Government
BY JACQUELYN BURRER
Plano weighs alternative transit options
Transit option rating results Via, RideCo and Spare were rated on a scale of 1 (worst) to 5 (best) in several categories, with access, integration and reliability set as top priorities.
Plano City Council received a split recommen- dation Dec. 16 from the Collin County Connects Committee on alternative transit options as voters prepare to decide the city’s future with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system in a May special election. The committee was tasked with making a recom- mendation on alternative transit and concluded its work without a formal consensus due to questions about cost, coverage and paratransit. What happened Director of Policy and Government Relations Andrew Fortune said half of the committee mem- bers participated in the rankings, while the other half provided written comments instead. The city is currently in the procurement process for alternative transit partners, including Via, RideCo and Spare. However, Fortune said the city was recently notified that Spare has withdrawn from the process. Via is a “one-stop-shop” for microtransit and
paratransit services, whereas RideCo and Spare offer software that coordinates with vendors to provide transit services, according to city documents. Zooming in During the committee’s Dec. 11 meeting, commit- tee member Brett Cooper passed out a four-page document, detailing that the committee “has not been provided with sufficient information to make a recommendation on any of the vendors.” According to city documents, eight members of the committee signed on to the alternative report. “We decline to make a recommendation on the vendors, as we have not been allowed to vet them in sufficient detail to reveal distinctions that would set them apart from one another,” the report states. What’s next? Plano residents are set to vote May 2 on whether the city should stay with DART unless the city and agency reach an agreement prior to March 18.
Priority
Via
RideCo Spare*
Service coverage and access Integration with regional transit
3.36 3.43 4.00
3
2
3.29
Reliability and wait times 3
3
3.5
*SPARE HAS WITHDRAWN FROM THE PROCESS.
Looking ahead
Jan. 26 or Feb. 16: Council consideration of vendor February or March: Alternative transit service starts March 18: Last day to rescind election call May 2: Plano’s DART withdrawal special election May 3: DART service stops or remains in Plano Sept. 30: Extend or end contract with alternative transit service
SOURCE: CITY OF PLANO/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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