Dallas Area Rapid Transit Inc.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit Inc., doing business as Dart, is a U.S. local government transit authority and municipality based in Dallas, Texas, that receives federal grants from the Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration and other federal agencies to fund bus, light rail, commuter rail, and paratransit operations, infrastructure, and fleet modernization across the Dallas metropolitan area. Dart operates exclusively as a grant recipient (100% of awards); it does not hold federal contracts or sit on contract vehicles and has no subcontractor relationships on federal awards.

Dart's federal footprint centers on transit operations and capital infrastructure. The Federal Transit Administration has awarded Dart 154 grants (69% of recent awards) across multiple programs: the Federal Transit Formula Grants program (CFDA 20.507) for operational and preventive maintenance funding; the Buses and Bus Facilities Formula, Competitive, and Low or No Emissions Programs (CFDA 20.526) for fleet replacement; the State of Good Repair Grants Program (CFDA 20.525) for infrastructure resilience and rail maintenance; and the Federal Transit Capital Investment Grants program (CFDA 20.500) for station and intermodal improvements. Recent representative grants include a $121.2 million award (May 2, 2025) to purchase 186 compressed natural gas fueled buses as the first tranche of a four-year, 522-bus replacement program targeting 90% fleet modernization; a $89.3 million award (May 13, 2025) under the Federal Transit Formula Grants program for systemwide preventive maintenance covering track electrification, signal systems, vehicle maintenance, and staff salaries; and a $54.5 million award (July 8, 2025) under the State of Good Repair Grants Program to pilot weather-resilience infrastructure improvements addressing ice formation, heat damage, and seasonal service disruptions. Beyond FTA, Dart has received grants from the Federal Highway Administration ($950 thousand, September 11, 2025, under CFDA 20.205 for vulnerability assessment and flood-monitoring pilot work supporting climate and natural hazard resilience planning) and FEMA (Rail and Transit Security Grant Program, CFDA 97.075, for counterterrorism and security enhancements to bus and rail operations).

Award activity has grown substantially: five awards in 2022, four in 2023, five in 2024, eleven in 2025, and eight awards so far in 2026, with combined potential value of $20.7 million and combined obligated dollars of $4.3 billion (reflecting large multi-year preventive maintenance and capital commitments). Thirteen awards carry ultimate completion dates within the next twenty-four months. Dart's customer concentration aligns entirely with its role as a transit operator: the Federal Transit Administration dominates the portfolio with 154 awards, followed by smaller grants from the Department of Transportation Immediate Office of the Secretary Transportation (9 awards, $12 million combined potential value), Department of Homeland Security Transportation Security Administration (4 awards, $4 million), Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 (9 awards, $2.8 million), and FEMA. Dart sits on two parent vehicles: an Indefinite Delivery Contract (DTOS5911D00517) with 9 task orders carrying $12.7 million combined potential value, and a Blanket Purchase Agreement (15JUST19A00000260) with 2 task orders.

Dart's grant work spans fleet modernization (purchase and deployment of 522 new compressed natural gas buses through 2031), preventive maintenance (track, signal, vehicle, and facility upkeep), capital infrastructure (Silver Line commuter rail guideway design and construction from Plano to DFW Airport Terminal B, light rail expansion, shared-use trail construction, station amenity pads, safety barrier walls), and operational support for major events (additional transit capacity, staff, and customer support for the 2026 FIFA World Cup). Performance occurs across Dart's 13-city service region throughout the Dallas metropolitan area, serving over 2.4 million residents across 700 square miles.