A complete overhaul of DART Bus routes and schedules take effect January 24 and it has some riders worried.
Here is a link to details on all the changes.
It is the result of past complaints from riders and Dallas City Council Members who said the old hub and spoke DART rail and bus network did not provide frequent service on the busiest routes and required too many transfers for other commuters.
“One of our big concerns of course was making sure we had that right balance between frequency and coverage,” DART Spokesman Gordon Shattles said.
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Every DART Bus stop sign is now bagged with a topper advising riders of the changes.
“Across our 700 square miles, over 10,000 stop signs, bus stop signs, it’s a chance to inform and educate our riders, make sure they know that a change is coming and give them to chance to contact us directly with their concerns,” Shattles said.
On the 22 busiest routes, DART is boosting bus frequency to every 15 to 20 minutes. Crosstown routes are added to eliminate the need to make some transfers by rail downtown. And “Go Link” service is added for door to door service with new DART Vans, Taxis or even Uber.
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Some riders are worried about the changes.
“It’s going to create a lot of tension because a lot of stops are going to be different now. I’ve heard a lot of people that are very apprehensive about that change that’s going to happen,” Rider Lily Ojeda said.
Rider Daja Shepherd said she uses two buses and a train ride for her regular trip.
“How you going to know when they change it, how you going to know what bus to get on,” she said.
Dallas City Council Member Tennell Atkins was among those who pushed DART for improvement, but Thursday Atkins said riders are unclear about what is happening.
“I don’t think DART has done a great communication of marketing to the people,” Atkins said.
Shattles said riders with questions can visit DART’s website or call DART Customer Service at 214-979-1111 for help.
He said more changes could come depending on how riders react to the new service.
“We’re going to continue monitoring and examining ways to improve this system,” he said.
