DART Route 237 still runs up and down Preston Road through Highland Park. Since May 14, 2026, it no longer stops anywhere inside Town limits. The day before that, a Town service called Highland Park On-Demand started offering free rides anywhere in Town, with a connection to Mockingbird Station.
Highland Park now has a transit service designed around the Town itself, and standard rides cost nothing. What the May vote did not stop is the Town's sales tax going to DART. That money keeps flowing until the Town's share of DART's existing obligations is paid. For the next few years, Highland Park is running its own rides while it finishes paying for the system it left.
What Stopped on May 14
According to the Texas Tribune, nearly 70% of Highland Park voters chose to leave DART in the May 2, 2026 election. The Town Council canvassed the result at a special meeting on May 13, and DART service ended the next day.
DART's own service-change release lists what changed:
| Service | Before the withdrawal | Since May 14 |
|---|---|---|
| DART Route 237 on Preston Road | Stopped in Highland Park | Runs through Town, skips every stop |
| Park Cities GoLink zone | Covered Highland Park | No longer operates inside the Town |
| DART paratransit | Trips to and from Highland Park | Discontinued for Highland Park |
| Park-and-ride inside Town limits | DART facility | Affected by the withdrawal |
| Town replacement | None until May 13 launch | Highland Park On-Demand and Highland Park Access |
Highland Park never had light rail, and before the vote it was served by a single fixed route along Preston Road, as Candy's Dirt reported. So the change that matters day to day is narrow: one bus line, one GoLink zone and a paratransit program. Across the Town line, nothing changed. University Park voted to stay, so DART bus, rail, GoLink and paratransit service there continues as before.
The Replacement Is Built Around the Town
Highland Park On-Demand is operated by Via. Its service page describes it as covering travel "throughout the Town of Highland Park, including connections to Mockingbird Station and regional transit services." Here is how it works:
- Fare: Standard On-Demand rides are free.
- Hours: Monday through Sunday, 5 a.m. to midnight.
- Booking: Use the Highland Park On-Demand app or call 214-785-4345.
- Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible vehicles can be requested through an online form or the same phone number.
Before the vote, DART's Route 237 picked riders up at fixed stops on a corridor. The new service picks riders up at addresses inside Town limits, and it links outward at Mockingbird Station. The app shows exactly where to meet the vehicle, which Via notes may be a short walk from where the rider is. The published materials confirm the Mockingbird connection only. They do not list other drop-off points outside the Town, so check the in-app zone map before planning a trip beyond Highland Park.
Highland Park Access, the paratransit piece
Riders who used DART paratransit have to apply again for the Town's program, Highland Park Access. It is pre-booked, door-to-door service for eligible riders. The base fare is $3.50, and personal care attendants ride free. Riders can add a card in the app or pay exact cash on board.
There are three ways to apply:
- Online, through the eligibility application on the Via service page, with documents attached.
- By email, by sending the completed PDF application to [email protected].
- On paper, by picking up and returning a form at Highland Park Town Hall, 4700 Drexel Drive.
Applicants need either proof of current paratransit eligibility with another transit agency or a doctor's note from the past six months explaining why they cannot use regular bus service. Via provides a medical verification form for doctors to fill out. For residents who rode with DART paratransit, the existing DART eligibility is the simplest way to qualify.
The Early Numbers Look a Lot Like the Old Bus
Before the vote, Highland Park averaged just over 30 DART riders per day, or about 22,000 boardings a year. In the Town's most recent community survey, 4% to 5% of residents said they used DART services at least occasionally, according to Candy's Dirt.
People Newspapers reported that as of June 2, 2026, Highland Park On-Demand had completed 595 trips and 479 people had created app accounts. Six paratransit riders were active. Four vehicles serve the program, and two of them can carry paratransit riders. The service had been running for 20 days on June 2. That works out to roughly 30 trips a day, almost exactly what the old Route 237 stops drew. These are first-month figures. We did not find any updated ridership released after June.
Where those riders are coming from is the open question. The same People Newspapers story said the Town was putting up English- and Spanish-language signs, especially along Preston Road near the old DART stops. It also reported that some employees at Highland Park shopping centers said on June 4 that they were not yet using the new service. The fixed-route bus carried people into Highland Park for work as well as residents heading out. Whether an app-booked service reaches that first group as well is the next thing the ridership numbers will show.
Why the Sales Tax Still Goes to DART
The vote ended DART service. It did not end Highland Park's payments to DART right away. Under Texas Transportation Code §452.658, the transit sales tax keeps being collected in a withdrawn city until the revenue paid to DART after withdrawal equals that city's total financial obligation. Then the Comptroller stops collecting it there. Section 452.659 defines that obligation as the city's share of DART's obligations plus any obligations tied specifically to that city. DART's executive committee calculates the amount as of the withdrawal date.
Candy's Dirt put early estimates of Highland Park's share of outstanding bonds, contracts and liabilities at $30 million to $40 million. The Town was projected to contribute about $9 million to DART in 2026. At that pace, an obligation in the estimated range would take somewhere between three and four and a half years to pay off. That is simple arithmetic on a press estimate. We found no certified figure from DART and no published payoff date.
Highland Park Mayor Will C. Beecherl described the longer history in a March commentary, which the Dallas Observer quoted after the vote:
"Rest assured, if the voters choose to exit DART, they can take solace in knowing that Highland Park has played a meaningful role in building a regional transit system by ultimately contributing approximately $150 million over the last 40-plus years."
From DART's side, the Observer reported that the agency projects Highland Park's exit could cost it about $270 million in sales tax revenue over 20 years.
Why Highland Park Ended Up Alone
Highland Park was one of several cities weighing an exit, and it was the only one that left. It is also the first DART member to withdraw since Coppell and Flower Mound voted out in 1989.
The cities that stayed got something in return. On Feb. 20, 2026, DART approved a General Mobility Plan that would return part of DART's sales tax revenue to member cities for local transportation projects if all 13 member city councils adopted it. Under that proposal, the return starts at 5% in fiscal 2026 and rises to 7.5% by fiscal 2031. Regional Transportation Council funding brings the total return to 10% that year. Community Impact reported that Plano canceled its election on Feb. 23 and signed a six-year agreement worth about $61 million that runs through Sept. 30, 2031. Irving and Farmers Branch called off their elections the same week. DART is now expanding GoLink zones in Plano this October as part of its commitment to citywide coverage there.
Addison and University Park held votes on May 2 and stayed. Unofficial results showed about 70% of Addison voters and 53.6% of University Park voters opposed leaving. That 53.6% is why the transit map now changes at the Town line between Highland Park and University Park.
The Question Still Open
Once the DART obligation is paid, Highland Park will have local sales tax capacity that is not committed to anything. The Town's FAQ says non-DART cities can, with voter approval, put that kind of capacity toward other municipal or mobility uses. It lists property tax relief, street maintenance, public safety and alternative mobility as examples. We found no Town Council action and no November 2026 ballot item that decides how Highland Park will use it. Until DART certifies the obligation and the payments wind down, that decision is still ahead.
If you're weighing how changes like the DART exit play into a sale or purchase in Highland Park, JP Findley Group follows Town decisions like this closely and can explain how they show up in a transaction. Request your free home valuation and we'll go through it with you.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
