With only four days away from Election Day, public transportation agencies across Texas are stepping up to make sure voters can get to the polls without any obstacles. Dallas’ DART, Austin’s CapMetro, San Antonio’s VIA Transit, and Houston’s METRO are all offering free rides on Tuesday, Nov. 5, to improve voter accessibility.
Dallas
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is offering free rides on Election Day, Nov. 5, for travel within the DART service area. Options include DART buses, trains, GoLink, the Dallas Streetcar, Paratransit Services, and the TRE line between EBJ Union and CentrePort/DFW Airport stations. Riders must show a voter registration card or government ID to ride free.
Those using GoLink can enter the promo code VOTEPRES in the DART GoPass app for a free Adult Local Day Pass.
According to the press release, “DART’s Leadership Team and Board of Directors are committed to the communities we serve and are proud to be able to offer free fares on election day,” said Jeamy Molina, DART Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer. “We hope that by offering these free fares, more people will take on their civic duty and cast a ballot for this election. So, on this election day, be sure to utilize DART and go vote!”
Austin
CapMetro is providing free rides on Election Day, Nov. 5. For those using Bikeshare, you can enjoy a free 60-minute ride by downloading the CapMetro Bikeshare app and selecting the “I Voted” pass, available only on Election Day. Remember to re-dock your bike within 60 minutes to avoid extra fees. To find your nearest polling place, use the CapMetro app or website and enter “Vote” as your destination.
Find your nearest polling place by county:
- Travis County
- Williamson County
- Hays County
San Antonio
VIA Metropolitan Transit’s continuing Ride VIA to Vote program is also offering free rides to polling places on Election Day. This includes regular bus service, VIA Link, and VIAtrans paratransit services within the VIA service area. Voters can show voter registration cards to the bus or van operator to ride free, and VIAtrans customers should schedule their trips. For a list of polling places in Bexar County, click [here].
“VIA Metropolitan Transit is proud to ensure that all citizens have equitable access to the ballot box,” stated VIA’s president and CEO Jeffrey C. Arndt. “Getting to and from polling locations should not be an obstacle preventing a single voter from exercising their right to be heard in the democratic process.”
Houston
Houston’s transit agency METRO said registered voters can take free round-trip rides to the polls during Early Voting week and on Election Day. Voters can show their voter IDs to the bus operator or fare inspector on the METRORail, local bus, METRORapid, curb2curb or METROLift.
In a press conference, Chair of METRO Elizabeth Brock said, “We want to give you a ride to go vote because elections matter, experience matters and who represents you matters.”
Chi Huynh contributed to this report.
