Dallas Area Rapid Transit staff received the go-ahead to begin drafting the agency's DARTzoom Bus Network Plan via a Nov. 10 vote.
Both the DART Committee-of-the-Whole and DART Board approved the use of a hybrid concept, which balances the need to maintain high-ridership routes with providing adequate coverage. Staff was directed to focus the design on 70% to 75% ridership and 25% to 30% coverage.
These ranges allow for built-in flexibility as DART staff, staff from DART's 13 member cities and consultants from Jarret Walker + Associates develop and share the network design with impacted parties, staff said in a presentation. Coverage in Richardson and Plano are not likely to be affected by adjustments within these ranges, staff shared at a recent meeting.
About 55% of DART’s bus service currently focuses on high-ridership routes, while the rest is used to provide coverage, as previously reported by Community Impact Newspaper. The hybrid approach would put roughly 73% of residents within a half-mile of DART transportation from their homes, and 25%-30% of routes would operate at a frequency of every 20 minutes or better—an increase from the current concept and a middle ground among the five concepts presented to the board.
