City News Roundup

Free DART rides and drones give this Dallas news roundup some zip

Here's looking at you.

Courtesy photo

This roundup of Dallas news includes free rides on DART, COVID-19 school closures, Deep Ellum safety, and drones. Drones are the best.

Here's what happened around Dallas this week:

COVID closures
A number of school districts across Dallas-Fort Worth have temporarily closed due to a rise in COVID-19 cases and shortages of teachers and staff, including Garland, Grapevine, and Mesquite. The largest districts — Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, and Plano — are having classes as usual. Newsbreak has a list of the districts that have closed.

Police drones
The Dallas Police Department is now using drones as part of its new Unmanned Aircraft Systems Unit to help fight crime.

Specially trained officers will operate the drones to be used in cases such as disaster response, missing persons, fugitive searches, and crime scene photography. Some of their larger drones have thermal lenses, which can help in search and rescue cases.

The usage of the drones will follow FAA guidelines, and will not be used for random mass surveillance.

"We don't do anything anticipatory or proactive," DPD Sergeant Ross Stinson tells Fox 4. "So everything we do is from either 911 calls or from officers on the ground who are seeing things and we respond looking at exactly what is requested and that information is limited to what that critical incident will be, not the general sense."

Here's an idea: How about using the drones to help animals? Like this story about a runaway dog named Millie who was rescued after they tied sausages to a drone to lure her in. Texas has a new law banning the use of chains to tie up dogs; maybe drones could be used for enforcement? I mean, if they're just sitting there waiting for a disaster to happen, why not make use of them.

Free rides
On January 24, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) launches its New Bus Network, with the goal of providing greater frequency, longer service hours, and improved access to employment, education, and entertainment destinations across North Texas.

To celebrate its launch, DART is making all rides free the week of January 24-30. Through February 14, DART will offer 50 percent off all rides purchased with any DART contactless payment option from January 31 through February 14. (Contactless payment options include GoPass® app, GoPass® Tap card, Contactless Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover cards with contactless payment at the validators, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and Fitbit Pay.)

The promotion is valid on all DART transit services including buses, light rail, TRE (between EBJ Union Station and CentrePort/DFW Airport Station), GoLink, Dallas Streetcar, and Paratransit Services.

Bus frequency will now match or surpass light rail service, with 15-minute peak and 20-minute midday. Light rail service will also return to pre-pandemic levels, providing 15-minute peak service and more frequent evening service.

The new bus routes are more direct, focusing on major transit corridors and reducing the number of bus stops. They're also refocusing on transit riders who work non-traditional hours, with bus service every day from 5 am-midnight at a minimum. There are 22 core frequent bus routes that will operate between 4 am to 1 am.

They're increasing their GoLink program to replace traditional fixed-route service, with 13 new zones; and adding weekend hours. GoLink is available at no additional cost with a valid DART fare. The GoLink program also includes the UberPool shared ride program, with travel to or from any DART station or transit center within a zone for $1, and travel to or from any destination within a zone is $3. The $1 fee has been waived during the introductory period.

Don't drive to Irving next week
There'll be road closures January 24-25 at the Diamond Interchange in Irving. Monday overnight, they're closing: the westbound frontage road of State Highway 114 (SH 114), from Century Center Boulevard to Spur 482; eastbound turnaround of SH 114 to northbound Spur 482; and northbound mainlanes of Spur 482 from Maryland Drive to Century Center Blvd. It's part of a $301 million Irving Interchange project that will re-do the interchanges at SH 183, SH 114, Loop 12 and Spur 482. The project is anticipated to be completed in mid-2023.

Deep Ellum safety
Council Member Jesse Moreno is partnering with Deep Ellum residents, business owners, and the Dallas Police Department to launch a new Deep Ellum Community Safety Plan. They're also engaging Code Compliance, Dallas Fire & Rescue, the Department of Transportation, and members of the City Attorney's Office. All they need now are the Dallas Cowboys. The process will include community meetings, workshops, an online survey, and a community safety fair. The DPD will do an analysis and create a plan to be published by summer 2022.

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License Plate News

Dallas car buyers get metal license plates stat under new Texas law

DMV

Texas license plate

A new state law will go into effect in Texas that makes it easier for car owners to get permanent metal license plates: The new law, House Bill 718, was actually passed by the 88th Legislature in 2023, but it goes into effect on July 1, 2025. It will allow car dealers to begin issuing metal license plates directly when they sell a car, whether it's new or used.

In the previous needlessly elaborate process, new car owners would receive a temporary paper license, and then apply for metal license plates. The new law will eliminate that requirement, allowing car buyers to get metal license plates when they purchase a car from a dealer.

The new law arose out of the huge imbroglio over temporary paper tags, which were designed to be used on a temporary basis while car buyers waited to receive their permanent plates. But scammers were obtaining car dealer licenses, then printing up hundreds of thousands of temporary paper tags and selling them to people hoping to avoid paying for insurance and car registration.

The paper tags gave Texas a black eye because they became a crime problem not just in Texas but nationally, turning up on cars involved in crimes in Texas, New York, and beyond. In a 2021 investigation, the FBI found more than a half-million fraudulent paper tags, sold by just three people to buyers across the country.

Bill 718 was initially designed to go into effect in September 2023, then March 2025, but the final bill bumped the deadline back to July 1, 2025. That's thanks to The Texas Independent Automobile Dealers Association, who were "concerned" about having an adequate supply of metal plates in such a short time frame. Let's hope they got it together!

The new rules are as follows:

Buying from a Dealer: Consumers purchasing a vehicle from a Texas dealer will receive metal license plates instead of paper temporary tags, driving off the lot with their plates already in place.

Until their registration sticker arrives from their county office, customers must keep their buyer’s plate receipt in the vehicle to be able to verify the purchase and pending registration to law enforcement.

Trading In a Vehicle: When consumers sell or trade in a vehicle with general issue plates, dealers may transfer the plates to another vehicle sold within 10 days, if the plates match the appropriate vehicle type, per Senate Bill 1902, passed by the 89th Legislature this year. (Consumers with specialty license plates will keep their plates.)

Buying/Selling a Vehicle in a Private Sale: The private party sales process remains unchanged: Sellers should remove their license plates and registration sticker from the vehicle when they deliver the vehicle to the buyer. The seller can request to transfer the plates to another vehicle they own—if appropriate for the vehicle type—by visiting their county tax assessor-collector's office.

Sellers should submit a Vehicle Transfer Notification to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles within 30 days of the sale of the vehicle.

Buyers must submit a title and registration application at their county tax assessor-collector’s office and obtain new plates to register the vehicle in their name within 30 days of purchase.

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