Near Southside ZIPZONE starts July 19

FORT WORTH, TX – July 13, 2020) – Trinity Metro is bringing a new on-demand transportation option to the Near Southside.

Starting July 19, the Near Southside ZIPZONE will serve the region that encompasses Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, Cook Children’s Medical Center, John Peter Smith Hospital, Texas Heath Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth, Medical City Fort Worth, Moncrief Cancer Institute, and UT Southwestern Monty and Tex Moncrief Medical Center at Fort Worth. The zone will also include many restaurants and businesses on Magnolia Avenue.

To give everyone a chance to try the service, fares will be complimentary through Aug. 31, 2020.

“This service is going to provide a new choice for the 40,000 employees who travel to the Near Southside for work,” Trinity Metro CEO and President Bob Baulsir said. “We partnered with the City of Fort Worth on this important transit initiative to provide a daily on-demand option.”

Wayne Gensler, vice president and chief operating officer of bus and paratransit, said, “The Near Southside ZIPZONE will offer significant benefits for employees, patients and visitors. Not only will it serve as a first-mile/last-mile connection to buses and trains, but it will also significantly enhance access for commuting into and around Fort Worth’s Medical District and the Near Southside.” 

The ZIPZONE, which is provided through a contract with Via, will utilize black Toyota Siennas for the shared rides from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. ZIPZONE will connect with Trinity Metro TEXRail and Trinity Railway Express (TRE) at the Fort Worth T&P Station and to bus routes 1 South Hemphill,4 East Rosedale,5a Evans Ave.,5b Glen Garden/Wichita,6 8th Ave./McCart/Hulen Mall,9 Ramey/Vickeryand 14 Sylvania/NE 28th.

“We anticipate that ZIPZONE will be a popular choice in this area, especially for daily commuters,” Gensler said. “One of the unique aspects of this service is that anyone within the service area has the option to use it for going to lunch or running an errand. The time saved by not having to find parking should encourage people to give it a try.”

How it works

• Download the Trinity Metro ZIPZONE app.

• Use the app to order a ride.

• View interactive map of service area at RIDETRINITYMETRO.org/ZIPZONE.

About ZIPZONE services

The Near Southside ZIPZONE is the fourth on-demand service provided by Trinity Metro. In June, the Crowley ZIPZONE was launched to help residents get to destinations within the city and also to connect with all of Trinity Metro’s other services throughout Tarrant County. In 2019, the Mercantile ZIPZONE was started to connect bus and TEXRail riders in the area near Mercantile Center Station. The Alliance ZIPZONE began in early 2019 to help connect bus passengers with jobs in the area. The on-demand service is an innovative solution that complements Trinity Metro’s other public transportation options.

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, annually providing 8 million passenger trips on buses, TEXRail, vanpools and the 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.