Students DART through Dallas
Students will need more than their IDs for free admittance onto Dallas Area Rapid Transit buses, trains and rail cars starting Oct. 1.
In the past, students could show their SMU IDs and ride any DART car for free. But this fall, DART, in collaboration with SMU, will provide free DART Transit Passes. The need for the passes arose from the lack of an expiration date on student IDs.
“We wanted to make sure that students could still use the service, but there needed to be some sort of an expiration date,” said Morgan Lyons, manager of media relations for DART.
Initially, DART officials thought of having an annual sticker placed on each student’s ID, but faced the problem of interfering with the magnetic strips on the back of the cards. Thus, the idea of the transit passes became the solution.
“The transit pass will not only meet DART’s needs, but it will also help us understand how many people are actually utilizing this benefit,” Director of Auxiliary Services Julie Wiksten said.
Providing the transit passes is part of a three-year agreement between SMU and DART. Other area colleges such as Richland College and El Centro College provide similar passes for their students, but SMU is the only campus with its own shuttle service, the Mustang Express.
The Mustang Express, also known as the “768” stops near campus, at Mockingbird Station and along its Amesbury route.
DART provides links with more affordable off campus housing. “We looked at where students were living off campus and designed a route that would best accommodate them,” said John Quinn, DART project manager.
“It’s really convenient for a lot of students,” Lyons said. “Students can get to and around campus without having to drive.”
With parking spaces becoming more and more scarce and the number of enrolled students increasing every year, more students may now take advantage of the DART free ride.
First-year men have an additional incentive to use the pass due to the lack of parking spaces available to them.
“It’s easier to walk to the bus stops and hitch a free ride than to hike to where the freshman guys have to park,” said Michael Hogenmiller, a first-year student.
Beginning Sept. 3, students can have their transit pass made in the Pony Express office from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The initial pass is free, but replacement passes are $5. Transit passes will feature a design unique to SMU, still in creation at the Bradfield Computing Center.
When first-year Eric Johnson came for a campus visit with his family, he found that the DART rail was the most convenient way to get around Dallas without having a car at all.
“It seemed like the smart way to go to me,” Johnson said. “It’s clean and it takes the stress out of having to find a parking spot if you have a car.”
Transit passes provide a convenient alternative for commuters as well as an added cost-saving option for students with their own transportation.
“It’s one less thing to worry about for students. Plus, it takes parking out of the equation,” Lyons said.
DART buses provide transportation around the DFW area. Many students are unaware that the Mustang Express shuttles to the DART rail at Mockingbird Station.
From Mockingbird Station, students can venture to downtown, the West End and even to the American Airlines Center for concerts and other events. Free parking is also available at all DART rail stations.
The DART rail goes as far north as Galatyn Park in Richardson and will expand to the Skillman and LBJ intersection in November. Expansion continues to Parker Road in Plano in December.
With the DART expansions, administrators hope that faculty and staff who live farther north will take advantage of the transit pass as well.
