Photo courtesy of bigtex.com Quick quiz – What is the highest ridership day on DART Rail each year? You may be surprised that most years the answer is Columbus Day. Buy why? First, Columbus Day is a federal holiday, so people who work for some government agencies and many other organizations will have the day off. Second, several area school districts make Columbus Day a student holiday, or as we like to call it in Texas: Fair Day! It’s not a holiday for DART, though, and we’ll be operating our enhanced State Fair weekday train and bus service. Visit DART.org/StateFair for more information. If you do use your holiday to go to the State Fair of Texas, first check out our tips for taking DART to the Fair so you can have a smooth DART experience on your way to and from Fair Park. For example, you’ll stand in a lot of lines at the State Fair on Columbus Day. Using the free GoPass® app ensures the ticket vending machine and the State Fair admission ticket gate aren’t two of them. You can purchase your DART transit passes AND your State Fair admission tickets on your smartphone in advance. Plus, when you buy your State Fair admission tickets through GoPass, you save $2 off the gate price. But don’t activate your passes and tickets until the day you go to the Fair! Many students receive special rates when riding on the DART System. However, this does not necessarily apply to all students. Here’s how the fares break down:

• Children under age 5 ride for free when accompanied by a fare-paying adult. The limit is two children per adult.
• Children ages 5-14 qualify for Reduced Fare. For a Local Day Pass, that’s $3, or $1.50 for an AM/PM Pass.
• To get a Reduced Fare, high school students must have a valid student ID from a high school within the DART Service Area – or a valid DART-issued student ID. If you don’t have one, visit the DART High School Student ID page for more details. High school students are eligible for a Reduced Fares seven days a week.
• College/Trade School students with valid DART-issued college/trade student photo ID for full-time undergraduate students registered at schools which are located in the DART Service Area and are not participating in the Higher Education Pass Program. Visit DART.org/students to view a list of schools participating in the Higher Education Pass Program.

INSIDER TIP: If you head to the State Fair after noon, you should buy a PM Pass, not a Day Pass. A PM Pass must be activated after 12 p.m. and is valid until the end of service, which means you are set to ride DART home, too. Enjoy your visit to the State Fair of Texas, and happy Columbus Day! BONUS POINTS – Do you know the next two highest DART Rail ridership days? Put your guesses in the comment section below!

Photo courtesy of bigtex.com Quick quiz – What is the highest ridership day on DART Rail each year? You may be surprised that most years the answer is Columbus Day. Buy why? First, Columbus Day is a federal holiday, so people who work for some government agencies and many other organizations will have the day off. Second, several area school districts make Columbus Day a student holiday, or as we like to call it in Texas: Fair Day! It’s not a holiday for DART, though, and we’ll be operating our enhanced State Fair weekday train and bus service. Visit DART.org/StateFair for more information. If you do use your holiday to go to the State Fair of Texas, first check out our tips for taking DART to the Fair so you can have a smooth DART experience on your way to and from Fair Park. For example, you’ll stand in a lot of lines at the State Fair on Columbus Day. Using the free GoPass® app ensures the ticket vending machine and the State Fair admission ticket gate aren’t two of them. You can purchase your DART transit passes AND your State Fair admission tickets on your smartphone in advance. Plus, when you buy your State Fair admission tickets through GoPass, you save $2 off the gate price. But don’t activate your passes and tickets until the day you go to the Fair! Many students receive special rates when riding on the DART System. However, this does not necessarily apply to all students. Here’s how the fares break down:

• Children under age 5 ride for free when accompanied by a fare-paying adult. The limit is two children per adult.
• Children ages 5-14 qualify for Reduced Fare. For a Local Day Pass, that’s $3, or $1.50 for an AM/PM Pass.
• To get a Reduced Fare, high school students must have a valid student ID from a high school within the DART Service Area – or a valid DART-issued student ID. If you don’t have one, visit the DART High School Student ID page for more details. High school students are eligible for a Reduced Fares seven days a week.
• College/Trade School students with valid DART-issued college/trade student photo ID for full-time undergraduate students registered at schools which are located in the DART Service Area and are not participating in the Higher Education Pass Program. Visit DART.org/students to view a list of schools participating in the Higher Education Pass Program.

INSIDER TIP: If you head to the State Fair after noon, you should buy a PM Pass, not a Day Pass. A PM Pass must be activated after 12 p.m. and is valid until the end of service, which means you are set to ride DART home, too. Enjoy your visit to the State Fair of Texas, and happy Columbus Day! BONUS POINTS – Do you know the next two highest DART Rail ridership days? Put your guesses in the comment section below!

Photo courtesy of bigtex.com Quick quiz – What is the highest ridership day on DART Rail each year? You may be surprised that most years the answer is Columbus Day. Buy why? First, Columbus Day is a federal holiday, so people who work for some government agencies and many other organizations will have the day off. Second, several area school districts make Columbus Day a student holiday, or as we like to call it in Texas: Fair Day! It’s not a holiday for DART, though, and we’ll be operating our enhanced State Fair weekday train and bus service. Visit DART.org/StateFair for more information. If you do use your holiday to go to the State Fair of Texas, first check out our tips for taking DART to the Fair so you can have a smooth DART experience on your way to and from Fair Park. For example, you’ll stand in a lot of lines at the State Fair on Columbus Day. Using the free GoPass® app ensures the ticket vending machine and the State Fair admission ticket gate aren’t two of them. You can purchase your DART transit passes AND your State Fair admission tickets on your smartphone in advance. Plus, when you buy your State Fair admission tickets through GoPass, you save $2 off the gate price. But don’t activate your passes and tickets until the day you go to the Fair! Many students receive special rates when riding on the DART System. However, this does not necessarily apply to all students. Here’s how the fares break down:

• Children under age 5 ride for free when accompanied by a fare-paying adult. The limit is two children per adult.
• Children ages 5-14 qualify for Reduced Fare. For a Local Day Pass, that’s $3, or $1.50 for an AM/PM Pass.
• To get a Reduced Fare, high school students must have a valid student ID from a high school within the DART Service Area – or a valid DART-issued student ID. If you don’t have one, visit the DART High School Student ID page for more details. High school students are eligible for a Reduced Fares seven days a week.
• College/Trade School students with valid DART-issued college/trade student photo ID for full-time undergraduate students registered at schools which are located in the DART Service Area and are not participating in the Higher Education Pass Program. Visit DART.org/students to view a list of schools participating in the Higher Education Pass Program.

INSIDER TIP: If you head to the State Fair after noon, you should buy a PM Pass, not a Day Pass. A PM Pass must be activated after 12 p.m. and is valid until the end of service, which means you are set to ride DART home, too. Enjoy your visit to the State Fair of Texas, and happy Columbus Day! BONUS POINTS – Do you know the next two highest DART Rail ridership days? Put your guesses in the comment section below!