DART will spend more than $16 million to overhaul its security system across buses, trains and stations.<\/p>\n
It comes after three shootings on board DART trains in the last two months, causing many riders to share concerns about safety.<\/p>\n
At a DART station in Irving on Wednesday, riders hopped on trains to be whisked to stops across North Texas.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a daily ritual that has started to be disrupted this fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were like, it\u2019s not going all the way to where I needed to go because they were talking about somebody shooting,\u201d said Anthony Robinson.<\/p>\n
There have been three shootings on DART trains in the last two months, and two of the shootings were fatal.<\/p>\n
Daniel Gormley was killed near Market Center Station in Dallas on September 29. His employer told NBC 5 last month that his death was a shock.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t get it, I don\u2019t understand, what takes place on a train where somebody\u2019s going to pull out a gun and kill somebody, shoot somebody?\u201d said Melvin LeMane.<\/p>\n
The transit service is taking action.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday night, DART\u2019s board approved spending $16.8 million to improve the service\u2019s security system, overhauling its camera network across buses, trains and stations for the first time since 2010, and investing in technology to improve police response times.<\/p>\n
DART will also spend $7.8 million on a new contract for bus stop and shelter cleaning services.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis upgraded camera system is part of a multi-step process to ensuring our trains, buses and facilities are as secure as possible for our employees and riders,\u201d said Randall Bryant, chair of the DART board.<\/p>\n
Some riders said they believed the move would make their commute safer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does make you feel a little bit more secure,\u201d said Roberto Flores.<\/p>\n
Safety is not the only challenge facing the transit system.<\/p>\n
Four member cities have moved to hold elections next year to allow voters to decide whether to leave DART, mainly citing concerns about the cost of the service.<\/p>\n