Deanna Leggett has been selected as the new executive vice president of growth and regional development at Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). A nationally recognized transit leader, Leggett brings over 20 years of experience in the planning, development, and operation of public transportation projects across the country.

“We are very excited to welcome Dee to the DART family,” said Nadine S. Lee, DART president & CEO. “She is a proven transportation leader who brings a unique combination of strategic thought leadership and an extensive record of operations performance, project delivery, and innovation that will expand the leadership capacity at DART. I’m looking forward to Dee’s contributions to our efforts to enhance the public transportation experience for all our riders.”

In her role, Leggett will oversee DART’s Capital Planning, Real Estate, Environmental Compliance, Transit Oriented Development, Capital Program Support, Service Planning, Commuter Rail, and Design and Construction departments, as well as an extensive array of design consultants and construction contractors.

“DART is a world class organization focused on providing transformative mobility solutions to the region,” said Leggett. “I am honored to join their leadership team to help plan and deliver programs, projects and services that meet the future needs of our transit riders and our communities.”

Leggett comes to the agency from HatchLTK where she served as the vice president of the south-central region and director of zero-emissions technology. In that role she oversaw projects and client engagement for all transit and rail clients in the South-Central region of the United States. She also served as the subject matter expert and project manager for transit contracting, transit planning, transit operations and maintenance, grant funding and federal regulatory requirements.

“DART has always been a driver of growth and innovation across the North Texas region,” said Michele Wong-Krause, chair of the DART Board of Directors. “The knowledge, experience and drive that Dee brings to her role will allow the agency to build on our mission to provide outstanding and customer-driven service to our Service Area city residents.”

Before joining HatchLTK, Leggett also served as chief operations officer at Bowman Engineering and Consulting, as well as the southwest region vice president of transit contracting and region vice president of transit management at First Transit.

A graduate of Leadership APTA, as well as one of Mass Transit’s Top 40 Under 40, Leggett holds a Bachelor of Science in History/Political Science from Union University in Jackson, TN, and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Source: dart

To celebrate the launch of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) New Bus Network on January 24, all rides will be free the week of January 24 – 30.

DART will also offer 50% off all rides purchased with any DART contactless payment option from January 31 until the end of service on February 14. Contactless payment options include:

• GoPass® app
• GoPass® Tap card
• Contactless Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover cards with contactless payment at the validators
• Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Fitbit Pay, and more with contactless payment at the validators

Paratransit services will be $1. Learn more about contactless payment methods at GoPass.org.

The New Bus Network Free and Reduced Rides promotions are valid on all DART transit services throughout the entire DART Service Area including buses, light rail, TRE (between EBJ Union Station and CentrePort/DFW Airport Station), GoLink, Dallas Streetcar, and Paratransit Services.

With the goal of providing greater frequency, longer service hours and improved access to destinations across North Texas, DART’s new bus network launches on January 24, 2022. The new bus system is designed to ensure passengers have quick and easy access to employment, education and entertainment destinations.

Greater Frequency
Core Frequent Network service will provide bus frequency matching or better than light rail service – 15-minute peak and 20-minute midday. Light rail service will also return to pre-pandemic levels, providing 15-minute peak service and more frequent evening service.

Expanded Coverage
With the implementation of the new bus network service changes, 74% of DART service area residents will have access to transit services within walking distance. This is an increase of 6% above the current bus network design.

More Direct Routes
By making the new bus routes more direct, focusing on major transit corridors and reducing the number of bus stops, DART bus service will be faster, ensuring passengers get to their destinations quicker and improving connections.

Longer Hours of Service
With a focus on transit riders working non-traditional hours, all local DART bus routes will provide service 7 days a week between the hours of 5:00 a.m. and midnight at a minimum. The 22 core frequent bus routes will operate between 4:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m.

Improved Access to Jobs
The new bus network will increase the number of jobs that a resident of the DART service area can reach in one hour by 34% compared to the existing bus network.

New GoLink Zones
GoLink, DART’s on-demand, curb-to-curb microtransit service solution operates in zones across the DART service area. GoLink offers service with connections to DART transit facilities as well as anywhere within each specified zone.

With the start of the new bus service on January 24, 13 new GoLink zones will be added, replacing traditional fixed-route service, bringing the total to 30. In addition, weekend hours have been added to many GoLink zones, with 13 zones offering Saturday service and 6 zones offering Sunday service.

GoLink is available to customers at no additional cost with a valid DART fare. The UberPool shared ride program is also an option as part of the GoLink service. With UberPool, travel to or from any DART station or transit center within a zone is $1, and travel to or from any destination within a zone is $3. The $1 fee has been waived during the introductory period. Prices are per trip, per person. GoLink riders can book and pay for trips with either the DART GoPass app or by calling 214-515-7272. UberPool riders will need to download the Uber app as well to book their trip. Both apps are free from the Apple Store and Google Play.

More information about DART’s new bus network is available at dartzoom.org. A new DART Trip Planner tool, where you can compare your old and new route options, is available under “Find My New Route.”

Source: dart