Transit agencies and ride-share services will be offering free and discounted trips to polling places Tuesday for election day. The Texas Secretary of State says 57.32% of voters voted early, but those who waited will have options if they cannot drive themselves.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit is providing free trips to voting locations within its service area. DART started providing trips during early voting; voters can ride free Tuesday on all bus, light rail, streetcar, GoLink and paratransit services. No proof of voter registration is required.
Trinity Metro will also offer free service, but riders will be required to show their identification or voter registration card. Trinity Metro is offering free rides on bus routes; ZIPZONE on Fort Worth's Near Southside, Crowley and Mercantile lines; ACCESS Paratransit; Tarrant County Transportation Services; Northeast Transportation Services; and Arlington's Via and Handitran.
Trinity Metro's TEXRail is not included. Trinity Railway Express passengers can also ride free, but only on the Dallas County side, from EBJ Union Station to CentrePort.
Denton County Transportation Authority will offer free rides on A-Train, the Connect Bus System, University of North Texas campus shuttles, Lewisville Lakeway On-Demand, and Downtown Denton Transit Center Evening on Demand. No identification is required.
The ride-share service, Alto, was founded in Dallas in 2018 and now serves the entire Metroplex with a fleet of about 100 cars. The company will offer free rides of up to $15 to and from polling places for people who use the promo code, VOTE2020.
"We actually think this is one of the most important elections of our lifetime," says Alto Founder Will Coleman. "There are many topics that are on the ballot this year that are important and will likely form the future of our country for the next 40 years, not just the next four years. It's just one less thing for people to worry about. You can use Alto to get to the polls in a clean and safe way. It's also a great way to introduce our product to new folks who may not have tried it before. You can try it for free."
Alto expanded to Houston in October and plans to expand into California. Alto owns its fleet of vehicles, and its drivers are employees, not contractors.
Coleman says each car has a plexiglass divider between the driver and riders and a HEPA air filter in each car. He says each driver has a temperature check before and after each shift. Each car is also treated with PermaSafe, a disinfecting and "long-term antimicrobial protection" for cars.
"Safety is more important today than it was even before the pandemic. That's always been a focus of ours," he says. "We're seeing we're actually recovering at a faster rate than our competitors."
Coleman says ride-share services are at about 60% of demand from before the pandemic, but Alto's business is back to about 85%.
Uber is offering 50% off rides to polling locations up to $7 each way. Uber says an in-app function will help people find their polling place.
Lyft is offering 50% discounts for a ride up to $10 to a polling location. Customers must use the promo code, "2020VOTE."