The State Fair of Texas began working with several community organizations to start the South Dallas Transportation Initiative. Curtis Corbins, founder of Southern Dallas Link, has been instrumental in working with our South Dallas seniors during COVID-19. Using the van provided by Ford Motor Company and the State Fair of Texas in partnership with the Dallas Innovation Alliance, Curtis and his team have been transporting seniors to medical appointments, as well purchasing groceries for them. He is now working with the Innercity Community Development Corporation and Diane Ragsdale, a member of the Transportation Initiative to help them as they are also working to purchase groceries and items for seniors.
In addition, their efforts have resulted in a partnership with DART. Here is a recent press release for DART about the upcoming program:
DART Authorizes GoLink Pilot Program for South Dallas/Fair Park Area
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board approved a six-month pilot demonstration of their successful on-demand, personalized, curb-to-curb service called GoLink for areas around South Dallas and Fair Park.
Working with the South Dallas/Fair Park (SDFP) Transportation Initiative group, a survey was done of 200 residents of zip codes 75210 and 75215 that identified concerns that the pilot demonstration hopes to rectify.
Through the survey, the SDFP group noted that the South Dallas-Fair Park neighborhood has extensive bus and rail service, but that bus travel within the neighborhood can be difficult for very short trips, particularly to the recreation center and grocery stores. The area is currently served by three DART rail stations, MLK, Jr. Station, Fair Park Station and Hatcher Station, as well as 10 bus routes.
Already available in Farmers Branch, Glenn Heights, Inland Port, Kleberg and Rylie, Lake Highlands, Lakewood, North Dallas, Park Cities, Legacy West, Far North Plano, North Central Plano/Chase Oaks, and Rowlett, the GoLink pilot for South Dallas and Fair Park will cost $50,000, include one dedicated accessible taxi, supplemented by Uber Pool, and cover an 8.5-sq. mile area.
The pilot is scheduled to begin summer of 2020. Additional GoLink information can be found at www.dart.org/golink.
The State Fair of Texas is grateful for the committee members that made this happen after three years of meetings.
