To celebrate the launch, DART will make all rides free for the week of Jan. 24-30. The transit agency also plans to offer 50% off all rides purchased with any DART contactless payment option from Jan. 31 until the end of service on Feb. 14.
The bus network redesign, known as DARTzoom, was designed to improve service frequency and hours buses are available in areas with the heaviest ridership. DARTzoom is the first major bus network redesign to address the significant growth Plano and the surrounding areas have seen since the service was created in 1983. The transit agency has been working on the redesign since 2019.
A number of bus routes in Plano are being renamed and modified as part of the network redesign.
However, DART officials said the biggest change Plano residents will see is the expansion of the transit agency’s GoLink service, which went into effect Dec. 6. GoLink service offers on-demand, curb-to-curb shuttles to anywhere within each specified zone.
The agency added two GoLink zones in central Plano and east Plano to give the city a total of five.
“The GoLinks are really popular, especially on the northern side [of the city],” said Peter Braster, Plano's director of special projects.
Braster said the city’s GoLink zones are among the most ridden in the DART system.
The new central Plano GoLink zone covers portions of three current bus routes. The other new zone covers portions of two existing bus routes in the eastern portion of the city and extends into Richardson.
The city’s previous GoLink zones cover north central Plano, far north Plano and the Legacy West area.
According to an agency news release, the charge for a GoLink ride is the same as a regular DART fare. GoLink service also offers riders the opportunity to use UberPool for additional fees that range from $1-$3 per person per trip.
The redesigned network will also expand coverage and offer more direct routes throughout DART’s service area, according to the transit agency.
More information about DART's new bus network is available at www.dartzoom.org, including a DART Trip Planner tool that allows riders to compare their former routes with the new options.
