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Plano’s City Council will consider an agreement with a microtransit service at a meeting on Monday as the city weighs a future without the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system.
The largest of the six member cities that have called a withdrawal election from DART since early November, Plano has had one of the loudest voices in the ongoing debate over the future of mass transit in North Texas. While city leadership and DART officials have engaged in negotiations to potentially call off the May 2 election, Plano’s idea of a future without the agency may be getting clearer.
If Plano voters choose to withdraw from DART, the agency could end all services within city limits the next day. In the event voters approve an exit, the city said it would “support alternative transit options that ensure continuity of service for residents who rely on public transportation, including people with disabilities, seniors, and those living on fixed incomes,” in a November release announcing the election.
On-demand, technology-forward service provided by vehicles smaller than a conventional bus, or microtransit, has been at the forefront of cities like Plano and Irving’s plans for alternative service models.
At Monday night’s meeting, Council members will consider a purchasing agreement with Via, an app-based microtransit service that also operates in Arlington and Denton County.
The contract to be presented Monday night would see Plano pay Via just under $4 million over six months for microtransit services and federally required paratransit within a 1.5-mile radius of city limits. It also gives Plano the option to renew the agreement three times for an annual rate of $8 million. Plano allocated money from its general fund for microtransit in November.
Staff recommended Via after evaluating the input of Plano’s Collin County Connects Committee (C4), which formed in December to evaluate alternative models. The committee was divided on which service provider was best for Plano, the scope of the search and even the idea of leaving DART altogether. Only half of the committee ranked three prospective providers, with Spare, not Via, eventually being recommended by the body.
According to a council memo, staff have recommended Via based on continuity of service, scalability, safety, rider experience and flexibility.
Council members can still request changes to the contract or refuse it entirely. A timeline for microtransit implementation is also up in the air, though a C4 update from December outlined an early March launch.
If residents vote to remain in DART or an agreement is reached to call off the election, Plano’s director of government relations, Andrew Fortune, said the alternative service would still remain part of the city’s transit picture at a December C4 committee meeting. The council will also discuss potential names and logos for a potential city-led transit service at the meeting.
