The discussion over funding for Dallas Area Rapid Transit isn鈥檛 over.
After a group of North Texas lawmakers tried to push legislation that would have cut funding for the agency, transit leaders and advocates are regrouping following the bitter fight.
Now, the agency is holding public hearings at cities around the region this month about potential services changes 鈥� including cuts to bus routes, on-demand GoLink zones and frequency of the Trinity Rail Express 鈥� as DART moves ahead with a self-imposed 5% funding cut. It鈥檚 part of an effort by DART to regain trust from some of the member cities who have pushed, locally and at the state level, for even greater cuts to a system they say isn鈥檛 delivering enough.
四虎影院鈥檚 growth and infrastructure reporter Pablo Arauz Pe帽a has been covering the saga over DART funding since last year. He spoke with Morning Edition鈥檚 Andrew Garcia about what could happen next.
Andrew Garcia: So, the legislative session ended without either bill to defund DART passing 鈥� though the bill in the House did make it further. What are both sides saying?
Pablo Arauz Pe帽a: It鈥檚 obviously a relief for DART, but its leaders are trying to be forward thinking. They want to work with all its member cities on a shared vision for the agency.
The city of Plano, which really led the push for that legislation, still wants to see kind of a 鈥渞ight sizing鈥� of its payment into the system. City Manager Mark Israelson told me in an email that the city is disappointed the 鈥渆fforts to address DART reform stalled鈥� in the legislature, and that the city is going to consider "all options" in the coming months. So they鈥檙e not ruling out leaving the system entirely.
Meanwhile Michael Morris, who leads the Regional Transportation Council, says regional leaders are still figuring out the next steps now that the session is over. He said it鈥檚 been tense.
鈥淥ver the last 12 months we witnessed a full blaze, horrible tone, horrible conversations especially if you look at the history of our region on transportation over the last four decades," Morris told 四虎影院. "I've never witnessed anything like this."
He wants everyone to come to a consensus on where the future of transit is going. He鈥檚 proposing a process that could eventually lead to a compromise legislation in the next session that DART, member cities and all regional entities can agree on.
Compromise legislation 鈥� so what's that gonna look like?
That鈥檚 not clear yet, but in March the DART board passed a resolution that would return 5% of its funds to what they call "donor cities" like Irving, Carrollton and of course Plano.
Not as big as 25%, but would still include cuts to services like low-performing bus routes, GoLink zones and Trinity Railway Express service.
So what are riders saying about the proposed cuts?
The riders I鈥檝e talked to are celebrating the legislation failing but aren鈥檛 too happy about these proposed service changes.
DART is holding public hearings in different member cities to discuss route cuts and services changes, but each change would also require a process of meetings for them to actually go through.
Randall Bryant, who represents Dallas on the DART board, told me he鈥檚 looking forward to bringing all member cities to the table to work on what the future of DART could look like.
鈥淲e just have to do a better job of communicating, you know, what we're doing where money is going and what's the true value of transit beyond just moving people from point A to point B,鈥� Bryant said in an interview last month.
So, it sounds like the discussion about DART鈥檚 funding isn鈥檛 over just yet.
Not at all. And state Representative Matt Shaheen, who authored HB 3187, blamed DART鈥檚 "bloated marketing department" for his bill鈥檚 failure. He says he鈥檒l file legislation again next session if DART continues to overcharge cities.
I鈥檝e also heard, I think in your previous reporting, that DART is going to play a huge role in the World Cup next year, is that still happening?
Yeah, Andrew, that鈥檚 still happening, and the region is going to need DART resources including buses and trains along the Trinity Railway Express to transport fans to and from AT&T stadium in Arlington. It鈥檚 one of the reasons why North Texas was picked as a host region for nine games, more than any other North American city. Dallas will also be hosting the International Broadcast Center downtown and Fan Fest at Fair Park.
Michael Morris at the Regional Transportation Council says if nothing at DART changes financially, then those plans should still go smoothly, but given the recent legislative battle, that could be a big if.
Pablo Arauz Pe帽a is 四虎影院鈥檚 growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org.
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