{"id":30220,"date":"2025-11-01T00:24:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T00:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/30220\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T00:24:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T00:24:13","slug":"irving-becomes-latest-city-to-call-dart-membership-into-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/30220\/","title":{"rendered":"Irving becomes latest city to call DART membership into question"},"content":{"rendered":"

Irving is the latest city to throw its future with Dallas Area Rapid Transit<\/a> into question. <\/p>\n

Joining Plano<\/a>, Farmers Branch and Highland Park, Irving\u2019s City Council<\/a> will consider next week whether or not it will ask voters if the city should withdraw from the transit agency. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe services provided by DART<\/a> do not adequately meet the needs, demands, and expectations of the residents and businesses of the City of Irving,\u201d the city\u2019s council agenda states. <\/p>\n

The Irving City Council could decide next Thursday to hold a special election in May on its withdrawal from DART. The city has a population of about 258,000 and is one of DART\u2019s 13 member cities that contributes sales tax to the agency.<\/p>\n

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\"Nadine<\/p>\n

Irving is the third largest contributor to DART after Dallas and Plano, contributing more than $100 million in sales tax a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel the city has other mobility options that will satisfy the community\u2019s needs and ensure continued support for those who rely on public transportation,\u201d said Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer in a statement. \u201cWe need to know from Irving voters whether the city should continue using DART or if they support the city exploring alternative public transportation<\/a> options.\u201d<\/p>\n

Irving officials cited declining ridership, reduced bus service and cost in a statement explaining its call for a withdrawal election. City leaders committed to funding a smaller transit system should an election result in a withdrawal from DART.<\/p>\n

Irving\u2019s possible pullout adds to challenges faciong the transit system.<\/p>\n

\u201cDART has taken a regional approach since it was created by North Texas voters in 1984,\u201d wrote DART Communications Chief Jeamy Molina in a statement. \u201cThe region grows and prospers because of that unity. … The future of North Texas mobility depends on partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year, DART leaders approved service cuts<\/a> including schedule reductions on some bus lines and dropping seven routes with low ridership. The changes go into effect next year and aim to save the agency $24 million per year, pulling back from $60 million in cuts that caused a public outcry in July.<\/p>\n

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\"People<\/p>\n

Mayors of several North Texas cities, including Stopfer, asked Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this year<\/a> to consider legislation to change DART\u2019s funding and governing structure, citing concerns over service and its value to residents. The bills failed to reach the floor for a vote.<\/p>\n

DART Board Chair Randall Bryant called the moves by member cities to seek a pullout election a \u201cdisservice to the region as a whole\u201d in a Wednesday press conference, especially as North Texas prepares to host FIFA World Cup matches next year and just days after the Silver Line<\/a>\u2019s opening.<\/p>\n

DART opened the train line last weekend, connecting DFW International Airport\u2019s Terminal B and DART\u2019s Shiloh Road Station in Plano.<\/p>\n

Irving\u2019s council meets at 7 p.m. Thursday at city hall and will consider an ordinance to hold the special election on May 2, 2026. Plano City Council will hold a special session at 5 p.m. on Wednesday and leaders in Highland Park and Farmers Branch meet Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Email tips on all things Collin County to lilly.kersh@dallasnews.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Irving is the latest city to throw its future with Dallas Area Rapid Transit into question. Joining Plano,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30221,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[2261,409,1266,160,162,161,840],"class_list":{"0":"post-30220","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-plano","8":"tag-dart","9":"tag-election","10":"tag-irving","11":"tag-plano","12":"tag-plano-headlines","13":"tag-plano-news","14":"tag-transportation"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30220","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=30220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30220\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}