### DART Halts Paratransit Fare Hikes and Service Cuts After Overwhelming Community Pushback

**DALLAS, TX** – In a significant victory for local disability advocates, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) announced last week that it is abandoning a controversial proposal to overhaul its paratransit system. The proposed changes, which included nearly doubling the cost of rides and limiting service zones, were scrapped following powerful and widespread pushback from the disabled community and their supporters.

The plan would have increased the one-way fare for its essential curb-to-curb transportation from $3.50 to $6 and restricted eligible transportation areas. For many riders who rely on the service for medical appointments, work, and basic errands, the changes represented a potential loss of independence and a severe financial burden.

The response from the community was swift and unified. Riders, families, and advocacy groups mobilized to ensure their voices were heard.

“I have to speak for those that cannot at all, that would not put themselves out there,” said Candace Wicks, a double amputee and a vocal opponent of the proposed changes. She stressed the importance of showing up and being counted. “There was no way that I could have missed that meeting. Looking at the other people that are affected just as much as I am, shame on me if I had stayed at home. When they don’t see us, they forget us.”

This sentiment was echoed by others who saw the proposals as a direct threat to a vital lifeline. Jesse Beck, a Preston Hollow father, described the disabled community as “one of the most vulnerable parts of the community.”

He noted the challenges this group faces in organizing. “And it was hard for that vulnerable community, per se, to have a voice to align, coalesce, and really have their input heard,” Beck said. He was moved by the successful effort, adding, “I think it was amazing… I thought that was absolutely moving.”

DART, which has provided paratransit services across its 13-city coverage area since 1986, ultimately heeded the community’s call. The decision to reverse course was met with surprise and gratitude.

“First of all, I’m very appreciative of DART to actually listen to the community and people,” said Tripp Hemphill, the health and safety manager at the nonprofit organization My Possibilities. “And not to say I was shocked. I was pleasantly surprised by their decision. But I think it goes to show the few and far between times where actually the people and the government agencies can actually listen and have a voice and actually have a decision that truly benefits the community.”

The victory is seen by many as a hopeful sign of progress and collaboration.

“Coming together to fight for this population’s accessibility of transportation to their livelihoods and having those with the power to make the decisions hear, as well as understand the need, is a big step in the right direction,” Hemphill stated.

He concluded on an optimistic note for the future: “We still have a long way to go in the way of making this world the best fit for those with disabilities, but this change in real time shows that the totem pole of people, from the top to the bottom, are starting to align in a way that signifies hope for a better future to all those who will need it one day.”

For now, DART’s paratransit fares and service zones will remain unchanged, ensuring that thousands of Dallas-area residents can continue to access the critical transportation they depend on.