Tarrant County offers free rides for early voting, Election Day

(FORT WORTH, TX – Oct. 19, 2021) – Throughout early voting and on Tuesday, Nov. 2, Tarrant County voters will be able to catch free rides to the polls on Trinity Metro and other transit providers.

Riders can show their voter registration card or current Texas ID and ride for free during early voting Oct. 18-29 and on Election Day, Nov. 2.

The Tarrant County Commissioners Court approved a partnership on Tuesday with transportation services in Tarrant County to pay for customer trips to voting locations, with an amount not to exceed $30,000.

This is not the first time the county has teamed up with transportation providers to offer free rides to the polls. During the November 2020 election, more than 5,800 free trips to voting locations were provided through this program.

“Access to transportation should not be a barrier that prevents people from exercising their right to vote,” said Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley. “Tarrant County is once again offering free rides to polling locations, including accessible services for the elderly and mobility-impaired, as well as on-demand service in Arlington and Fort Worth. These free rides will be available during early voting and on Election Day.”

Wayne Gensler, vice president and chief operating officer for bus and paratransit at Trinity Metro, said he is happy to partner with the Tarrant County Commissioners Court on providing rides to the polls.

“We want to give everyone an opportunity to cast a ballot during early voting and on Election Day,” Gensler said. “We are grateful to the Tarrant County Commissioners Court for providing funding for these rides.”

The transit services included in the program are Trinity Metro’s bus routes, ZIPZONE services,  ACCESS paratransit, plus Tarrant County Transportation Services (TCTS), Northeast Transportation Services (NETS), and Arlington’s Via and Handitran. For ZIPZONE riders, free rides will be determined by the pickup’s or destination’s proximity to a voting location.  

To use Via’s on-demand service in Arlington, download the Via app, enter the address of a Vote Center within Via’s service area, and use promo code ARNVOTE2021.

Tarrant County has multiple locations for early voting and a list of locations for Election Day.

For questions or to schedule a ride:
Trinity Metro (bus, rail, ACCESS, and ZIPZONE) 817-215-8600
Northeast Transportation Service (NETS) 817-336-8714
Tarrant County Transportation Service (TCTS) 817-336-8714
Arlington Via 817-784-7382
Arlington Handitran 817-459-5390