Dallas Area Rapid Transit may have a new fare system as soon as next year, but some riders are not in favor of the new changes.
During a virtual community meeting Tuesday — the first of a series scheduled for around DART’s service area in the coming weeks — people expressed their disagreements with increased fare prices and the types of passes that will be offered.
Proposed changes include replacing the single ride bus and GoLink, AM/PM and midday passes with a standard three-hour pass that would cost $3. Annual passes would no longer be available, and the monthly pass would increase by $30, from $96 to $126. Local reduced passes for eligible riders would increase by $15, from $48 to $63.
DART’s service planning staff member Jing Xu said simplifying fare types is partially due to customers in the past saying there are too many base fares depending on time of day, which can be seen as “confusing.”
Additionally, community engagement staff member Dawn Dorman said reducing daily pass types and discontinuing annual passes will help with fare revenue, which is still recovering from the pandemic.
“The sales that we are not seeing used a lot is an indication that customers aren't interested in those fare types,” Dorman said.
Some participants in Tuesday’s meeting shared their concern over the increased price for monthly passes. A person would have to ride at least 21 days during the month to see fare benefits in comparison to purchasing a daily pass, which costs $6.
Xu said a monthly pass costing the same as three weeks' worth of daily passes is standard pricing in the transit industry nationally.
“This increase on a monthly pass price won't impact a majority of the people who are using, the monthly passes,” she said.
In a survey conducted by DART last year, 80% of riders were already riding all five weekdays, according to Xu.
Other changes under consideration include implementing a new discount program for veterans, making the discount GoPass tap card program for qualified low-income customers permanent and expanding the transit’s program teaching riders how to use DART to include elementary schools.
The next community meeting is on Wednesday, July 10 at the Cosby Recreation Center in Carrollton. There will be a formal public hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 27, before the DART board votes on the new fare structure.
If these changes are approved, they will go into effect next March.
Penelope Rivera is KERA’s news intern. Got a tip? Email Penelope at privera@kera.org.
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