{"id":168132,"date":"2026-02-17T13:33:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T13:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/168132\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T13:33:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T13:33:18","slug":"what-do-dart-riders-think-about-exit-elections-heres-what-north-texans-have-to-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/168132\/","title":{"rendered":"What do DART riders think about exit elections? Here\u2019s what North Texans have to say"},"content":{"rendered":"

The bustle on a Monday morning at a downtown Dallas Area Rapid Transit<\/a> station is full of screeching trains, long stares from windows and corporate suits in headphones, scrolling their phones as they wait for their line. <\/p>\n

The train seats both young and old, retired and working, students and homeless. The Red Line roars as it zips from Dallas to Plano<\/a>, deafening above quiet commuters that sway with the train car. <\/p>\n

The dynamic flow, to and from, boarding and disembarking, waiting and moving, is full of energy, but reveals little of the turmoil that\u2019s threatened to derail the public transportation system. <\/p>\n

Nearly half of the cities belonging to DART, the transit system serving North Texas for more than four decades, have threatened to leave<\/a> the agency. <\/p>\n

Breaking News<\/p>\n

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Related<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Progress in negotiations<\/a> has signaled some suburbs could cancel May elections to cut ties with DART, but there\u2019s still a way to go to change the agency\u2019s funding, governance structure and service, believed by some cities to be too expensive for its quality. <\/p>\n

In cities that do put membership in DART to a vote, service will end immediately in broad and sweeping cuts to the system. Exiting cities would continue to pay the one-cent sales tax they contribute to DART to pay off debt, and some cities are considering on-demand microtransit services similar to Uber or Lyft in lieu of mass transit, as Arlington has done for years. <\/p>\n

Some DART riders have never heard of the threat to the system they use weekly, but many have thoughts on the bus and train<\/a> services that help them get around. Here\u2019s what some North Texans have to say about DART and threats to shrink it. <\/p>\n

Patricia Wedemeier \u2014 \u2018amazingly wonderful\u2019<\/p>\n

Wedemeier, 77, moved to Denver from North Texas over a decade ago but still takes public transportation around the region when visiting her adult sons, who live in Fort Worth. She has vision problems and can\u2019t drive, but the train gives her the ability to visit friends and family across several cities. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic to be able to just take the train and go see them,\u201d she said on DART\u2019s Red Line on a Monday morning. \u201cIt makes travel amazingly wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n

She lands at DFW International Airport and takes the Trinity Railway Express to and from Fort Worth or DART to Plano and Richardson, where she has friends from her time as a teacher in the suburbs. She appreciates that unlike on-demand services, which often have wait times, she can plan around a predictable train schedule<\/a> to get where she needs to go in D-FW. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think leaving this wonderful train system would be a huge mistake,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need to expand it, not abandon it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Colorado<\/p>\n

Colorado resident Patricia Wedemeier rides the DART in Dallas, Texas on Feb. 9, 2026. She frequently uses the DART to get to and from the airport when visiting her sons. <\/p>\n

Azul Sordo<\/p>\n

Precious Love Johnson \u2014 \u2018It should expand\u2019<\/p>\n

Johnson, 24, lives in the Oak Cliff area and takes DART almost every day to get to work at NorthPark Center. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was in a crash two years ago, and I\u2019ve been having scary thoughts about driving again,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI just can\u2019t afford a vehicle right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson uses GoLink, DART\u2019s on-demand service, now and then. <\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes the drivers are not able to pick up their riders in time,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cWhereas with trains and buses, they have a more reliable schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson hopes to see train lines expand. <\/p>\n

\u201cBus routes have been getting erased in my area<\/a>, so I had to also plan around different routes just to get to work,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cIt should expand and it should be more rider-friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n

LaCora Clayton-Allen \u2014 en route to day care <\/p>\n

Clayton-Allen, 25, settled into a seat on the Red Line with 2-year-old daughter Lahna, both dressed in pink and toting a colorful suitcase. The young mother was on the way to day care, dropping Lahna off in Garland after working a night shift. DART is their main form of transportation. <\/p>\n

She can\u2019t afford a car<\/a> and hopes cities who choose to leave will keep commuters without cars in mind. <\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially in places like Addison and Plano, they\u2019re already hard to get around in, even with DART,\u201d Clayton-Allen said. \u201cIf you just take away DART, and then it takes forever for there to be any alternatives, or they don\u2019t come up with any good alternatives, then that would really be a step backward.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dallas resident<\/a> also sees why some cities are reconsidering membership in the system. <\/p>\n

\u201cI also understand why they may not want to be a part of DART anymore,\u201d she said. \u201cI know there\u2019s budgeting stuff, maybe they think that it\u2019s run inefficiently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vignesh Ramesh \u2014 student commuter <\/p>\n

Ramesh, 19, lives in Forney and takes DART five days a week to get to the University of Texas at Dallas. He catches a ride with his dad, who commutes to work in downtown Dallas by car. Then he takes the train to Plano and the bus to get to campus. <\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Courtney<\/p>\n

Trains avoid traffic and are faster, he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of students do take the train, most of them are international students, because they don\u2019t have a car,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t have a car either. That\u2019s why I\u2019m taking the train.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said if the agency can enforce bans on smoking at DART stations, it would improve the system. <\/p>\n

Steve Murphy \u2014 Plano resident concerned <\/p>\n

Murphy is an engineer who has lived in Plano<\/a> for about 15 years. At a coffee shop in downtown Plano, he said he\u2019s \u201cmiddle of the road\u201d when it comes to DART. As a homeowner, he pays a lot in property taxes and understands residents have high expectations on how their taxes are used. <\/p>\n

\u201cI see benefits, but then I also know that there\u2019s issues of homelessness and things like that that need to be addressed,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cI have daughters, and I\u2019d like them to be safe when they go from point A to B.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Plano<\/p>\n

He hopes the microtransit alternative Plano<\/a> is considering is safer than DART. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to figure out how to pay for things,\u201d he said. \u201cI guess maybe Plano feels like they need to cut back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael Holmes \u2014 \u2018This is affordable\u2019<\/p>\n

Holmes, 52, lives in Garland and takes the bus to work at Goodwill. He uses the bus system four times a week to save gas and because he prefers it to driving. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think they should leave it like it is, if not make it bigger, because people don\u2019t have money,\u201d Holmes said. \u201cThis is affordable and it helps. You can go further and throughout the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Plano<\/p>\n

On-demand services cost more if you need to make multiple stops, he said, since riders pay by trip. He thinks DART should offer some rides for free for those who can\u2019t afford a fare. <\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people depend on this DART bus system<\/a>,\u201d he said. \u201c[I\u2019m] happy for reliable transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dave Brady \u2014 \u2018vitality of the region\u2019<\/p>\n

Brady, 84, lives in Garland and has used DART for its entire history<\/a>. He remembers the bus system that existed before DART was established in 1983. <\/p>\n

Brady uses a motorized wheelchair and relies on DART for almost all his transportation needs<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cSome of these cities simply are not able to balance their own budgets,\u201d he said at a train station in Garland. \u201cThey\u2019re trying to get into DART\u2019s pocketbook, and that\u2019s not good for the region. \u2026 It\u2019s very important that we keep the regional concept for the economic vitality of the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sees some benefits to microtransit alternatives but said it\u2019s a more expensive model than other modes. <\/p>\n

\"Garland<\/p>\n

Garland resident Shontia Brown rides the DART Feb. 9, 2026 in Dallas. She just moved back from Louisiana, where public transportation was free for her. <\/p>\n

Azul Sordo \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Shontia Brown \u2014 \u2018That\u2019s really gonna hurt\u2019<\/p>\n

Brown, 49, lives in Garland and takes DART to work. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m in the process of getting a car now,\u201d she said. \u201cIf DART leaves, man, that\u2019s really gonna hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also wants to see the DART system expand<\/a> and wishes it was more affordable. <\/p>\n

\u201cMesquite \u2014 they really need it, because there\u2019s a lot of jobs that are out there that people can\u2019t get to because there\u2019s no DART,\u201d she said. \u201cOr they\u2019ll have to get to the closest city and then walk, and that\u2019s hard on a lot of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"DuringDr. Micah Nishigaki \u2014 \u2018a lifeline\u2019<\/p>\n

Nishigaki is a family medicine doctor in Dallas<\/a> and worries what a shrunken DART system could do for patients. Not only do North Texans rely on the system to get to medical appointments, she said, more difficult transportation hurdles could hurt access to healthy groceries, lifestyles and preventative care. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a lifeline,\u201d Nishigaki said. \u201cIt is part of preventative health.\u201d<\/p>\n

She worries that microtransit could make it harder to get from city to city if suburbs pick different vendors and the system is no longer seamless \u2014 especially for patients who don\u2019t have access to phones or who are not technically savvy enough to switch between multiple apps. <\/p>\n

\u201cI still do worry that with this lack of mobility \u2026 from suburb to suburb,” she said. \u201cThis will still interrupt their lives, especially if they\u2019re heavily public transit-dependent.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The bustle on a Monday morning at a downtown Dallas Area Rapid Transit station is full of screeching…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":168133,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[8872,102,104,103,2261,288,5471,1266,160,840],"class_list":["post-168132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-addison","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-dart","tag-elections","tag-farmers-branch","tag-irving","tag-plano","tag-transportation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168132\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}