Trinity Metro ZIPZONE Program Uses Lyft To Transport Alliance Corridor Employees To Work
Transit agency Trinity Metro took another step in improving arduous work commutes for employees departing each day for AllianceTexas through the launch of Alliance ZIPZONE — a program that allows commuters taking North Texas Xpress buses to the Alliance Corridor to rely on Lyft to deliver them from the bus stop to work.
The Lyft service is free for employees working in Alliance Corridor who have access to a code provided by their employer.
The service is designed to eliminate what in public transportation is referred to as the first mile/last mile problem in which employees commuting still have to either walk or drive from the drop-off point to their destination. This dilemma eliminates the usefulness and attraction of having bus routes into an office park or industrial corridor.
The program, which stems from a partnership with the Denton County Transportation Authority, is beginning in one of Dallas-Fort Worth’s most populous industrial regions: the Alliance Corridor, which houses 500 companies and 61,000 jobs, according to the city of Fort Worth. The city said one goal of the program is to encourage workers to leave their cars at home.
Alliance ZIPZONE is the first step of the program and replaces Alliance Link, a first mile/last mile pilot service for the region operated by Toyota. That pilot program ended in January. Alliance ZIPZONE is funded by grants, and there are plans to try to engage employers to get involved financially in the future.
“When we started North Texas Xpress with DCTA in fall 2016, we knew the bus route would be a good choice for employees in the Alliance area,” Trinity Metro President and CEO Paul Ballard said. “Now we’re taking it one step further to help Alliance employees arrive at work without having to drive.”
Trinity Metro plans to consider ZIPZONE services in other portions of its existing service area.
By entering a specific code into the Lyft app, commuters working in Alliance can gain access to Lyft rides between their workplace and the Xpress bus stop.
San-Francisco-based Lyft is an on-demand car service provider that said it views itself as a partner in encouraging more commuters to give up their vehicles. In various parts of the country, including Northern California, building and office developments have already been creating initiatives and incentives to encourage tenants to use Lyft to get to and from work.
