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​Contact: Ann Hatch
214-378-1819; ahatch@dcccd.edu

For immediate release — Dec. 15, 2016

(DALLAS) — The decades-old game of Monopoly tries to make travel difficult for players — especially when they pick the go-to-jail card that says “Do not pass ‘Go.’ Do not collect $200.”

Starting in January 2017, Dallas County Community College District students — whether they are taking credit or continuing education classes — will find travel to and from all seven colleges much easier when they can pass “go,” using their free DART Student GoPass for classes and travel around town. And more riders on DART means fewer students on the road, better air quality and fewer gallons of gasoline consumed.

Who Can DART on DCCCD’s Student GoPass?

DCCCD students are eligible for the free DART Student GoPass if they are enrolled in six or more credit hours for either the fall or spring semester; they must be enrolled in three or more credit hours during the summer semester.

Continuing education students who attend any of DCCCD’s colleges also can obtain the free DART Student GoPass if they are enrolled in 96 or more contact hours during the first, second or third quarter of the academic year; they must be enrolled in 48 or more contact hours for the fourth quarter.

The district’s board of trustees approved funds totaling $1.2 million earlier this year to provide free DART passes for eligible students at all DCCCD colleges. (El Centro College, with no campus parking, historically has been the only college that provides free semester DART passes to its students who qualified. They will continue the current program until summer 2017, when the college switches to the DART Student GoPass.)

“Student success is a key priority for the Dallas County Community College District. We know that removing barriers gives our students a chance to go to college, earn a credential and start a career. Transportation is a big barrier for many of our students, and our partnership with DART to provide a Student GoPass to those who are eligible is one way to remove that obstacle,” said Dr. Joe May, DCCCD’s chancellor.

DCCCD students using the DART mobile app for their Student GoPass will be able to ride all local DART bus routes, light rail and 1 Zone on the Trinity Railway Express (Union to Centrepoint stations). The Student GoPass is not valid on special services designated by DART, such as flyer service, airport service and charter service.

Student GoPass holders also can use their pass to visit other locations or attend events throughout the DART service area — including a visit to the downtown area, the Dallas Zoo, a flight at DFW Airport and other stops along the way.

Fast Facts About DCCCD’s Student GoPass for DART

Here are a few fast facts about the DCCCD Student GoPass program, which begins in January 2017:

  • The spring 2017 semester Student GoPass is good from Jan. 1 to May 31.
  • DCCCD students who are eligible for the Student GoPass from DART must maintain their hours (credit or contact) to continue to be eligible for the free pass. Any student who is eligible for the pass might lose it if she or he drops or withdraws from classes. They also must have paid their tuition (by direct payment themselves, through financial aid or by payment plan).
  • Beginning Jan. 1, 2017, DCCCD students are eligible to receive a Student GoPass as soon as they register for classes. If students are eligible but then drop classes, they could become ineligible because they don’t have enough credit or contact hours; as a result, the Student GoPass would be terminated.
  • Students who have smartphones will use the DART mobile app to access their GoPass; others who don’t have a smartphone will receive a physical pass at their college’s business office.
  • All DCCCD colleges and locations — including satellite campuses — are participating.
  • DCCCD early college high school students are eligible for the DART Student GoPass, as well as Richland Collegiate High School students.
  • If students change telephone numbers or email addresses or have a name change, they need to report those changes to their college business office, which will process the new information so that students can continue to use their GoPass.
  • Students who have questions can visit with a designated DART Student GoPass program administrator in the office of student life at their college (or, at North Lake, the Library Services’ Student Resource Center).

For questions about the free DCCCD Student GoPass from DART, visit dcccd.edu/GoPass. For information about routes and schedules for DART buses and light rail that serve DCCCD, visit dcccd.edu/slife/commuting/pages/publictransp.aspx.

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