DART Leaders Vote on Proposed Public Transit Cuts and Fare Changes

DART's Proposed Service and Fare Adjustments

• 🎯 DART leaders are set to vote on proposed cuts to public transit services and fare changes, impacting thousands of North Texans.
• ⚠️ While some controversial cuts, like those to paratransit, Golink in South Dallas, and the Trinity Railway Express schedule, have been backed away from, riders will still see changes.
• 🚌 Specific changes include the discontinuation of a few bus routes and a reduction in train and express bus frequency from every 15 minutes to every 20 minutes during peak hours.

Financial Motivations for the Cuts

• 💰 The primary driver for these proposed changes is financial, stemming from tense negotiations with funding cities like Plano, Carolton, and Richardson.
• 🤝 DART agreed to allocate 5% of its annual sales tax revenue to a general mobility program for these cities as a compromise to avoid potential legislation that could have cut its budget by a quarter.

Proposed Fare Changes

• 🎟️ The proposed fare adjustments include a reduction in the all-day regional day pass from $12 to $9.
• 💳 A new reduced regional monthly pass is proposed at $96, and the regional annual pass would be eliminated entirely.
• 💵 The three-hour pass will remain at $3, the TR one-way fare at $6, and a single bus ride at $4.
• 🗓️ If approved, these changes are expected to go into effect early next year, coinciding with DART's role in the World Cup.

Convention Center Station Closure

• 🚧 In addition to service and fare changes, the Convention Center Station in downtown Dallas will be closed for approximately three and a half years as part of renovations to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
• 🚆 Trains will pass through the station, but passengers will not be able to board or alight, and the associated bus bays will also be closed.