Trinity Metro takes a blue turn, with more color-coded routes scheduled
December 8,2024
See full Fort Worth Report article by Eric E. Garcia here.
Trinity Metro is making routes simpler to use by color-coding its buses.
After the successful Sept. 15 launch of the Orange Line — which replaced Route 15 — the Fort Worth-area transit agency is planning to rebrand its free downtown route as the Blue Line.
Say goodbye to Molly the Trolley, the route’s previous name that launched in 2009 with vintage-look trolleys.
The Blue Line route roughly borders downtown by traveling along Houston Street from West 2nd Street to West 14th Street. From there, the route continues on Throckmorton Street to West Lancaster Avenue, then takes Commerce Street to East 14th Street. From there, the route travels on Jones Street to East 9th Street and back to Commerce before returning to 2nd Street.
With six Blue Line buses, travelers will be able to reach Sundance Square, the Convention Center and the Fort Worth Central transit station, which connects to Amtrak, TEXRail and Trinity Railway Express rail services. The route incorporates vehicles used for the now-defunct Dash, a route between downtown and the Cultural District that ended in September.
The Blue Line, which will launch in spring 2025, will increase runs to a 10-minute frequency from the route’s previous 15-minute frequency.
“The Orange Line is the beginning of something bigger,” Richard W. Andreski, president and CEO of Trinity Metro, said during a Nov. 6 gathering of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials.
Melissa Chrisman, the agency’s vice president of marketing and communications, said Trinity Metro is discussing more color-coded routes.
“Yes, we are planning additional color-coded lines,” she said. “We are still working out the details, so colors and future routes, beyond the Blue Line, haven’t been finalized. Conversations need to be had to determine what works best for our partners and our community.”
The success of the Western-themed Orange Line — which saw substantial ridership increase with free rides after its debut — is prompting changes, Chrisman added.
“Based on our great experience with the Orange Line, customers really enjoy the unique experiential feel of riding our themed buses,” Chrisman said. “They immerse themselves in the Western ride and enjoy the convenience of traveling between downtown and the Stockyards in style.”
For the first 10 weeks of service, ridership on the Orange Line was 35% higher than Route 15 in 2023, she said.
“We anticipate seeing similar results on the future Blue Line,” Chrisman said.
The route, as Molly the Trolley, saw ridership decrease from 53,922 in 2023 to 47,933 this year, according to Trinity Metro data.
Blue Line buses will be wrapped with a blue overlay, similar to what the agency did with Orange Lines buses to the Fort Worth Stockyards. The route will provide free rides, thanks to subsidies from Visit Fort Worth and Downtown Fort Worth Inc.
In addition to color coding plans, the agency simplified its fares to make them more affordable and hopefully increase ridership.
Under the new fare structure, introduced on Sept. 15, riders saw a dollar decrease in a $5 regular day pass. Frequent riders are paying $7 less for a seven-day pass, which decreased from $25 to $18. Other passes, sold on a monthly or annual basis, were eliminated.
Chrisman said each of the color-coded routes will be special.
“We plan to make each of the color-coded buses a unique riding experience, so we do plan to incorporate special features for the Blue Line,” Chrisman said. “We set the bar high for those using transit between downtown and the Fort Worth Stockyards. Now we want to meet and exceed that bar for those who will ride the Blue Line to enjoy our downtown Fort Worth amenities.”
Disclosure: Mitch Whitten of Visit Fort Worth serves on the Report’s board of directors. News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.