For Mary Beth and Brian Lee, access to Trinity Metro equals freedom and connection.

The downtown Fort Worth residents are frequent riders on Trinity Metro buses, TEXRail, and TRE. “We actually became public transit users because of Trinity Metro,” says Mary Beth, a retired teacher. “We love being on the train for Stars games. Win or lose, everyone is excited. There’s such a feeling of community.”

That feeling of connection is at the heart of one of Mary Beth’s favorite public transit anecdotes, which relates to a surprise birthday party she and Brian once witnessed while riding TRE.

“People were getting on the train with presents at every stop for this young lady’s birthday celebration,” recalls Mary Beth. “It was so fun — the whole train became one big party!”

As people who like to “go and do” as much as possible, the Lees also value the freedom that public transit offers.

“A lot of people think that Trinity Metro is just to help you get to work, but it can also be used for fun,” says Mary Beth. “We use Trinity Metro to visit the Stockyards, the cultural district, and Magnolia.”

Adds Brian, a retired lawn care professional: “Traffic can be a nightmare and parking at the airport or venues is expensive. When we ride the train, we’re spending our time visiting, instead of getting stuck behind an accident, and we can get in and out of our activity much faster because we don’t have the hassle of parking.”

As experienced Trinity Metro customers, the Lees have a few tips to offer newer public transit users.

“Pay attention when reading schedules,” says Brian. “Be sure you’re looking at the right station, stop, direction and time. Also, use the Trinity Metro website to help you figure things out — it’s very helpful.”

Adds Mary Beth Lee: “We also recommend the Go Pass app. It’s super easy and saves you money.”