This story will be continually updated as additional free ride services are announced.
City leaders and transportation services are trying to help voters get to the polls a little easier this election season.
Tarrant County
Tarrant County Commissioners Court approved a partnership to fund trips to take voters to polling locations during early voting from Oct. 13 to 30 and on Election Day.
Riders can show their voter registration card or current Texas ID and ride for free.
Services include Trinity Metro’s bus routes, Trinity Metro ZIPZONE in Near Southwide, Crowley and Mercentile, ACCESS paratransit, plus Tarrant County Transportation Services, Northeast Transportation Services and Arlington’s Via and Handitran.
For ZIPZONE riders in Crowley, Mercantile and Near Southside, free rides will be determined by the pickup’s or destination’s proximity to a voting location.
Fort Worth will also get free or discounted rides to the polls on Election Day, Nov. 3 through Roll to the Polls, which has partnered with bike companies, electric scooter companies, ride share services and more.
The nonprofit called Fort Worth Bike Sharing is part of the initiative.
Dallas County
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is providing free trips to voting locations in the DART service area on Saturday, Oct. 17, Saturday, Oct. 24 and on Election Day, Nov. 3.
Voters can ride at no charge on all DART bus, light rail, Dallas Streetcar, GoLink and Paratransit service, and on the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) between EBJ Union Station and CentrePort/DFW Airport Station. No proof of voter registration is required.
DART is also adding a free shuttle service for voters to get to the Dallas County Elections Department at 1520 Round Table Drive from Oct. 19 through Election Day, Nov. 3, officials said.
Officials decided to add the service to help the record turnout of early voters and those who want to drop off their ballots.
Voters can use the Green or Orange line to get to either Southwestern Medical District/Parkland Station or Burbank Station, then transfer to bus route 525, officials said. Then, they'll go to the Regal Row at Stemmons Freeway bus stop near the Wyndham Hotel and transfer there to a taxi-style van to get to the elections department.
Service is provided every 30 minutes, officials said, and on weekends, DART will have the van service running from Burbank Station to the elections department every 20 minutes.
Alto, a Dallas-based rideshare and delivery company, will provide free rides to the polls throughout Dallas-Fort Worth on Election Day, Nov. 3.
Voters can download the free app, create an Alto account and access two rides, up to $15 each, by entering promo code VOTE2020 in the app.
"Alto’s owned and managed fleet vehicles are leading the rideshare industry in new health and safety precautions during COVID-19," the company said in an email. "All Alto drivers wear masks and gloves during every trip."
Denton County
The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) will provide free rides for early voting on Saturday, Oct. 17; Saturday, Oct. 24 and on Election Day, Nov. 3. No voter identification is required to vote.
Voters can ride the following DCTA services at no cost to get to a voting location:
- A-train commuter rail
- Connect Bus system (Denton and Lewisville)
- University of North Texas (UNT) Campus Shuttles
- Lewisville Lakeway On-Demand
- Downtown Denton Transit Center Evening On-Demand
Collin County
Residents can take advantage of a rideshare app aimed at Democrats called RideShare2Vote. This service is also available in Dallas, Tarrant, Ellis and Denton counties as well as in Waxahachie. WFAA tested the app and found rides available in Frisco, McKinney and Plano.
If you know of any other groups offering free rides on election day, please let us know. You can email WFAA at newshelp@wfaa.com or send a text message to 214-977-6028.
