DART to invest $24.6 million in safety and cleanliness upgrades 

The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board of Directors approved two contracts that will invest a total of $24.6 million to improve security and cleanliness across the system. DART approved a $16.8 million contract with Preferred Technologies, LLC, to upgrade its surveillance camera system with the replacement of thousands of cameras while unifying DART’s hardware and software, increasing efficiency and collaboration between the DART Police Department (PD) and operations.  

According to DART, this is the first overhaul of its camera system since 2010. The agency says the cameras and related systems will cover trains, buses, platforms, bus stops and facilities and includes advanced analytics capabilities improving response times. DART PD, operations and technology departments are collaborating to identify priority locations. Fieldwork will begin in the first part of 2026.   

“This upgraded camera system is part of a multi-step process to ensuring our trains, buses and facilities are as secure as possible for our employees and riders,” said DART Board Chair Randall Bryant. “We have a duty to maintain a secure system for North Texas, and it’s a primary priority of my tenure as board chair. These new cameras not only provide security, but also allow us to operate more efficiently.”  

The DART Board also approved a $7.8 million contract for bus stop and shelter cleaning services with Texas Elite Facility Services. The contract extension increases quality control measures and includes integration of the vendor with DART’s internal maintenance system for faster response times. The contract increases  the cleaning frequency for bus shelters, which DART is set to install 1,200 new next-generation shelters, 60 of which are currently in service. The contract also standardizes inspections from the vendor and DART, making more bus stop and bus shelter inspections possible more often.  

“These two contracts deliver on our $2 billion DART Transform promise to modernize our vehicles, stations, and facilities and future-proof our system,” said DART President and CEO Nadine Lee. “It’s critical that we invest in infrastructure and services, like cleaning, that ensure our riders choose DART at every point in their journey across the region.”