Dive Brief:
- Dallas Area Rapid Transit ceased serving Highland Park, Texas, on Thursday, after the town’s voters chose not to continue participating in the regional transit agency’s services in a May 2 special election.
- DART transit bus, paratransit and on-demand services to the town ended, but one bus route will continue running through Highland Park, skipping all stops within the city.
- Highland Park was the only one of the six municipalities considering withdrawal from DART to pull out, leaving the transit agency serving 12 North Texas cities.
Dive Insight:
In 2024, Addison, Farmers Branch, Highland Park, Irving, Plano and University Park planned to hold elections on whether to continue with DART.
Every DART member city imposes a 1% sales tax that generates revenue for the transit agency to defer the costs of providing transit service. In February, DART approved a plan to return part of its sales tax revenue to member cities.
Three of the communities canceled their elections in light of the plan, but Addison, Highland Park and University Park went through with the vote this year. Of the 1,544 ballots cast in Highland Park, 1,076 people voted against staying with DART.
Highland Park contributed $6.3 million in sales tax to DART and received $1.9 million worth of services in the 2023 fiscal year, the Texas Tribune reported. Highland Park’s exit will cause the transit agency to incur a $270 million loss over the next 20 years, according to the news outlet.
“The future of North Texas will be shaped by the cities that choose to move forward with DART,” Randall Bryant, chair of the DART board of directors, said in a statement. “At the same time, we are pushing forward to expand our system and establish a fair, modern governance and funding model that works for everyone.”
DART carried 4.5 million passengers across its system in March 2026.
The transit agency recently lost its president and CEO, Nadine Lee, who joined DART in 2021. In March, she announced her intention not to seek renewal of her contract, which would have expired on Sept. 30, but the board of directors terminated her in April. The agency’s general counsel, Gene Gamez, is serving as the agency’s acting president and CEO during a search for a new leader.
