DART’s board of directors is expected to make a final decision on the changes in August after feedback has been gathered, according to the transit agency’s website. Proposed changes include cutting bus routes 234 and 254 in Plano and opening a GoLink zone that stretches across the city.
Officials are also proposing frequency reductions on most bus routes, light rail trains and the Trinity Railway Express.
What you need to know
Two public hearings will be hosted in Richardson and Plano during June. The hearing in Richardson is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. June 11 and will be held at 2360 Campbell Creek Blvd., ste. 525. The hearing in Plano is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. June 16 and will be held in room 155 at the Plano Municipal Center, located at 1520 K Ave.
DART is hosting 15 public hearings in total through July 1, including a telephone townhall meeting in late June and a virtual meeting in July. A complete list of hearing times and locations can be found on DART’s website.
The board of directors will host a formal public hearing during a meeting scheduled at 6 p.m. July 8. Final decisions will be made by the board in August and any changes will take effect January 2026.
The details
Officials are proposing elimination of nine bus routes across its service area. Two of those routes, 234 and 254, currently operate in Plano. A new fixed-route shuttle service is also being proposed in Plano’s Legacy district.
The service would be provided across two routes, 432 and 431, and would be implemented as a pilot program. Officials are also proposing a city-wide GoLink zone that brings on-demand service to all of Plano.
Currently, there are six GoLink zones that operate in different parts of the city.
Also of note
Most DART bus and rail services will see reductions in service frequency during specific time periods. Peak service frequencies on the Orange and Red Line would be reduced from 15 minutes to 20 minutes, if approved by the board.
Several changes to the fare system are also being proposed.
The context
The proposed changes are driven by implementation of a new general mobility program, according to a news release from the transit agency. The program, which was greenlit by the board in March, will reallocate 5% of DART’s annual sales tax collections to seven of its member cities:
- Plano
- Richardson
- Addison
- Carrollton
- Farmers Branch
- Highland Park
- University Park
In case you missed it
The cities were selected based on a report presented to the DART board in September 2024. The report, completed by Ernst and Young Infrastructure Advisors, found these seven cities contributed more in sales tax revenue in 2023 than operations, capital and interest expenses cost to maintain transit service.
The report’s allocation findings represent a “snapshot in time” and do not reflect anticipated costs associated with completing projects like DART’s Silver Line, according to the report. Capital and operational costs to member cities serviced by the Silver Line are expected to increase in FY 2024-25 and FY 2025-26.
The new general mobility program, inflationary pressures, increased city service requests and the expected launch of the Silver Line by early next year “require public transit adjustments across the entire network,” the news release states.
