DALLAS — Dallas Area Rapid Transit is launching the second phase of its vinyl seat retrofit program, piloting a light rail vehicle and a Dallas streetcar vehicle to go into regular service starting Jan. 22.
Nearly 34,000 fabric seat cushions were replaced with vinyl-covered seats on DART vehicles last year to provide a cleaner, more comfortable environment, DART says. More than 16,000 light rail vehicle seats in 163 vehicles in the DART will be replaced starting in March, officials say.
“We are very excited to begin the second phase of our vinyl seat replacement program for our light rail vehicles,” said Bernard Jackson, DART SR. EVP, and chief operations officer, in a statement. “I know from speaking with many of our bus riders that they appreciate the new seating, and we look forward to providing additional upgrades in the future that focus on rider comfort.”
This is the second phase of a project which began last year with DART replacing the fabric upholstery of most of its 570 buses with vinyl seating.
Other initiatives being undertaken by DART include the Clean Team Initiative, using on-board cleaning personnel to remove trash on light rail vehicles.
Customers may complete surveys to provide feedback on the new seating through a QR code on each pilot vehicle.