TX: DART Marks 250,000,000 Light Rail Passenger Trips

New variable message boards are being installed at each station. These boards provide next train arrival and departure details to customers waiting on the platform. They also have a public address component, allowing DART staff stationed in the train control center to announce service information. All stations should have these signs by the end of the year.

Working to Attract Another 250,000,000 Customer Trips

DART is using the celebration to launch a joint effort with The T in Fort Worth and the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) to encourage commuters to "Dump the Pump" and try transit the week of June 18 as part of an annual APTA campaign. Now in its seventh year, Dump the Pump emphasizes the economic and environmental benefits of transit.

The three transit agencies will be contacting non-transit users at a variety of locations starting June 8. Commuters will be offered a free weekly regional transit pass in exchange for a gasoline receipt. The passes are good for any DART, T or DCTA fixed route service. The idea is not only to entice customers to try transit, but to help calculate the cost of commuting in a single-occupant vehicle.

Using data from AAA, APTA researchers determined that North Texas commuters who switch to the region’s transit network may save more than $9,000 in the annual cost of driving to work (based on data from AAA). Transit also encourages environmental sustainability. DART, T and DCTA buses run on either clean diesel or natural gas and DART's light rail fleet produces zero emissions.