ADDISON, Texas – The city of Addison could be the fifth city to consider withdrawing from Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
The city is set to decide on Tuesday night whether to put the issue before voters in May.
Future of DART 
What we know:
DART leaders held a special joint meeting with Dallas City Council members on Tuesday afternoon where they did address the potential impact of five cities withdrawing from service.
If voters in Irving, Plano, Farmers Branch, Highland Park, and now potentially Addison vote in May to withdraw from DART, service in those cities would end immediately.
It would be right before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which has nine matches in North Texas.
But taxpayers would continue to pay a sales tax for the service until contractual obligations to DART are met.
Dig deeper:
Tuesday’s presentation by DART to the Dallas City Council showed ridership is still well below pre-pandemic levels.
The update also revealed that the vast majority of people who use DART from Dallas’s surrounding cities use the service to get to Dallas.
By contrast, both Irving and Plano are looking for micro transit options to get people around within their city limits.
What they’re saying:
Board Chair Randall Bryant said DART wants to work with cities and hopes that they will cancel the elections before the March deadline.
“I think the value of DART is in question by everyone right now. That is okay. I think it is our job to prove what the true value of our system is. We are working feverishly to do that,” he said.
Bryant also addressed crime. He said, despite recent high-profile violence, crime against both people and property are down by double digits because the transit agency is using its officers more effectively than in the past.
He also said the goal is to have a uniformed officer on every train car and every platform to help people feel safe.
What’s next:
Cities that have decided to put a DART withdrawal on the May ballot have until March 18 to cancel their elections.
Meanwhile, DART is still planning to treat the World Cup like 39 days of rush hour to keep 100,000 additional cars off North Texas roadways.