the offical newsletter of DALLAS AREA RAPID TRANSIT - Summer 2008

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DART FY2007 Financials
(1.9MB PDF file)

A letter from the DART Chairman of the Board.

Customer-driven

DART's driving commuters to public transit by focusing on customer expectations - stepping up service quality, customer courtesy and security - and flexing with their needs and lifestyles.

Delivering a Better Ride

Clean-fuel buses, low-floor light rail vehicles, a redesigned web site and well-trained employees are keeping DART on the leading edge of providing clean, efficient, customer-friendly service.

Growing the Green Line

The 28-mile, $1.8-billion Green Line is gaining momentum daily. The initial phase - opening in 2009 - will bring the first urban rail service to the State Fair of Texas in more than 50 years.

Changing the Way We Live

DART's push to get more people onto public transit is being matched by the incredible rise of transit-oriented developments throughout the growing rail system.

Staying Ahead of the Curve

As North Texas becomes increasingly interconnected, DART is paving the way for regional thinking and cooperation with the Fort Worth T and the Denton County Transit Authority.

Empowered to Achieve

In the service industry, employees are a company’s greatest asset, and FY07 saw DART elevating its commitment to employee satisfaction and leadership development.

Short Trips

Taking a fresh look at transit in downtown Dallas; DART saves cash and gas; couple says "I Do" on the Trinity Railway Express; State Fair Shuttle is a popular ride; getting ready to bike and bus down the road; DART honored for supporting businesses.

DART Board of Directors

DART Current and Future Services Map

DART: Live, On Tape and Online

Contact Webmaster at:
eelam@DART.org

Customer-driven

Delivering service that's a cut above.

DART's affordable, dependable and flexible service is persuading more North Texans to park their cars and hop on public transit for weekday commutes and weekend outings.

In a region long known for its love affair with the automobile, DART's driving commuters to public transit by focusing on customer expectations and flexing with their needs and lifestyles.

That was especially true in FY07 when our systemwide ridership closely mirrored the national transit renaissance. As commuters began to accept higher gas prices, and near-record rainfall made the car more tempting, DART retained many of its newest converts by stepping up service quality, customer courtesy and security.

With gas rocketing past $3 a gallon during the first half of FY08, even more commuters are now opting for public transit. Systemwide ridership increased a whopping 18% in February '08 - including a 13.9% jump on DART Rail - compared to February '07.

Listening, learning and leading

DART's service quality is earning high marks from customers, the vast majority of which own cars but choose transit.

Systemwide ridership increased a whopping 18% in February '08 - including a 13.9% jump on DART Rail - compared to February '07.

A year-end survey showed more than 9 out of 10 customers are "satisfied" with their DART experience - so much so that they'd recommend us to others. That's important because word-of-mouth is still one of the best ways to convince discretionary riders to try transit.

Of course, there's always room for improvement, so we're rolling up our sleeves and finding better ways to serve today's riders, as well as commuters considering a switch to the transit lifestyle.

Bus service has been beefed up in response to population growth near the University of North Texas at Dallas campus in Oak Cliff, the Rylie-Kleberg residential community southeast of Pleasant Grove, and the booming downtown Arts District. And a new Skip Stop service is speeding up commutes to Dallas' Southwestern Medical District.

Ridership keeps rolling ahead
Mode	FY 2006	FY 2007
Bus	44,389,741	44,689,864
LRT	18,584,064	17,892,532
TRE	2,409,851	2,475,530
Paratransit	660,312	677,022
HOV	36,100,000	37,600,950
Vanpool	440,472	492,202
Total	102,584,440	103,828,100

Rail system is on the grow
DART's popular Blue and Red rail lines and the Trinity Railway Express will soon be joined by the Green and Orange lines - doubling connectivity and easing congestion and pollution throughout the region.
View a printer-friendly PDF version of this map in a new window

Focusing on the customer
A customer satisfaction survey gives DART high marks in key areas:
91% - general satisfaction
93% - recommend DART to others
94% - trains on time
90% - operator courtesy
90% - safe driving
88-89% - security on trains & buses

Keeping commuters moving
Top 5 Vanpoolers
DART's Vanpool Program has more than 1,550 employees from 37 companies, agencies and organizations.
*Organization*	*Vans*	*Riders*
Texas Instruments	23	336
L-3 Communications	12	169
Raytheon	11	140
State Farm	9	108
CSC	8	107

"It takes every one of us working together to make it happen - to succeed at the end of each day in helping nearly 350,000 passengers get to their destinations."

DART President/Executive Director Gary Thomas

We've also extended hours and added destinations to our increasingly popular DART On-Call neighborhood shuttle services. And recently, we launched a pilot Flex Service that allows operators on selected routes to pick up and drop off passengers at their front doors when schedules permit.

In October, we adjusted fares for the first time since 2003, and introduced a money-saving 7-Day Pass targeted to customers on a budget, temporary riders and visitors.

With DART Rail growing rapidly, a new Customer Response Team (CRT) composed of agency employees is now being dispatched to key transit facilities to assist riders during any prolonged service interruptions. With 400 employees involved, the CRT represents an unprecedented agencywide effort to keep customers informed and moving on their way.

"It takes every one of us working together to make it happen - to succeed at the end of each day in helping nearly 350,000 passengers get to their destinations," says DART President/Executive Director Gary Thomas.

Making transit a fringe benefit
DART Employee Passes are carried by almost 67,000 workers at 213 businesses and organizations. Employees cut commuting costs, and their employers gain valuable tax breaks.
Top 10 Employee Pass Participants
*Organization*	*Employees*
Texas Instruments	10,358
UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas	7,437
Parkland Health & Hospital System	7,294
Baylor University Medical Center	5,404
Children's Medical Center of Dallas	4,461
Bank of America	3,461
Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas	3,438
U.S. VA North Texas Health Care System	2,744
Dallas County	2,531
TXU Energy	1,406

Buses covering 122 routes (left) are the workhorses of the DART Transit System, while Paratransit service (center) ensures that all citizens can enjoy the benefits of public transit. Transit services are planned and improved by listening to customers. In FY07 we gave patrons and residents a voice through more than 70 public meetings and hearings (right).

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