DALLAS — Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) on Wednesday announced the approval of a "complete redesign" of its bus network that will look to provide better access to riders to keep up with North Texas' continued growth.
The DARTzoom Final Bus Network Plan was approved by a board of directors and includes goals of providing more routes and longer service hours, according to officials.
"As the North Texas region continues to experience unparalleled growth, becoming a national and international destination for both residents and corporations, DART has undertaken a complete blank-slate redesign of the existing bus system," DART officials said in a news release.
The redesign includes plans to make more direct bus routes and reduce the number of stops. DART is also looking to provide bus service to all local routes seven days a week between at least 5 a.m. and midnight.
Through the new plan, DART officials said 74% of service area residents will have access to bus services within walking distance, which is a 6% increase from the current design.
DART officials also said the redesign will have improved access to jobs. "The DARTzoom Bus Network Redesign will increase the number of jobs that an average resident of the DART service area can reach in one hour by 34% compared to the existing bus network," officials said.
The redesign is scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 24, 2022.