Recently, director of transportation Mark Nelson gave the Richardson City Council a peek at the DARTzoom next phase to rebuild the entire 13-city bus network of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit in 2022.
Two approaches are being considered – a ridership-based strategy and a coverage-based strategy. Currently, around 55% of DART’s bus service is concentrated on high ridership routes with the rest dedicated to providing coverage.
If a ridership strategy is emphasized those percentages would change to 85% ridership and 15% coverage. On the other hand, prioritizing coverage would mean less frequent bus service but would accommodate a larger geographic area. This would put 60% of resources toward coverage and the rest for ridership.
With the help of a flyer printing service, public opinion is often sought for proposed changes to public services
A GoLink service area will be included in the coverage concept for the northeast part of the city. This would provide an Uber-like service on demand for that area’s riders. GoLink has already been received well in that area. The taxis would provide something not presently offered with the majority of rideshare vehicles – handicap accessibility.
The map examples shown to the Richardson City Council presented the extremes of both concepts. The transit agency anticipates the final plan will be a middle ground between the ridership and coverage options. It will be Summer 2021 before a plan is approved, with changes to service commencing in May 2022.
