D-Link Renewal and Reroute Gives Dallas Council Members Another Excuse to Complain About DART

A free downtown Dallas circulator bus will soon take a shorter, simpler route. That decision came only after a long, tortuous Dallas City Council discussion Wednesday.Council members approved another year of the D-Link, which is meant to connect convention center visitors and downtown to central Dallas hotspots such as the Farmers Market, Deep Ellum and the Historic West End. But they took time first to vent about what they believe to be Dallas Area Rapid Transit's shortcomings.North Oak Cliff council member Scott Griggs said DART "is failing this city." His western Dallas colleague Omar Narvaez said DART "has failed us." Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Adam Medrano implored his colleagues to hold DART accountable, but still approve D-Link for another year.City taxpayers, DART and Downtown Dallas, Inc., share the cost of operating the $1.6 million D-Link bus route. DART pays more than $1 million of the cost. For now, D-Link serves as a precursor to a new downtown streetcar that will connect existing streetcar lines in North Oak Cliff and Uptown.Ridership on D-Link, which operates seven buses, has been meager. DART says about 300 people ride the bus on an average weekday and more than 400 ride on the weekends. But the pink-and-yellow buses, which pass by stops every 15 minutes on weekdays, can often be seen empty or near empty as they run through downtown streets.  Continue reading...