DART would have seen a 30% service cut, $230M annual losses had the bills survived.
Funding for Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is safe — for now. As Mike Albanese explains in the Plano Star Courier, two Texas state bills aimed at removing funding for the transit agency failed, preventing the loss of 5,800 jobs and a 30 percent reduction in service.
One proposed bill, HB 3187, would have returned 25 percent of a sales tax to area cities. That tax now funds 75 percent of DART revenue, so the loss would have been a significant blow to the agency. According to DART Director of Public Relations Jasmyn Carter, the agency is committed to addressing the concerns of member cities who say the agency does not effectively serve their needs. “Moving forward, Carter said the agency will be going through a system modernization program — DART Transform — to address its aging infrastructure, bring in new buses and light rail and many other system improvements.”
FULL STORY: Legislation aimed to defund DART fails at the state level
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