Beginning next January, Dallas Area Rapid Transit customers could see significant changes in where and how often they can ride DART buses and light rail, and how much they pay for rides.
The agency is proposing a sweeping set of changes that include cutting bus routes, frequency reductions across most fixed-routes, GoLink on-demand and paratransit fee hikes and regional fare increases.
DART will hold a series of community meetings in June to discuss the proposed $60 million in service cuts and a public hearing at the DART headquarters in downtown Dallas on July 8 at 6 p.m.
The planned cuts are thanks to a general mobility program approved by the DART board in March which allocates 5% of DART’s annual sales tax revenue to funding the initiative for three years.
Under the fund, seven member cities that paid surplus tax revenue into DART in 2023 would be eligible to receive a collective $42 million back in the first year for use on non-DART transportation projects in their cities.
The program was an attempt to mollify cities that pushed for state legislation that would have resulted in a 25% loss of tax revenue to fund operations, but the legislation failed this session.
DART also heard more than$18 million in service modification requests from member cities that have yet to be funded.
engers can find a full list of all the proposed changes, and their local community meeting date and location, on DART’s website.