TX: DART will spend nearly $17 million to improve security and safety. Here’s what will change
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors cleared $25 million in key contracts that will “improve security and cleanliness across the system,” offering riders better experiences, officials announced Wednesday.
One of the contracts, costing about $16.8 million, will be used to upgrade DART’s surveillance camera system, according to a news release. Upgrades include the replacement of thousands of cameras and the unification of the transit system’s hardware and software, which officials say will increase efficiency and collaboration between DART police and operations.
DART officials said the upgraded cameras and systems will include advanced analytics capabilities, improving response times. The public transit system’s trains, buses, platforms, bus stops and facilities will all be covered by the new upgrades.
“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,” DART Board of Directors Chair Randall Bryant said. “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.”
According to the news release, these improvements are considered the first major revamp of DART’s camera system since 2010.
Since late September, there have been at least three DART shootings, two of which were fatal. Officials have not yet publicly addressed the apparent uptick in violent interactions at or near DART facilities or announced any direct plans to tackle the issue.
DART officials are working to identify priority locations for the new system upgrades. The news release said fieldwork is set to begin in early 2026.
The other contract DART board of directors approved, worth $7.8 million, is for bus stop and shelter cleaning services with Texas Elite Facility Services. Officials said the contract extension “doubles the cleaning frequency for bus shelters” — a priority for DART as it prepares to install 1,200 new next-generation shelters, 60 of which are currently in service.
This contract will also regulate inspections from the vendor and DART, making more frequent bus stop and bus shelter inspections possible.
“These two contracts deliver on our $2 billion DART Transform promise to modernize our vehicles, stations, and facilities, and future-proof our system,” DART President and CEO Nadine Lee said. “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.”
©2025 The Dallas Morning News.
Visit dallasnews.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.