The union for DART paratransit drivers voted 160-1 Monday night to authorize a strike, a move leaders say was prompted by months of being treated disrespectfully by management.
Paratransit drivers operate vans that provide door-to-door service for riders with disabilities and give older adults rides to DART bus and train stations. The service is managed by Transdev, a company that DART contracts with.
The union will not go on strike immediately. It hopes to resolve issues with Transdev during scheduled negotiations between June 11 and June 13.
“We’re going to give management an opportunity to come to the table and negotiate in good faith,” Bernard Wade, vice president of ATU Local 1338, said.
Representatives for Transdev said in a statement that the company is committed to bargaining with the union to reach a “fair and balanced” agreement.
“We recognize and value the hard work and dedication of all employees and are focused on securing a contract that reflects their contributions while also ensuring the long-term sustainability of Transdev’s operations in the Dallas community,” the statement said.
However, paratransit workers will go on strike at midnight on June 14 if the union’s concerns are not addressed, Wade said. He said the union knows how disruptive a strike could be for riders but chose to take action to show Transdev that workers’ concerns are serious. Passengers took 85,475 paratransit rides in April 2026 and more than 950,000 paratransit rides in fiscal 2025, according to numbers reported by DART.
Wade said a survey of paratransit workers conducted by the union found that drivers felt managers were talking down to them and “treating them like kids.” He said workers also took issue with managers improperly calling them on their cellphones while on the job, rather than through tablets installed in the paratransit vehicles to combat distracted driving.
Last May, paratransit workers voted to authorize a strike but did not end up walking out because Transdev agreed to negotiate. The union has been meeting with Transdev representatives twice a month since then, but Wade said the year’s worth of meetings had not moved the needle enough to address workers’ concerns.
Paratransit workers get paid about $19 an hour, according to Wade. He said many workers have been paratransit drivers for decades because they enjoy serving the disabled, even though they could make more money driving for rideshare companies like Uber. Wade said workers will be proposing a wage increase during negotiations with Transdev, but their concerns are not merely about pay.
“This issue goes beyond wages,” Wade said. “Workers want a workplace where they are valued, heard, and treated fairly.”