With the 2026 FIFA World Cup right around the corner, North Texas cities are preparing for a major, albeit brief, uptick in visitors.
But some cities are considering exiting the regional public transit system that could move a high volume of fans across the Metroplex.
Irving officials took residents’ questions at a town hall event Tuesday about what World Cup logistics might look like without DART services in the city.
City Manager Chris Hillman said the city recently received proposals following a request for information from alternative transit providers. Officials are learning about microtransit and paratransit systems that could be up and running by the time a vote to leave DART is finalized.
“Our goal would be to have that system in place and ready to be operational if that vote does move through with our residents and when the service would be discontinued by DART,” Hillman told the audience.
Microtransit systems move riders on demand in small vehicles like cars and vans, with flexible routing and scheduling. Paratransit systems generally serve disabled riders, accommodating mobility aids like wheelchairs and walkers in ways mass public transit isn’t always able to do.
Last October, Irving officials confirmed they were in talks with Via and looking into other ride-hailing app companies like Uber.
In Irving, DART provides rail and bus services in addition to its on-demand GoLink and paratransit programs. However, the agency is cutting two bus lines from Irving in February, Routes 225 and 255.
The move is part of DART’s discontinuation of several low-performing lines systemwide, in addition to other service changes like frequency reduction, schedule adjustments and the closure of Convention Center Station in Dallas.
Barring major changes, like the Irving City Council choosing to cancel the referendum before ballots are printed, Irving voters will decide May 2 if the city remains in DART. If the city withdraws from the transit system, DART services would end the day after the vote is canvassed.
North Texas will host nine World Cup matches, with the first on June 14 and the last a month later, on July 14. Nearly four million people are expected to visit the area.
During the town hall event, Irving Police Deputy Chief of Special Operations John Mitchell said his team is being told to “expect every match to be the equivalent of a Super Bowl.”
“For those of you that were here in Irving when we hosted the Super Bowl at Arlington several years back, you understand the kind of impact on the infrastructure,” Mitchell said. “Certainly, there's an expectation of visitors filling up our hotels, and then you are going to see the impact on the highways with the number of cars and buses.”
Mitchell noted that reliance on public transit is expected to be heavy but mostly centered in Dallas.
“The heavy reliance on public transport is going to be more moving from the FanFest in downtown Dallas and the International Broadcast Center,” Mitchell said. “Those areas are going to see a higher ridership, I would expect, than Irving would.”
Irving City Council members Mark Cronenwett and David Pfaff said that if Irving leaves DART, trains and buses transporting World Cup fans would continue to move through the city but wouldn’t stop there.
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