Today's Apps News

Dallas Area Rapid Transit adds handy features to its ticketing app

There's nothing more visually exciting than a photo of an app.

Photo courtesy of DART

Dallas Area Rapid Transit has stepped up the functionality on its popular GoPass app, adding new ways to pay for your passes and plan your DART and Trinity Railway Express (TRE) trips.

The original version was launched in 2013 and was one of the first transit payment apps that allowed customers to buy tickets on their smartphone with a credit or debit card. But technology has changed, and now so has the GoPass.

One major new feature: the ability to "load value" to the GoPass app with cash at hundreds of area retailers. You can find participating retailers in the PayNearMe network at GoPass.org.

The app also contains a GoPass Wallet that "stores value" which can be used to purchase tickets for use on DART, TRE, Trinity Metro, and the Denton County Transportation Authority.

Other new GoPass options:

allow customers to use "Touch ID" for quicker security acceptance
send receipts to an email address
view various events and offers
save their favorite stations and stops, making viewing vehicle arrivals and departures quicker
give the ability to track buses and trains in real-time.

The cost of a ticket purchased using the GoPass app is the same as tickets purchased from a ticket vending machine or bus farebox and must be activated before boarding any bus or train.

GoPass is free to download or update from the Google Play store or the Apple App Store. Search for GoPass.

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2 Dallas universities earn top spots in U.S. News' rankings for 2025

SMU Facebook

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Two prestigious Dallas universities – Southern Methodist University and The University of Texas at Dallas – have come out on top among the best universities in Texas for 2025, according to U.S. News and World Report's just-released list of the Best Colleges for 2025.

Southern Methodist University claimed No. 5 in Texas, and ranked No. 91 nationally in a two-spot slip from last year's ranking. The private institution has a 90 percent first-year retention rate, and an "actual" graduation rate of 83 percent. SMU costs $60,709 in tuition and fees for students each year, and according to the school's profile, it has an acceptance rate of 61 percent.

In April, SMU's graduate business school ranked No. 3 in U.S. News' ranking of the best graduate schools in Texas, with the graduate education school and the Dedman School of Law also earning No. 3 rankings in their respective categories.

SMU very recently topped the charts as the No. 1 Christian college in America in Niche's new rankings for 2025.

In a glowing review of the university, one former student said SMU is an "academically solid" school for eager learners.

"I had a very meaningfully academic experience," the reviewer wrote. "Yes, there is fun and games, but one obtains a very solid education and can stand shoulder to shoulder in one's field with graduates from any school."

SMU's cross-Metroplex rival, Texas Christian University, ranked No. 6 in Texas and No. 105 nationally for 2025.

University of Texas at Dallas students have new reason to be proud of their school. Facebook/UT Dallas

Just behind TCU, Richardson's University of Texas at Dallas placed No. 7 in the Texas rankings, and moved up six spots to claim No. 109 nationally. The public university costs $14,644 in tuition and fees for in-state students, and has an acceptance rate of 65 percent. UTD has a first-year retention rate of 88 percent, and a 75 percent "actual" graduation rate.

U.S. News' top 10 best colleges in Texas in 2025 are:

No. 1 – Rice University, Houston
No. 2 – University of Texas at Austin
No. 3 – Texas A&M University, College Station
No. 4 – Baylor University, Waco
No. 5 – Southern Methodist University, Dallas
No. 6 – Texas Christian University, Fort Worth
No. 7 – The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson
No. 8 – University of Houston
No. 9 – University of St. Thomas, Houston
No. 10 – Texas Tech University, Lubbock

The full rankings can be found on usnews.com.

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