Media Contact:
Morgan Lyons

May 10, 1999

Service improvements start June 7

New transit center, new bus routes on the way

It's all part of a service improvement program that will make it easier than ever to get around on DART.

New transit center, trolley-bus service for Addison

The new Addison Transit Center is located between Quorum Drive and Addison Road, just off Addison Circle. It's one of the first major projects to open during DART's five-year expansion program and it replaces the Prestonwood Transfer Point and the Loos Stadium Park and Ride. The transit center, with parking for 205 cars, features a climate-controlled waiting area with seating, restrooms, telephones, vending machines, drinking fountains and news racks.

Bus routes serving the center will include those currently serving Prestonwood -- 36, 183, 321, 322, 333, 341, 350, 361, 362, 363 and 400. In addition, Express Route 205, currently serving Loos Stadium, will be re-routed to the new transit center, and Routes 31 and 488 will be extended there.

The Addison Transit Center also will be served by new Trolley-Bus Routes 707 and 708. Route 707 will operate weekdays on clockwise and counterclockwise loops between the Addison Transit Center and Westgrove, over Quorum Drive and Addison Road. Popular destinations along the route include the Addison Conference and Theatre Centre, Addison Airport, and the new Addison Circle.

Route 708 will operate during the midday on weekdays between the Addison Transit Center and the Galleria. It's also a great way to get to hotels in the area.

(see also: Addison Transit Center Murals Reflect Historic and Modern Aspects of Township)

DART On-Call at your service in Plano

A seven-square mile area of Plano will be the site of a new, experimental service dubbed DART On-Call. Customers in the area will be able to arrange trips between their homes and the East Plano Transit Center by calling a special number (972-658-2190). This experimental service is geared especially for customers in neighborhoods where customer demand is too low for regular bus service.

DART On-Call vans will operate Monday through Friday, from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., within an area bounded by Legacy Drive, Custer Road, Parker Road and Avenue K. One-way fare will be $2; premium passes and transfers from express routes will also be valid payment.

During peak hours, from 5:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., the service will take customers to the East Plano Transit Center at 25 and 55 minutes past the hour. Once they reach the East Plano Transit Center, customers can make bus connections to downtown Dallas, Irving/Las Colinas, Richardson, Garland, and the Park Lane Rail Station in Dallas. Connecting bus routes serving the East Plano Transit Center include: 350, 351, 356, 360, 234, 200, 375, and 511. During off-peak hours, from 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., DART On-Call will also serve the following locations:

Crosstown Service for East Dallas, Pleasant Grove

The new Route 475 will operate Monday through Saturday between Interstate 30 and a previously unserved portion of State Highway 175 (C.F. Hawn Freeway) between Buckner and St. Augustine, with service primarily over Jim Miller Road. Transfer connections will be available to and from routes 11, 29, 42, 50, 161 and 466. Points of interest along the route include Kmart, Wal-Mart and Sam's in the I-30 area, along with John Ireland, Frederick Douglass and W. A. Blair elementary schools, E. B. Comstock and John B. Hood middle schools and H. Grady Spruce High School.

Bus Service Improvements coming to Carrollton

In response to a recent Carrollton Customer Service Review, DART is restructuring Route 333 to operate between North Carrollton Transit Center and the new Addison Transit Center. Service will be provided weekdays from 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.

DART also is establishing a new route, 344, to provide more east-west service along Frankford and Trinity Mills roads. Service will operate weekdays from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m. and on Saturdays from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Changes to Route 341 will make it easy for many Carrollton residents to use the new Addison Transit Center for connections to downtown Dallas and nearby communities. This route will operate only between Addison Transit Center and Lina Street & Rosemeade Parkway; current service along Rosemeade to and from North Carrollton Transit Center will be discontinued. Later evening trips will serve downtown Carrollton along Belt Line Road via Route 400. Later evening trips are also being added on Route 331.

Expansion Of Accessible Bus Service

With the steady arrival of new, lift-equipped buses, DART continues to expand its wheelchair-accessible bus fleet to serve a number of routes which were previously non-accessible. Lift-equipped buses will now be available on weekdays at a minimum of 60-minute intervals, but in most cases more frequently, on the following routes:

11, 24, 29, 35, 39, 46, 63, 76

More accessible service will be available on weekends too, with the following routes totally accessible.

3, 11, 19, 21, 24, 26, 29, 35, 39, 44, 46, 49, 76, 161, 164, 202, 405, 409, 428, 444, 445, 453, 466, 501, 511, 554, 555, 577

Customers are encouraged to call 214/979-1111 for information on specific accessible trips.

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