The GoZone service has seen a 15% increase in ridership from April-May, said Javier Trilla, DCTA assistant vice president of innovation and information technology. The increase includes overall requests and acceptance rates.
For June, it is anticipated that 64,000 riders will use the GoZone service, Trilla said.
The GoZone service has operated in Lewisville, Highland Village and Denton since its launch in September. In October, it saw 30,922 passengers countywide, according to Via officials.
Via partnered with the DCTA to operate GoZone services for residents. The service provides on-demand rides that are available in designated service zones.
GoZone has 34% of total operating hours dedicated to Lewisville and Highland Village with about 19 vehicles available for peak services, according to the June 23 ridership presentation.
About 25% of all rides per month are from Lewisville and Highland Village, though those numbers have tracked higher recently, Trilla said.
The DCTA board will look at an expansion to the Lewisville and Highland Village coverage area in July. The expansion would include the area between Lewisville and the Castle Hills area. Castle Hills was added to the GoZone coverage in January.
During the June 23 meeting, the board discussed potential changes in fares for the Connect Bus and GoZone.
The board reviewed two options. The first option included incentives for people to use the Connect Bus if they bought bulk day passes, while GoZone maintained a fixed rate despite a bulk purchase. For example, the Connect per-ride rates would decrease if a larger day pass was purchased.
Another option included bulk discounts for GoZone with rates as low as $3.10 roundtrip if a 30-day pass was purchased. It also included a bulk discount for the Connect rates.
Lewisville Mayor TJ Gilmore, who also serves on the DCTA board, said he does not want to see GoZone rates increase for Lewisville and Highland Village residents because they do not have other transit options.
The Connect Bus was discontinued in Lewisville and Highland Village in December because of low ridership. GoZone costs $0.75 per ride.
“I don't want to penalize the Highland Village and Lewisville zone because there is only one option,” Gilmore said.
The board will continue discussion regarding GoZone and Connect fare rates during its July meeting. No vote was made during its June meeting.
