Downtown News

DART considers plan to put unridden downtown Dallas bus out of its misery

D-Link is a free shuttle in downtown Dallas

Colorful bus zipping through downtown Dallas, unfettered by riders.

Photo courtesy of DART

Dallas Area Rapid Transit is working on a plan to replace a downtown Dallas bus service with something new, or maybe nothing at all.

The bus line in question is DART Bus Route 722, also known as D-Link, the brightly colorful bus that circles through downtown and gives rides for free.

"Free" is usually a sure thing and yet, despite the free part, the ridership is low. Low to none. The bus is colorful and friendly as it zips through downtown, light on its feet, thanks to being unfettered by the weighty burden of passengers.

The ridership is so low that DART is contemplating eliminating the line altogether.

Alternatives under discussion include:

Eliminating the service altogether, due to low ridership
Offering an on‐demand service
Replacing it with a Transportation Network Company (TNC) subsidy program without DART participation

The D-Link line launched in November 2013 as a free bus service, funded by the City of Dallas, Downtown Dallas Inc. (DDI), and DART, to promote convention business, new Omni Hotel, and other downtown activity.

In November 2017, the City of Dallas, DART and DDI extended the contract for one additional year with the objectives to increase ridership and reduce costs.

By August 2018, stakeholders determined that D‐Link had not met the ridership goals (283 vs 450 per weekday) to justify continued funding. At that point, they requested that DART seek public comment on replacing D‐Link with an on‐demand service that would require a $1 fare.

In November 2018, a City of Dallas committee approved a four‐month extension of the service until an on‐demand shared ride zone or new non‐DART app‐based taxi service subsidy program could be implemented.

Were they to switch to an on-demand system, it would be expected to observe the following objectives:

An average wait time of 10 minutes
An average trip duration of 6 minutes
A proposed $1 fare, which seems super-cheap

It would be a mobile-phone app-based service, and the target goal would be 450 riders a day.

It would be available from 10:30 am to 9:30 pm, seven days a week.

An alternative option would be for the City of Dallas and other partners to subsidize a hailed‐ride zone. But this would be dependent on participation of third-party support and private sector companies.

DART is hosting a community meeting on January 15 at 12 noon to gather public input, and then a public hearing on January 22 at 6:30 pm.

Both events will be held in the DART Headquarters Board Room, 1401 Pacific Ave.

Those who wish to attend or speak at the hearing should contact DART Community Engagement at 214-749-2543 to register. In addition, written comments received by noon the day of the hearing will become part of the official record. Written comments may be submitted on the date of the hearing or mailed in advance to:

DART Community Engagement
P.O. Box 660163
Dallas, TX 75266-7322

transportation traffic

Beep Beep

Texas cruises to middle of 2026 ranking of best states for drivers

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Texas lands right in the middle as the 26th best state for drivers

Texas residents love to debate which cities have the best — and worst — drivers in our own state, but which states boast the best conditions for drivers overall? As it turns out, Texas is only average.

SmartAsset's new study "Best and Worst States for Drivers" ranked states based on auto insurance premiums as a share of annual household income, the price of a 15-gallon tank of gas as a share of weekly household income, traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, and the share of interstate highway pavement rated "good."

Texas ties with Colorado as the 26th best state for drivers. Massachusetts tops the list.

According to the report's findings, 65 percent of Texas' interstate highways are in "good condition," and there are about 1.2 auto fatalities per 100 million miles traveled in the state.

Additionally, the cost of a 15-gallon tank of gas in Texas represents 3.47 percent of a resident's median weekly income, and insurance premiums eat up 2.05 percent of earnings, the study calculated.

Considering how much gas prices have soared over the last several months, commuting to work or driving around town is taking a bigger chunk out of Texas residents' wallets than it was before. At least Dallasites have DART to get around the city, and shuttle services like Shutto or Vonlane for traveling to other Texas cities.

"Between loan payments, maintenance, fuel and auto insurance, the cost of owning and operating a vehicle now averages more than $11,000 per year," the report said. "Even as U.S. cities and counties increase investment in public transportation, more than 90% of American households own or lease at least one vehicle."

For comparison, South Dakota has better quality interstate highways than the rest of the nation – at 84 percent – while only 15 percent of Hawaii's highways are in good condition. Rhode Island has the lowest auto fatality rate in the U.S. at 0.5 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, and West Virginia has the highest auto fatality rate at 1.6 deaths.

After Massachusetts, the remaining top 10 best states for drivers are Minnesota (No. 2); New Jersey and North Dakota (tied for No. 3); Utah (No. 5); Connecticut (No. 6); New Hampshire (No. 7); Wisconsin (No. 8); and Indiana and South Dakota (tied for No. 9).

You might want to pump the brakes in the 10 worst states for drivers: Louisiana (No. 50); Mississippi (No. 49); Hawaii and West Virginia (tied for No. 47); Montana (No. 46); Arizona and Oregon (tied for No. 44); Maine (No. 43); New Mexico (No. 42); and Arkansas (No. 41).

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