Dallas Area Rapid Transit opened its annual Stuff A Bus donation drive Monday, inviting North Texans to help families and seniors as the agency considers separate proposals to expand rider security.
The November 9 through December 11 campaign aims to fill a 40-foot bus with new, unwrapped donations, DART announced. Last year, the drive filled two buses and collected more than 350 blankets, 1,000 pairs of socks, and thousands of personal care items.
Where North Texans Can Donate
Residents can donate outside DARTMart at DART headquarters, 1401 Pacific Ave. in downtown Dallas, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, the campaign website states.
DART will also collect donations December 2 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Holiday Bus near the Plaza by Patron on the west side of American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave., during a Dallas Mavericks game. An Amazon wish list offers an online option.
Requested items include winter hats, scarves, gloves, blankets, socks, toys, books, toiletries, nonperishable foods, diapers, wipes, and formula. The Senior Source is a campaign partner helping older North Texans.
“As a public service, giving back is at the heart of DART’s mission,” Vice President of Public Relations Erin Myers said in the agency’s November 9 news release.
DART Security Reform Remains Unresolved
The donation drive comes as DART weighs how to strengthen security on its trains and buses. One reform objective calls for a Level IV-trained personal protection officer aboard every DART bus and train, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. DART has not adopted or funded that standard.
An October 13 committee briefing estimated an additional $9.5 million annually at regular pay, or $14.2 million with overtime, for a mixed uniformed-security staffing plan on trains. The plan combines police officers, fare enforcement officers, and transit security officers. It does not price Level IV coverage on every bus or every rail trip, as The Dallas Express previously examined.
A separate preliminary proposal estimates $288.3 million for fare gates at 66 light rail stations. DART has not identified a full annual operating cost for those gates or an approved timetable for continuous onboard staffing, as The Dallas Express detailed in October.
Texas Department of Public Safety rules require Level IV training for personal protection officers. That qualification alone does not grant the powers of a sworn police officer, and DART’s staffing proposal does not specify Level IV officers.
What Comes Next For Rider Safety
DART announced Operation Access in September as a planned 90-day demonstration at Bachman, MLK Jr., Forest Lane, 8th & Corinth, and White Rock stations. Police, fare enforcement personnel, and transit security officers would check fares and enforce the Rider Code of Conduct at controlled points and aboard trains. The agency expected the pilot to begin in late fall and continue into winter. Available announcements do not establish that it has started.
DART intends to use the demonstration to assess enforcement, staffing, passenger movement, and technology.
Key next steps include publishing results, clarifying which employees would hold Level IV credentials, identifying the costs of covering buses as well as trains, and determining whether the board will fund broader deployment.
The holiday collection ends December 11; the questions surrounding around-the-clock rider protection remain open.
Provided by Dallas Express
