Looking back on DART's 40-year history as North Texas cities vote to cut funding
As the transit agency continues making headlines, we look back on its ridership, city membership and financing history.
DART
Plano was the first city this year to vote on reducing the one-cent sales tax revenue allocated for Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). The city instead wants the tax to drop to three-fourths of a cent, a 25% reduction.
Then, Rowlett, Irving, Carrollton and Farmers Branch followed with votes of their own, also expressing a desire for the 25% reduction.
The cities cited low ridership levels post-pandemic, limited service and taxpayer concerns among their reasons to reevaluate their financial relationship with DART. While the votes are symbolic for now -- they would have to be approved by the DART board -- the reduction in taxes the cities are seeking would cost the transit agency $6 billion in revenue over 20 years.
Ahead of DART’s uncertain future, we decided to take a look back on its 40-year history of ridership, city membership and financing.
How DART was created
DART was created on Aug. 13, 1983, to replace the previous public transit system, Dallas Transit System, which was operated by the city of Dallas from 1964 to 1983. Roughly 58% of voters across 14 cities and Dallas County voted to create DART. The public transit began bus service in 15 cities, including Dallas and many of its adjacent suburbs.
DART formally acquired DTS and its operations from the city of Dallas in 1988.
One of DART’s biggest champions was Dallas congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson. Over her 30 years in office, Johnson helped secure about a billion in federal funding, one of which was a $700 million grant in 2006.
The DART board voted to rename Union Station in Dallas to EBJ Union Station in her honor in 2019.
Ridership history over roughly 30 years
Ridership levels are not available for all of DART's 40-year history. But some of the data provided by the agency gives a snapshot of how ridership grew over the decades, before decreasing during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 1995: 45.5 million riders
- 1996: 48.5 million riders
- 1997: 70 million riders, a 44% increase from the previous year
From 1998 through 2001, data available from DART on ridership levels systemwide is described as "passenger trips" rather than riders.
- 1998: 85 million passenger trips
- 1999: 92.6 million passenger trips
- 2000: 94.7 million passenger trips
- 2001: 95.6 million passenger trips
In 2008, DART had two of its busiest months back-to-back, with 10.28 million trips in May and 10.3 million trips in June.
Data available between 2018 and 2023 is based on the number of annual riders systemwide.
- 2018: 62.5 million riders
- 2019: 70.5 million riders
- 2020: 49.8 million riders
- 2021: 35.3 million riders
- 2022: 40.8 million riders
- 2023: 48 million riders
What cities are DART members?
- Addison: Joined in 1983
- Planned a vote to withdraw from DART but canceled the measure in January 1990
- Buckingham: Joined in 1985
- Planned a vote to withdraw from DART but canceled the measure in July 1989
- Left DART in 1996 after being annexed by Richardson
- Carrollton: Joined in 1983
- Voted three times since then to remain a DART member in January 1985, August 1989 and August 1996
- Cockrell Hill: Joined in 1983
- Coppell: Joined in 1983
- Left in 1989 after voting to withdraw
- Dallas: Joined in 1983
- Farmers Branch: Joined in 1983
- Voted two times since then to remain a DART member in January 1985 and November 1989
- Flower Mound: Joined in 1983
- Left in 1989 after voting to withdraw
- Garland: Joined in 1983
- Voted two times since then to remain a DART member in November 1989 and January 1996
- Glenn Heights: Joined in 1983
- Highland Park: Joined in 1983
- Irving: Joined in 1983
- Voted two times since then to remain a DART member in August 1989 and August 1996
- Plano: Joined in 1983
- Voted two times since then to remain a DART member in August 1989 and August 1996
- Richardson: Joined in 1983
- Rowlett: Joined in 1983
- Voted two times since then to remain a DART member in August 1989 and August 1996
- University Park: Joined in 1983
How DART is funded
The voter-approved one-cent sales tax currently being voted against took effect in January 1984 when DART officially began operations.
Then in 1987, the drop in gasoline prices, rise in unemployment and resulting ridership patterns encouraged DART to redesign its service plan. This included a new fare policy to lessen DART’s reliance on sales tax revenue to cover operating costs.
The transit agency experienced various cost-saving efforts by cutting operating and administrative costs to help its five-year budget between 1991 and 1993. In December 1992 alone, a series of community meetings lead to 38 bus service changes, eliminating $2 million in unproductive bus service miles.
It wasn't until September 1993 that DART received some of its first federal funding, with $82.6 million for the South Oak Cliff light rail project.
The next few years marked DART’s attempts to increase its revenue through alternative methods.
The transit system began looking into outside funding in April 1994 with the introduction of “wrapped buses,” where the entire exterior of a bus became a rolling billboard. The plan was estimated to increase advertising revenues by $1 million.
Flash forward to 2024 and DART is still using its "wrapped bus" method to generate revenue and buzz. A collaboration between DART and Dallas-based neo-soul musician Erykah Badu dedicated three buses and two light rails to the Grammy-award winning artist. The collab reveal came before her annual birthday bash at The Factory in Deep Ellum.
Also in 2024, DART is considering implementing its first fare increase since 2018. The fare increase will be voted on later this year after a series of public meetings to gain feedback from community members.
Back in January 1995, DART implemented its first fare increase in more than a decade. Passenger revenue increased by 9% to $25.9 million.
The turn of the century saw voters in DART's 13 member cities approve $2.9 billion in long-term financing to upgrade and accelerate future light rail lines to areas like Carrollton, Farmers Branch and Rowlett. More than 77% of the 33,603 voters who cast ballots on August 12, 2000, supported the proposition.
In July 2006, DART received its largest grant award of $700 million from the Federal Transit Administration. It was approved to kick-start a $2.5-billion expansion that led to the doubling of the rail system to 90 miles by 2013.
After the pandemic began, DART received $229 million allocated from The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in May.
Now, cities are voting to cut the one-cent sales tax revenue they send to DART 40 years after it took effect. The propositions to cut funding come from cities’ dissatisfaction with ridership and service levels after the pandemic.
More coverage about recent DART funding concerns: