Monday, Jan. 13, 2025
Fact brief: Did Arlington’s on-demand car rides replace a bus service?
Arlington’s ride-share service replaced a short-term trial run of a bus service in 2017.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit, or DART, tested a bus service in Arlington from 2013 to 2017 called the Metro Arlington Xpress.
The route served downtown Arlington and the University of Texas at Arlington. Citing low ridership, it was canceled in favor of Via, a private company service that was renamed Arlington On-Demand in 2023.
Arlington has not had an official fixed-route bus system since 1934, when the metroplex’s Interurban line gave its last ride through the city.
Between 1979 and 2002, Arlington residents voted against public transit system proposals three times.
Arlington Mayor Jim Ross has said the city’s transit options suit its needs, and Arlington’s hosting of large-scale events like the 2011 Super Bowl and a parade celebrating the Texas Rangers’ 2023 World Series win has shown the effectiveness of Arlington’s ride-share service.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- The Texas Tribune Afraid It Was Missing the Boat, Arlington Tries the Bus With Pilot Program
- City of Arlington Transportation
- Arlington Historical Society Traces of the Interurban (1902-1934) In and Near Arlington
- The Dallas Morning News Arlington doesn’t have a public mass transit system, so how do you get around? Curious Texas investigates
- Via Arlington Mayor says his city’s microtransit network supported 3 Taylor Swift ‘Eras Tour’ concerts flawlessly
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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