They're number-crunchers accustomed to working alone, but they've got the people skills to deal with customers, operators, city officials and many others.

They're the employees of the Service Planning and Scheduling Department - the DART team responsible for charting more than 120 bus and rail routes.

Jones and other planners analyze events such as these ­ tracking population growth, changes in land use and development, and other factors ­ to help them identify travel demand for DART services now and project travel demand over a five-year period.

The northwest part of our service area, part of her planning responsibilities, provides several examples. The Addison Transit Center opens soon, while Prestonwood Mall, which many DART buses once served, now is closed. Carrollton ­ particularly in the Trinity Mills Road and Frankford Road area ­ is growing explosively in terms of residents and construction.