Homeschool benefits and savings in the DART 13-city member area
DART’s Discount GoPass Tap Card cuts eligible local bus and train fares by 50% for riders receiving qualifying assistance benefits. The card is free, but you must load at least $6 before riding; each family member applies separately.
Who qualifies
Receives a qualifying assistance benefit
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) lists the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program, Housing Choice Voucher Program, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, and Parkland Financial Assistance. School enrollment is not an eligibility condition.
Provides current proof and a photo
Submit a benefit participant card or agency letter with your name and expiration date, plus a forward-facing headshot. DART does not accept a selfie, a photo of a photo or a driver’s license image as the headshot.
Registers each rider separately
Every participating spouse or child needs an individual application and card. Include benefit documents naming the other covered family members.
What you pay
DART’s Discount GoPass Tap Card page lists the discount, initial load, delivery time and automatic reduced-fare caps.
- Regularly priced local fares
- 50% off
- Card and activation
- $0
- Initial stored value load
- At least $6
- Daily spending cap
- Cost of a Reduced Day Pass
- Monthly spending cap
- Cost of a Reduced Monthly Pass
- Card delivery
- Within 15 business days
How to use the fare
- Before applying
Gather proof and your photo
Use a current qualifying benefit document and the required headshot.
- When ready
Register each family member
Apply online or call 972-482-4052 for phone registration.
- Within 15 business days
Receive and load your card
Your card arrives by mail; add at least $6 to begin.
- Every boarding or transfer
Tap the reader
Tap on buses and at rail stations; do not tap when exiting.
- When your benefit expires
Renew eligibility
Your discount expires with the qualifying assistance benefit. Provide updated documentation and request a renewed card.
What it includes
Included
- Half-price local fares
- Automatic reduced-fare caps
- Card as reduced-fare identification
Not included
- Regional travel beyond DFW Airport/CentrePort
- Trinity Metro local-fare coverage
- Denton County Transportation Authority local-fare coverage
Good to know
Riders with a qualifying benefit can apply
A homeschool family can apply if the individual riders receive a listed qualifying assistance benefit. DART does not require enrollment in a public school for this card.
One parent's pass does not cover the family
Each person registers separately and receives their own card; submit documentation showing which family members receive the qualifying benefit.
Who to contact about fares
DART registration staff helps you apply for or renew a discount card.
972-482-4052 Discount card registration
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Texas
You do not have to file a homeschool notice to the state.
Texas sets these rules:
- Subjects: Instruction in Texas must include reading, spelling, grammar, math, and good citizenship.
- Testing: No routine annual homeschool standardized test is required. UIL participation and public-school transfer can have separate testing requirements.
- Records: Texas does not require homeschool records, but keeping them is recommended.
- Teachers: Texas does not require homeschool parents to hold a teaching certificate.
Texas also has an education savings account that home-educated students can use.
- The Texas Education Freedom Account (TEFA) awards $2,000 a year to selected home-education students for approved expenses. Applications for 2026-27 closed March 31, 2026; families who missed that cycle can join the 2027-28 interest list.
Read the Texas homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Texas
Questions parents ask
- Do I need an email address?
- No. DART requests email for online account management but says it is not necessary to obtain the card.
- Can we ride all the way to Fort Worth at the local discount?
- Only as far as DFW Airport/CentrePort Station. The card covers Trinity Railway Express to there; beyond that point, or on Trinity Metro and Denton County Transportation Authority services, you need a Regional fare.
- What happens if the card has not arrived?
- Allow up to 15 business days. After that, call the Tap for Half team at 972-482-6491.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
A student fare helps with trips to classes and activities. We handle the learning at home, with lessons built around your child's interests and feedback on their work.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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