Dallas is on the cusp of something big.
Earlier this year, the launch of the city’s New Bus Network marked the most significant change in service that Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has implemented in decades. The program features new routes, more direct trips and additional bus stops based on direct rider feedback.
While the changes are bringing added efficiency and equity to DART, they also mean that some riders are seeing their bus stops removed or their walks increased to as much as a mile.
Combined with local officials’ growing resolve to invest seriously in bike infrastructure and an upcoming vote later this year to reintroduce e-scooters onto city streets, Dallas has the opportunity to play a leading role nationally in developing public-private partnerships that use micromobility to increase public transit access.
“The last mile transit gap we’re seeing in some parts of Dallas is exactly what Bird micro-electric mobility was created to help bridge,” said Brian Buccella, Bird’s Senior Vice President of Global Policy and Consumer Products. “In the two years since scooters were last in Dallas, we’ve led the industry not only in developing the technologies to make shared micro-EVs safer and more sustainable, but in forging the partnerships with transit companies that are making them more multimodal as well.”
Using New Bird Tech and Transit Partnerships to Help Dallas
The list of scooter technologies and transit partnerships that could prove either influential, beneficial or both to Dallas’ New Bus Network is quickly growing.
Take Nashville, for example. Earlier in February, Bird announced an exclusive partnership with the city’s WeGo public transit agency to increase multimodal scooter-transit use via strategically increased service areas and prioritized deployment zones at popular bus stops.
The learnings from this unique partnership, as well as many others including collaborations with Washington DC Metro, SNCF in France, Trenitalia in Italy and local bikeshare integrations around the world, will put Bird in a unique position to help DART and DART riders make the most of available e-scooter access.
Similarly, new advanced technologies such as those available exclusively on the Bird Three will help create a clear distinction between Dallas’ old and new scooter programs. These include Bird Three’s industry leading Smart Sidewalk Protection, Battery Management System, Vehicle Location System and many unique safety features to help ensure proper riding and parking.
The timing couldn’t be more exciting. If the launch of DART’s new and improved bus network coincides with the—for now only possible—return of new and improved e-scooter programs to the streets of Dallas, it could demonstrate the very real benefits that multimodal public transportation can have for millions of city residents.
To learn more about Bird partnerships with transit agencies and public bikeshares around the world, subscribe to the Bird Cities Blog.
