Trinity Metro鈥檚 iconic electric red bus, The Dash, will make its final stop Sept. 15.
The transit agency鈥檚 board of directors voted unanimously May 20 to discontinue The Dash and four other bus routes due to low ridership numbers: Route 28, Route 45, Route 66X and Route 23. Some of the areas previously serviced by these routes will now be covered by ZIPZONE, Trinity Metro鈥檚 on-demand ride-sharing service.
鈥�(These routes) are some of the lowest-performing routes. They鈥檙e also some of the easiest for us to mitigate those lost connections,鈥� said Phil Dupler, director of planning for the agency.
Route 5 and Route 15 will see an increase in frequency and length of service, respectively, starting in the fall.
The route changes were , alongside fare changes to streamline prices. Thanks to these modifications, Trinity Metro will save over $64,000 in its 2025 budget.
These resources, buses and funds will be reallocated to other routes, said Chad Edwards, the agency鈥檚 executive vice president of strategy, planning and development.
Residents shared concerns and questions about the proposed elimination of The Dash and other routes such as Route 66X, an express service that connects downtown to southwest Fort Worth via Chisholm Trail Parkway.
Paul McManus, a self-described public transit enthusiast and advocate, asked how the stop at Dickies Arena and nearby Cultural District destinations currently serviced by The Dash will be accommodated.
At this time, no routes will be added to service the Cultural District beyond the current existing routes, Dupler told the board.
Several residents said they relied on the express Route 66X to get to and from work every day. Some pointed out that the other routes that service the same area 鈥� Routes 6, 52 and 72 鈥� often get residents to work too early or too late and only run on an hourly basis.
鈥淭he 66X offers me a fast and convenient option, as I do not drive or own a car,鈥� April Smith, a city employee, wrote in a submitted comment. 鈥淭here are a few city of Fort Worth employees that depend on that route. Eliminating that route without replacing or giving another reliable option is absurd.鈥�
No other residents came to speak about the bus route changes during today鈥檚 public hearing.
The Dash bus was launched in 2019 as a pilot project promoted by the , a Texas Health Resources initiative focused on healthy habits. The bus route sought to promote a healthy lifestyle in downtown and the West 7th Entertainment District.
However, ridership remained stagnant post-COVID and often competed with the current Route 2 bus that goes down Camp Bowie Boulevard.
As a result of the ridership numbers, partners for The Dash discontinued funding. The electric vehicles will be repurposed for the downtown trolley, Molly.
The board will vote on the new proposed fare changes at its June meeting.
Sandra Sadek is a Report for America corps member, covering growth for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at sandra.sadek@fortworthreport.org or .
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy.
This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.