DART prepares for potential service cuts ahead of May withdrawal elections

Since Plano City Council voted to call the special election, four of DART’s 13 member cities, including Highland Park, Irving, Farmers Branch and University Park, have also scheduled withdrawal elections.

The impact

According to meeting documents, withdrawal of the five cities holding special elections would impact several bus routes, around 800 bus stops, 13 GoLink zones, two Trinity Rail Express stations, two Silver Line stations and 10 DART light rail stations.

Rob Smith, DART vice president of service planning and scheduling, said if any of the cities with special elections vote in favor of withdrawing from DART, all DART services, including paratransit, in those cities would immediately cease the day after votes are canvassed.

Meeting documents state paratransit service would be discontinued in any city that withdraws from DART, including trips entirely within the city, as well as trips to and from other withdrawn cities.

Smith said agency data shows Plano has a higher level of paratransit ridership, averaging 329 paratransit trips each weekday.

What happened

The public hearing was approved 10-3, with one member abstaining. DART board representatives Anthony Ricciardelli, Doug Hrbacek and Nathan Barbera—who represent Plano, Carrollton and Irving, and Plano and Farmers Branch, respectively—voted against calling the hearing.

Smith said the purpose of the hearing is to gather public comment on changes that could occur if any or all of the five cities vote to withdraw.

“This would require a series of almost immediate service discontinuations and modifications,” Smith said.

DART CEO Nadine Lee said holding a public hearing is required by law and agency policy whenever major service changes are being considered.

“We have a statutory requirement to inform the public of changes that could happen as a result of these withdrawal elections,” Lee said. “We do have to proceed with this.”

Ricciardelli said holding a public hearing at this time would be “premature,” citing ongoing negotiations between the agency and several member cities.

After calling the special election, Plano officials formally asked DART to consider a six-year, rail-focused transit agreement as an alternative to holding the election.

Ricciardelli made a motion to amend the public hearing notice and related materials to include information about the alternative transit services cities like Plano are pursuing, stating that excluding those details would be “misleading.”

“It’s not a foregone conclusion that there would be no [transit] service if a pullout election were to pass,” Ricciardelli said. “There hasn’t been a formal vote to approve something yet, but obviously that process is moving forward. ... There’s great seriousness about an alternative [transit option].”

DART board Chair Randall Bryant ruled the motion out of order, citing a lack of finalized information, as Plano city officials are still determining what an alternative system would look like.

What it means

If Plano residents vote in favor of withdrawing from DART, the following rail stations would be closed:

• Parker Road (Red Line, Orange Line during peak hours)
• Downtown Plano (Red Line, Orange Line during peak hours)
• 12th Street (Red Line, Orange Line during peak hours)
• 12th Street (Silver Line)
• Shiloh Road (Silver Line)

Several bus route changes would also depend on which cities withdraw, if any.

In Plano, several Plano-centric routes would be discontinued, including Route 308, which connects northwest Plano to downtown Dallas via the Dallas North Tollway. Several additional routes that have stops in Plano would also see reductions.

All Plano GoLink zones would be discontinued, according to meeting documents.

Meeting documents note that current riders traveling to or from Plano locations would need to use alternative services arranged by the city, and that additional transfers would be likely required for the majority of riders.

Since reaching a pandemic low in 2021, Smith said Plano’s ridership has grown by 98%, the second-largest increase among DART’s 13 member cities. Individual modes of transit have also seen increases in Plano ridership over the last few years, specifically bus and GoLink, Smith said.

Zooming out

While Richardson is not considering a withdrawal election, DART services in the city could still be affected, meeting documents state. In particular, Route 241 and 247 would be shortened or could see changes.

The 883 University of Texas at Dallas Comet Cruiser could also see changes because it currently has stops in Plano, Smith said.

Smith said there will be several long-term financial and service implications dependent on if any cities withdraw from the agency, which DART officials are currently working to identify and prepare for.

The full list of potential impacts on DART services is located on the agency’s website.

Looking ahead

Ahead of the March 24 public hearing, DART plans to hold 14 community meetings across its member cities in February and March.

• February-March: pre-public hearing community meetings
• March 18: deadline to recall election
• March 24: public hearing
• May 2: withdrawal elections