Collin County Transit — a partnership between the city of McKinney, the McKinney Urban Transit District and the Denton County Transportation Authority — will begin operating in the city of Celina. The service consists of a subsidized taxi voucher program that provides efficient transit options for participating MUTD cities including McKinney, Lowry Crossing, Melissa, Princeton and now Celina. For customers whose mobility device cannot be accommodated through the taxi voucher program, DCTA will directly provide demand-response service.
In addition to serving the city of Celina, the MUTD approved expanding Collin County Transit service hours and will now operate Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Trips can be booked 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. A variety of taxis operate Collin County Transit, including wheelchair accessible vehicles. A resident of one of the participating cities can apply for Collin County Transit via email, fax, phone or mail and must provide a completed application, signed terms and conditions, and copies of all required documentation. Irving Holdings, DCTA’s contractor, operates and manages the taxi voucher program.
“Expanding Collin County Transit service to the city of Celina is a great opportunity for DCTA to provide alternative transit options for a fast-growing community,” said Jim Cline, DCTA president. “In addition, we are excited to expand Collin County Transit service to Saturdays based on customer feedback given to MUTD.”
Customers can pay the fare for the taxi voucher program using a pre-issued taxi debit card that they can load a maximum of $100 each month (in $5 increments). The customer contribution will be matched three to one for a total value of up to $400 maximum per month. Taxi drivers will accept cash and credit card for any additional payments required.
The one-way taxi fare is based on the origin and destination requested by the customer. Basic meter rates apply:
- $2.25 is the boarding fare plus $1.80 per mile
- There is a traffic delay/waiting time charge of $.45 per every 1.5 minutes
- Riders may be responsible for any toll charges the trip may require (tolls may be paid using the debit card)
With Collin County Transit, residents are able to enjoy the convenience of regular taxi service at a fraction of the cost to get to popular destinations such as grocery stores, senior centers, libraries, Baylor Medical Center, Medical Center of McKinney and more.
