Innovative transit agency helps clear the air in Dallas-Fort Worth

Based on its population of more than 6.5 million people, Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) is the fourth largest metropolitan area in the country. Based on land area, it’s the second largest. Regional planners are always looking toward alternative modes of transportation to efficiently and effectively move residents to their destinations. This is particularly important considering that 10 counties in the DFW region are rated by the Environmental Protection Agency as nonattainment areas for ground-level ozone.

In operation since 1984, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) covers 700 square miles and serves 13 cities — Addison, Carrollton, Cockrell Hill, Dallas, Farmers Branch, Garland, Glenn Heights, Highland Park, Irving, Plano, Richardson, Rowlett and University Park. Every day, DART moves roughly 400,000 DFW residents to their destinations via 600-plus transit buses and 72 miles of light rail.

DART has a long history of successfully implementing alternative fuels. The transit agency first introduced 110 liquefied natural gas (LNG) buses in 1998. As DART expanded, so did its alternative fuel use — the transit agency placed its second LNG bus order later that year. Due to environmental considerations, DART continued to modernize its fleet and retrofitted 360 of its older diesel buses to run on ultra-low sulfur diesel.

In 2013, DART began its transition to compressed natural gas (CNG) with an order of 459 31- and 40-foot buses — one of the nation’s largest CNG bus orders. These new buses, the first of which commenced service on Jan. 28, 2013, cut fuel costs by nearly two-thirds. DART also ordered 123 smaller CNG buses that seat 14 to 17 passengers. The agency is currently building four CNG fueling stations to support these buses. DART anticipates completing its transition in 2015.

These efforts point to DART’s leadership in reducing petroleum use in the region. In 2013, the transit agency reduced its petroleum consumption by more than four million gasoline gallon equivalents and lowered its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 8,500 tons. DART expects these numbers to grow in the future — it has applied for Federal Transit Administration funding for nine all-electric buses. The future is definitely looking cleaner for the Big D. 

In case you missed it...

Read our METRO blog, "50 years of public transit milestones and memories."