DART Advances Light Rail Safety, Public Ridership Transparency

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is launching two initiatives to strengthen safety and transparency: a major light-rail safety and fare-compliance effort, and new public ridership dashboards.

Operation Access

The safety effort, Operation Access, is a 90-day demonstration in which teams of DART officers will conduct fare inspections and enforce DART’s Rider Code of Conduct at designated control points and aboard trains. Expected to start in late fall, Operation Access will focus on five light-rail stations and is intended to simulate a fare-gated environment at locations with high rates of fare evasion while increasing a visible security presence for customers.

DART Interim President and CEO David Leininger said, “Operation Access significantly increases our visible security presence while allowing us to gather the data necessary to determine what works and where we need to invest next. Every customer should be able to ride DART safely, comfortably, and with confidence.”

DART Board Chair Randall Bryant said the agency has reduced crimes against persons this year by 21 percent, while emphasizing that “any crime on our system is unacceptable.” He noted that the DART board has approved $35 million for a camera system overhaul and improved cleaning and another $32 million for diversion programs to reduce repeat offenders on the system.

DART will use the demonstration to evaluate enforcement, staffing, passenger flow, and technology needs. A second phase will include a review of potential fare gating at rail platforms, uniformed security resources in the first car of every train, and possible modifications to fare policy, the Rider Code of Conduct, and related policies.

Public Dashboards

DART launched two public dashboards where the public and city officials can view ridership details. The data also enables real-time decisions about transit services. 

Updated monthly, one dashboard provides ridership information across bus, commuter rail, light rail, paratransit, and GoLink on-demand service, including data for individual communities throughout the agency’s service area and comparisons across service areas. Another separate dashboard provides additional light-rail ridership detail.

Leininger said the dashboards are “a testament to our collective commitment to showcasing DART as a valued partner in the economic and social landscape of North Texas.”