Downtown Fort Worth is introducing a replacement for Molly the Trolley. The bus circles the city center providing free rides to people on a loop through Downtown.
Trinity Metro announced its plan to retire Molly the Trolley last year. Now, the organization and City of Fort Worth say the "Blue Line" will take its place.
Buses on the Blue Line will run daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will also be free. Buses will circulate every seven minutes.
"If you're in a large group and having fun, breaking up into small groups to take an Uber or wait for the valet to get your car, so transit really is a way to connect people," says Trinity Metro Chief Executive Rich Andreski.
The Blue Line is the second color-coded line introduced by Trinity Metro. The Orange Line launched last year providing rides between Downtown Fort Worth and the Stockyards. Andreski says Trinity Metro is working to provide a range of services so people are less reliant on cars.
"If you come in through DFW Airport, you have TEXRail right there at the airport that will bring you Downtown, then our Orange and Blue Lines will take you to many popular destinations," he says. "Really, you can leave the driving to us."
Visit Fort Worth says the city had 11.5 million visitors last year, and Downtown has added 1,000 additional hotel rooms in the past five years.
"Downtown is the host center for so many of our visitors," says Visit Fort Worth Chief Executive Bob Jameson. "We have a special responsibility when we invite people to come here and visit our community. Those are to provide a safe, clean environment but also that sense of connectivity."
Each bus is painted differently with designs featuring Bass Performance Hall and other buildings outside. Inside, buses have ceilings painted with the sky and clouds with the walls featuring parks, the Trinity River and City Hall.
"We're highlighting some of the iconic things you can do Downtown from the new and historic buildings to shopping to Bass Hall," says Downtown Fort Worth Inc President Andy Taft.
In addition to tourists from other parts of the country, Trinity Metro says the Blue Line can help people who live in Fort Worth get around Downtown along with people visiting from other parts of the Metroplex on a daytrip.
Andreski says the Blue and Orange Lines fit in with Trinity Metro's goal of helping people get around the city without having to plan ahead for how they would move around.
"Our mission statement is really connecting people to life, and that's what we're doing here," he says.
The Blue Line is funded through a partnership among Trinity Metro, Downtown Fort Worth Inc and Visit Fort Worth. The Blue Line launches June 8.