. Passengers should not experience any significant delays.

The first two trains of the day, which depart from North Side Station at 3:20 a.m. and from Mercantile Center Station at 3:31 a.m., will be canceled.

Construction will begin next week for the Pedestrian Safety Enhancements Project at Fort Worth Central Station. Starting on Tuesday, Oct. 25, a contractor will install bidirectional LED flashing lights in the pavement of the pedestrian crossing to better draw attention to the tracks by Trinity Railway Express and Amtrak.

Lights will be placed in front of the crossing and on the sides of entrance points for pedestrians. Track 1 lighting will be set in the existing concrete. For Track 2, the contractor will remove the existing pavement, install lights and pour new concrete to secure the lighting. During the construction process, half of each side of the pedestrian crosswalk will be closed and then the other half will be closed after the first portion is completed.

In addition, Trinity Metro will install LED flashing-message monitor signs above existing station signs on Track 1 and Track 2 sides of the pedestrian crosswalk. An LED flashing sign on the pillar near the pedestrian crosswalk will also be installed.

Lights and signage will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Construction is expected to end on Friday, Nov. 25. TEXRail and bus routes will not be impacted by the work.

On Sunday, Nov. 6, we will be upgrading equipment in the timeframe of 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. During that period, we will experience service interruptions with our ticket vending machines and our customer care phone number. Our computer systems will also be down.

To minimize the impact to customers, we will have a temporary alternate customer care phone number, which is 682-225-5628. Ticket vending machines will only accept cash during the upgrade period.

Customers may also use the GoPass mobile ticketing app to plan trips and purchase tickets on the go. To download the app and get started today, CLICK HERE. 

(FORT WORTH, TX – Oct. 19, 2022) – Hundreds of volunteers will be hitting the streets Saturday morning for Trinity Metro’s annual Bus Stop Clean Up Day, a community-wide beautification effort along all of Trinity Metro’s bus routes. The event begins at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at Fort Worth Central Station, where teams will gather before heading to their routes, which cover 410 square miles.

After finishing volunteer shifts, everyone is invited to return to the station for a lunch celebration from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and the presentation of the Most Creative Team Name Award.

“The day is designed to engage the community in cleaning bus stops along all of our bus routes to provide an even better experience for our passengers,” said Detra Whitmore, vice president of customer experience and the event’s organizer. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to have a record turnout of 417 volunteers!”

The event will feature 50 teams, and four schools are participating. Forest Oak Middle School will have 50 students contributing to Route 28 clean-up efforts. Other participants include volunteer teams from the City of Fort Worth and Commute with Enterprise. Elected officials, including Fort Worth City Council Members Elizabeth Beck and Alan Blaylock, will be joining the event as will several members of the Trinity Metro Board of Directors.

As part of the event, Trinity Metro is partnering with the Tarrant Area Food Bank to help those in need. The information sent to volunteers included a request to bring canned goods to donate on site at Fort Worth Central Station.

Trinity Metro provides safety vests, gloves, trash bags and t-shirts to all volunteers.

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, ZIPZONEs, Fort Worth Bike Sharing, vanpools and Trinity Railway Express (TRE), a 34-mile commuter rail line jointly owned and operated with Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). 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.

 

(FORT WORTH, TX – Oct. 18, 2022) — Trinity Metro’s on-demand shared ride service, ZIPZONE, has recently expanded its service zones to provide more flexible transit coverage – just in time for fall.

To celebrate the newly added Southeast ZIPZONE and the newly expanded Southside ZIPZONE, the following promotions have been announced:

• New riders in any of the five ZIPZONE service zones can get their first two rides free this fall by using the promo code
• All riders can get unlimited free rides in the Southeast ZIPZONE through Nov. 30, 2022 – it will be automatically applied.
• All riders can get a free ride to Tarrant County voting sites from Oct. 24-Nov. 4 and on Nov. 8 – it will be automatically applied.

With ZIPZONE, riders can enjoy convenient, flexible transportation to both essential and leisure destinations in Tarrant County. Book an on-demand ride to:

• See the new autumn blooms at The Fort Worth Botanical Garden, visit the Fort Worth Zoo for the Halloween-themed “Boo at the Zoo,” or commute to Texas Christian University (TCU) and Texas Wesleyan University in the Southside ZIPZONE.
• Take a swing at The Golf Club at Fossil Creek or catch a ride to TEXRail’s Mercantile Center Station in the Mercantile ZIPZONE.
• Enjoy an outing at the TX Whiskey Ranch, or visit both local-owned and big-box stores in the Southeast ZIPZONE.
• Get started on your holiday shopping at Gateway Station or commute to two Tarrant County College campuses when you travel in the South Tarrant ZIPZONE.

About ZIPZONE

Since launching the Mercantile ZIPZONE in July 2019, ZIPZONE has provided nearly 90,000 rides to residents, workers, students, and visitors in the Fort Worth area.

ZIPZONE allows anyone in the service zones to book a shared ride at a moment’s notice through the ZIPZONE app (available in the Google Play and App Store) or by calling 817-215-8600. ZIPZONE is powered by Via, the global leader in TransitTech. Via’s algorithms direct passengers to a nearby “virtual bus stop” within a short walking distance for pick up and drop off, allowing for quick and efficient shared trips.

How to ride with the ZIPZONE app:

1. Create an account. Download ZIPZONE from the App Store or Google Play store and follow the simple sign-up steps.
2. Set up a payment method.

• Note: if you are paying with your Trinity Metro multi-ride local and regional ticket option, select the “Ticket” button in the bottom left corner of the app and present your ticket to your driver.

1. Request a ride. Enter your pickup and drop-off addresses and choose the ride option that works for you.
2. Meet your driver. Check the app and walk a short distance to your pick up spot.

For more information on hours and more, please visit https://ridetrinitymetro.org/rider-services/zipzone

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, ZIPZONEs, Fort Worth Bike Sharing, vanpools and Trinity Railway Express (TRE), a 34-mile commuter rail line jointly owned and operated with Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). 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.

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 riders — 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 the 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 600 communities and more than 35 countries and counting.

For further information about Via, go to www.ridewithvia.com.