DART President Thomas to retire

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) President and Executive Director Gary Thomas last week announced his intention to retire after serving as the agency's leader for nearly 20 years. 

DART’s board will initiate a search for Thomas’ successor.

Thomas joined DART in 1998 as senior vice president of project management with almost 20 years of experience as an engineer and architect. He was appointed president and executive director in 2001.

Under his leadership, DART's 20-mile rail system grew to 93 miles. Thomas championed the GoPass mobile trip planning and payment application, led efforts to make DART’s multimodal offerings more flexible, and developed policies to engage development projects near light-rail stations, DART officials said in a press release.

"It has been my privilege and honor to be part of Dallas Area Rapid Transit for this moment in time,” Thomas said. “I have seen many ‘firsts’ throughout the years and have been able to work with many dedicated board members and team members as DART has evolved into an indispensable resource for our residents throughout North Texas and beyond.”

Thomas also has been a public transit leader at the national level, having chaired the American Public Transportation Association's (APTA) board in 2011 and 2012. In 2016, APTA named Thomas its Outstanding Public Transportation Manager of the Year.