Free Wheels

Free electric golf carts ensure that Dallasites never need walk again

Dallasites will never have to walk again.

Photo courtesy of Free Ride

As if bike-sharing and electric scooters aren't enough, Dallas gets yet another transportation option with The Free Ride, a free shuttle service that uses electric golf carts, similar to the efrogs service that currently (barely) exists in Dallas.

The Free Ride is chasing the same "last mile" that bike-share and scooter rental companies are seeking to fill — where you get off a bus or train but still have another mile before you reach your destination.

Walking is ugh the worst possible thing a person should ever have to do.

The Free Ride was founded in The Hamptons in 2011, then expanded to Long Island, New Jersey, Florida, L.A., San Diego, and Long Beach. They currently have more than 100 shuttles across four states and 16 cities nationally.

In Texas, they've partnered with Ryde, a similar company based in Texas and have shuttles in Houston and Austin.

In Dallas, they have a total of six shuttles that provide rides from 12 noon to midnight daily.

But unlike some of their other cities that use an app to make a reservation, Dallas is a "wave down" model, which requires that you spot a random car and wave the driver over.

It sounds a bit unpredictable and unreliable, but efrogs is not much better. With tiny fleets and limited resources, it's hard to say who these companies service. On the other hand, the more transportation options the better, and isn't this fun.

The Free Ride's listed destinations include American Airlines Center, Trinity Groves, Uptown, Lower Greenville Avenue, and Knox-Henderson.

The service is free because they find an advertising sponsor. In Dallas, it's Vita Coco coconut water, which also hands out free samples.

E-Cigarette News

Dallas City Council places restrictions on vaping in public

Unsplash

Man vaping

Vaping will now be banned exactly like smoking, thanks to a new ordinance from the Dallas City Council.

At their December 11 meeting, the council passed an ordinance to ban vaping in all the same areas where smoking is not allowed. It'll go into effect on December 11, 2025 — giving everyone a year to get into compliance.

Proposed by City of Dallas Environmental Commission (EVC) and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS), the ordinance amends the definition of “smoking” in the Dallas City Code to include the use of vaping devices.

The ordinance does not ban vaping — it only bans where you can vape: no vaping in all indoor and enclosed spaces; within 15 feet of building entrances; and on park property. The ordinance also bans marijuana smoking in those same places.

In addition, the amendment requires restaurants, hotels, fitness centers and other businesses to update their signage to clearly state that both smoking and electronic smoking devices are prohibited.

The ordinance already earned widespread support from health organizations such as the Dallas County Health and Human Services, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association. These organizations, along with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Surgeon General, have all raised concerns about the health risks of direct and second-hand exposure to vaping aerosols, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.

Dallas is not the first city to impose such a ban: San Antonio enacted a similar ban in October. Theirs goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

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