Last updated on September 26, 2019
This post was written by Raven, a DCCCD student blogger and Mountain View student.
There will always be complaints about riding the bus or train. Whether you’re in Dallas or any place else in the nation. In my own experience, I have heard complaints about the people, or how long the rides last. Too many stops. Or maybe, it’s dirty and gross. My guess is they have not taken time to truly appreciate the ride. Particularly—for those of us in Dallas—a DART ride.
My first year at Mountain View College, I suggested to a friend that we take the bus to Chick-fil-A. Neither of us had been on a DART bus before, or even knew where to get tickets. Still, I was curious about what it would be like to get off campus for a bit rather than roam around campus until our own rides arrived. Needless to say, we didn’t go anywhere. This was before I knew about the DART GoPass.
I was entering my second year at Mountain View when I got an email about a new DART GoPass for all seven Dallas Community Colleges. All I had to do was take a minute to sign up and wait for my eligibility to be confirmed. It’s as simple as downloading the DART GoPass app and registering your number, and it’s free! I don’t always like driving myself to the other colleges or events throughout Dallas. That’s where the DART GoPass comes in handy, if you’re a Dallas Community Colleges student.
With the GoPass, you just open the app on your phone with your active pass and show the fare enforcement. I first used it to get to the Meyerson in downtown Dallas. I went alone to the DART rail station by my college and still had a few questions. Do I just get on and show them my pass, or what? How will I know which stop to get off at? I considered asking one of the strangers around me how it worked, but I didn’t want to be a bother. Then I asked one of the attendants if it went through downtown, he said it did. To my surprise, I just needed to get back on the DART rail line and until my exit, then repeat on my way back. Using the tools within the GoPass app, such as schedules and bus routes, the trip went much smoother than I expected.
As a student, riding the bus and rail lines has helped me see more of Dallas and save money. I can decrease my chances of getting lost when going to another campus or somewhere in town as well as avoid the stresses of traffic and parking. I’m still learning new things about how the bus system works, but still have fun while figuring it out and getting from one stop to another. I would recommend other students also try riding DART.