{"id":56472,"date":"2025-11-19T18:21:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T18:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/56472\/"},"modified":"2025-11-19T18:21:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T18:21:13","slug":"what-could-transit-look-like-in-north-texas-as-cities-consider-withdrawing-from-dart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/56472\/","title":{"rendered":"What could transit look like in North Texas, as cities consider withdrawing from DART?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alex Flores takes DART trains from Plano to downtown Dallas every day for work. Flores worries they\u2019d be in a bind if voters next spring decide to withdraw<\/a> from the transit system. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is our plan?\u201d Flores asked. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the whole reasons DART works the way it does is the fact that it\u2019s a multiregional transit network,\u201d Flores said, adding that cities seemingly \u201cwant to do something completely independent on their own, which would break that connectivity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Four of DART\u2019s 13 member cities \u2014 Plano, Irving, Farmers Branch and Highland Park<\/a> \u2014 have called elections on May 2 to allow their voters to decide if they want to stay or leave the transit system, citing inadequate service<\/a> for the amount of sales taxes they contribute.<\/p>\n

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If voters decide to leave DART, services would stop immediately, leaving a transit gap that has concerned residents with disabilities or without a car. As a result, leaders in the four cities are looking at alternative public transportation options to meet needs they say DART has left unfulfilled.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Plano officials<\/a> said the city would cancel its May 2 referendum if DART agreed to refund hundreds of millions of dollars in sales taxes to the city over the next six years. Under the agreement, DART would continue providing rail service and express buses but would discontinue standard bus routes, as well as other nonrail transit services by 2029.<\/p>\n

DART is evaluating the feasibility of the request, according to Chief Communications Officer Jeamy Molina. <\/p>\n

Regardless of how the May 2 elections play out \u2013 if they are held \u2013 Plano leaders say funding is already set aside to implement microtransit in the city, a technology-based form of public transportation that provides on-demand services with more dynamic routes than traditional bus and train systems. <\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Nadine<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to be able to create more connectivity with our neighbors to the north and neighbors to the east,\u201d Plano Mayor John Muns said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to, at some point, look at what\u2019s best for not just Plano, but to be able to connect our residents in a better way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plano is also forming a citizen\u2019s committee to look at the future of its regional transit. The Collin County Connects Committee<\/a> will explore alternative transit options and providers, according to Plano\u2019s transit site. Each of Plano\u2019s eight city council members will appoint one Plano resident to serve on the committee to find the \u201cbest fit\u201d for Plano\u2019s transportation options and providers. <\/p>\n

The group is intended to give residents a \u201cdirect voice\u201d in the future of local transit, including from older residents and people with disabilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Plano continues to grow, our community\u2019s needs are evolving,\u201d said City Manager Mark Israelson in a statement. \u201cWe need transit solutions that evolve with us to provide flexible and responsive options for everyone who lives and works in Plano.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Resident<\/p>\n

City leaders in Plano, the only Collin County city that contributes to DART, decried the city\u2019s lackluster return on investment in their decision to hold a withdrawal election. Although Plano is behind only Dallas in the amount it contributes to the transit agency, it gets less in service for its money. <\/p>\n

Other agencies are exploring regional transit north of Dallas. The North Central Texas Council of Governments<\/a> completed a Collin County Transit Study alongside a corridor study from Irving to Frisco in 2021. The reports recommended a more structured approach to governance and funding to improve public transportation in Collin County, including a common transit governance model and joining an existing transit authority. <\/p>\n

Muns said Plano would love to still have access to DART\u2019s rail service, but envisions a door-to-door car service for Plano\u2019s transit future. City leaders have meetings scheduled with representatives of Via, the service Arlington uses for on-demand rides.<\/p>\n

Irving\u2019s city council has also discussed alternative transportation like Via and other rideshare-style transit alternatives. If Irving residents vote to leave DART, the city will fund \u201can effective and efficient microtransit solution tailored to the community\u2019s transportation needs,\u201d according to its website. <\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Nadine<\/p>\n

Flores, the DART passenger from Plano, sees microtransit as a great option to connect between bus routes and train lines. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s definitely not something that can sustain an entire city,\u201d Flores said. \u201cEspecially not for cities that move people to the scale \u2026 that Plano and Irving do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using Via in Arlington<\/a>, Flores has found the service inadequate in rush-hour traffic. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe evening traffic hits and all of a sudden it becomes impossible,\u201d Flores said. \u201cIt\u2019s just so much demand for a small system and it becomes very apparent that it is not enough to support the amount of people that need the service.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Israelson was scheduled to attend a presentation on microtransit options including Uber and RideCo, on-demand transportation companies, city documents obtained by The Dallas Morning News show. <\/p>\n

\"DART<\/p>\n

DART already offers an on-demand option called GoLink in some areas with limited transit. Uber will boost that service and allow DART to meet its goal of picking up riders within 10 minutes.<\/p>\n

Louis DeLuca \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Former DART board chair Paul Wageman<\/a> represented Plano on the transit agency\u2019s leadership body since 2012 before resigning earlier this year. He faced criticism for pushing for more on-demand ride-share services in Plano while employed as an attorney for the national business law firm Winstead PC and listed as a lobbyist for Uber Technologies Inc. He denied wrongdoing. <\/p>\n

The mayor said Plano would work to find solutions that won\u2019t disrupt travel for the World Cup<\/a> or to health care facilities in other North Texas cities. DART does not serve Arlington, where the World Cup matches will be held.<\/p>\n

Plano leaders have been unsatisfied with DART\u2019s GoLink services in the city, the agency\u2019s on-demand transit service. DART currently contracts with companies like Uber and Lyft to provide microtransit services at a lower rate.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Byron<\/p>\n

Farmers Branch \u201cwill continue working toward mobility solutions that meet community needs and strengthen regional connectivity,\u201d according to its website. The city is conducting a community survey to guide transportation plans and shape mobility in the city. <\/p>\n

\u201cShould voters decide to withdraw from DART, the city will be prepared with mobility options for our community, informed in part by the survey\u2019s findings, to ensure that all residents, especially our most vulnerable populations, have access to the mobility resources they need,\u201d Christian Grisales, spokesperson for Farmers Branch, wrote in a statement. <\/p>\n

Plano\u2019s citizen committee<\/a> will meet five times in December to learn about available transportation options and potential vendors and evaluate factors like accessibility, safety, cost, wait times, connectivity and cleanliness. They\u2019ll share their recommendations with the city council. <\/p>\n

Residents can apply to join the committee through Plano\u2019s transit website by Nov. 20. <\/p>\n

DART and feuding member cities could still come to a compromise on sales tax and service as late as 45 days before the May 2 election, the deadline for cities to call off the election. <\/p>\n

Email tips on all things Collin County to lilly.kersh@dallasnews.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alex Flores takes DART trains from Plano to downtown Dallas every day for work. Flores worries they\u2019d be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56473,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[2261,5471,1265,1266,160,162,161,840],"class_list":{"0":"post-56472","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-plano","8":"tag-dart","9":"tag-farmers-branch","10":"tag-highland-park","11":"tag-irving","12":"tag-plano","13":"tag-plano-headlines","14":"tag-plano-news","15":"tag-transportation"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56472","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=56472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}