TX: What to know about Plano Rides, Via's microtransit service to supplement DART

Starting next month, seniors will have another option to get around Plano.

Plano Rides, a microtransit service operated by the transportation company Via, will begin drop-offs and pick ups on May 4 for Plano residents 65 and older for $1.50 per ride.

The service is the city's effort to supplement what Dallas Area Rapid Transit provides the suburb. Tensions rose to a boiling point over DART service last year when Plano and five other member cities called elections to leave the agency over concerns that their residents were paying too much sales tax for inadequate and inefficient service, among other qualms.

Plano, Irving and Farmers Branch leaders canceled their elections after coming to compromises on plans to change the agency's governance and funding, including an agreement to receive some sales tax the city pays into the system back for its own transportation needs.

But Plano leaders are still looking for ways to improve public transportation.

"We want to reimagine transportation here in the city of Plano," Plano Assistant City Manager Curtis Howard said at a forum for Plano Rides on Wednesday. "We are looking at how our relationship with ... transportation entities in the North Texas region can be leveraged in an effort to provide these transportation options for citizens."

While Plano residents can still use DART's paratransit, on-demand GoLink, train and bus services, Plano Rides is intended to supplement the agency's offerings with an eye toward senior residents.

Plano approved a nearly $4 million, six-month initial contract with transportation software company Via, the same company Arlington works with to provide on-demand, rideshare-style service. Via also operates in Fort Worth. The Plano City Council approved three one-year automatic renewals of the contract for an annual estimated cost of $8 million.

Here's what to know about Plano Rides.

Hitching a ride

Plano Rides is not designed as a paratransit service for people with disabilities, although its fleet includes six wheelchair-accessible vehicles. DART will continue providing paratransit services in Plano.

The service for older adults will include a fleet of 22 vehicles. Plano residents 65 and older can use an app, website or call the service to get a ride on-demand. The service will operate citywide, as well as in a 1.5-mile buffer around city limits.

Rides will be shared with others traveling in the same direction. The car will pick residents up at the curb and drop them off at a curb at their destination.

Rides are $1.50 each and will be available from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends and holidays starting May 4.

Cynthia Scott, 77, lives in Plano and attended the forum on Plano Rides. She wants to make sure the service is safe to use, and currently uses Uber to get to most places.

"When you're retired, like I am, some of the prices are pretty steep," she said. "It's nice that the city is willing to open this opportunity for us. That will get seniors out more often [instead of] having to stay behind because we don't have a ride or we don't drive."

Joy Hinkelman is the executive director of the Wellness Center for Older Adults in Plano and attended the forum on the Plano Rides service Wednesday. She said she has concerns over the service's shared vehicles and potential delays, but is happy the city is providing a new option for seniors after a DART program for seniors in Plano ended last summer.

"The city of Plano has stepped up," Hinkelman said. "It's not a competition or cutting anybody out. Let's work together. Let's collaborate and make sure that we're doing what's best for the community."

Hinkelman said this service will keep older adults safe without having to rely on family or friends.

"Some of them know they don't need to be driving, but they still drive because they have to get places," she said. "Having that ability to do that ... helps them with that independence that they're not ready to give up yet."

In addition to services for seniors, Plano Rides will also offer a circulator at the Shops at Legacy and Legacy West, with two fixed routes connecting business campuses with both districts. Via is still finalizing service hours, fares, routes and stop locations for the circulator service.

Drivers are recruited locally and trained by the company, according to a Via representative, and are paid a "competitive wage" at an hourly rate.

Engagement and education will continue, officials said, with workshops, events, tabling sessions and pop-ups to inform the public on transportation options. Via's service could be adjusted over time.

"They are flexible," Howard, the assistant city manager, said. "We have that ability to look at what our demand is and change as needed."

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