Public transportation remains a challenge for many North Texas communities outside the DART service area. But in the region’s southern sector, several cities are turning to a different model – one they say is helping residents access jobs, services, and opportunity.
Cedar Hill Mayor Stephen Mason vividly remembers the moment that transportation access moved to the top of his “to-do” list.
“I was driving up Beltline,” said Mason, who was elected in 2019 after serving several years on the City Council, “and I noticed that there was a motorized wheelchair weaving in and out of the street, getting on the sidewalk, trying to get to a destination. That’s when I said, ‘Coming in as mayor, I need to try to find a solution.'”
Regional transit partnership takes shape
Years later, that solution has become the Kaufman‑based Star Transit…