DART has been a staple of public transport to Dallas citizens. It was established Aug. 13, 1983 and began light rail service in 1996, eventually adding a commute from Plano to DFW Airport or Denton to Dallas.
Dallas College students with six or more credit hours during the spring or fall semesters are eligible for a DART Student GoPass. This pass provides a huge help that enables students to access all sorts of goods and services around Dallas. Of course, as with most forms of public services, it isn’t without its flaws. People have voiced concern around DART’s lack of cleanliness and safety between the three services provided: Bus, train and GoLink.
The bus is the next service provided by DART. While it’s convenient in its way to reach places like Legacy West to the Forest Lane station, it can also be very restrictive. It only takes passengers within a certain distance but with a good amount of variety in locations and stops. It’s also very prone to delays. Passengers have to wait an extra five to 20 minutes at times.
Next in line is the light rail train. While the bus can take you to a variety of locations, the trains don’t offer service to some important parts of Dallas. The train can take you from Plano to Dallas in one straight quick line and in addition to that all stations connect to bus routes. While you have the speed passengers lack in variety as they are only subjected to the stations given.
The price to access these services are cheap. A pass offers access to both bus and train services for only $6 a day. That low price makes it very accessible to people. However, the accessibility can cause problems with hygiene. All 220,000 passengers who take the bus and transit every day can’t be expected to pick up after themselves or keep them clean. Stations have a tendency to be covered in litter and places like the Pearl Arts District have a tendency to smell like cigarettes.
In addition to the hygienic issues, security is another issue passengers list as a concern. For the most part it’s not as bad as it used to be. DART has made it more common for security to be around train stations and has added more cameras and security precautions. Even with that increase in security, it doesn’t mean that it’s completely safe. On Oct. 3, a man was shot and killed at Bachman Station.
