Collin County Connects Committee members dissent against alternative options proposed

Plano’s 4C wraps up without making a recommendation

PLANO, Texas, December 11, 2025 — Dallas Area Transit Alliance (DATA) commends the efforts of the Collin County Connects Committee to forge a path forward despite numerous roadblocks and a lack of information. The disarray and confusion during the committee proceedings demonstrates what transit riders have known from the beginning: Plano has no realistic plan to replace DART, and attempting to do so would harm thousands who rely on dependable regional transportation every day.

DATA monitored this vendor selection process with cautious optimism. We hoped the city would present a serious, data driven vision for how it would meet the mobility needs of Plano residents if it withdraws from DART. Instead, what unfolded over the last month revealed deep, structural gaps in the city’s approach.

There was never a functional plan. The committee was appointed and then given just two weeks to make a vendor recommendation, an objectively unreasonable timeframe for designing or evaluating any transit network.

Committee members were subjected to sales pitches, not service plans. The microtransit vendors presented glossy marketing decks devoid of essential information - no firm numbers on passenger capacity, no meaningful service-level data, and no transparent pricing models. Details about how paratransit riders would access services outside of Plano were lacking, and the solutions proposed for riders entering and leaving Plano were unsatisfactory.

Committee Member Nathan Adam, in a written statement to DATA, said, “The city has failed to provide us with key metrics for each vendor, including total cost and estimated capacity, and has prevented us from asking the vendors for this information. Without these figures, I am not convinced that $4 million or even $8 million will be enough to fund a transit system adequate enough to replace DART. People will be left behind, despite the city’s promises. During the meetings, I was unable to evaluate how the vendors will spend the money to best minimize the disruption. This is why I am not recommending any vendor to the city council.”

In the end, an alarming premise was pushed to the committee: that the committee members should rank paratransit users, seniors, the economically disadvantaged, downtown travelers, business travelers, and standard transit riders to determine who deserves priority on service and affordability. Public transit is a public service. It is built to serve everyone, not to pick winners and losers based on arbitrary prioritization exercises. Good governance demands better leadership. Asking volunteers to determine the future of mobility for 300,000 residents in less than a month without clear data, objective analysis, or real-world modeling is not responsible policymaking.

For decades, Plano has promoted themselves as a disability-friendly city. We believe the city’s current actions will negatively impact the many residents who moved to Plano because of its robust disability services. These less than ambulatory residents will lose access to DART’s expansive paratransit service zone. Residents outside DART’s service area are limited to 21 one-way DART paratransit trips per year. Regardless of which vendor Plano selects, with this meager budget, if Plano leaves DART, paratransit users will no longer be able to regularly access DART’s paratransit service and geographic coverage.

Tonight, 8 of the 13 committee members recognized these failures and made the only reasonable recommendation: to not select a vendor, and to not move forward with withdrawal.

DATA urges the Plano City Council to accept what this process has made abundantly clear: Building a public transportation system from scratch is extraordinarily complex. It requires years of study, testing, modeling, and regional coordination. It is not something that can be replicated through rushed committees or unproven microtransit pilots with no other mobility options.

Instead of counting dollars and cents in isolation, Plano should come back to the table with DART and work collaboratively on enhancing mobility for everyone in the region. Riders deserve thoughtful long-term planning, not shortcuts that leave them stranded.

DATA commends the committee members who devoted their time, asked difficult questions, and demanded real answers. Their decision protects thousands of riders, workers, students, seniors, and people with disabilities who depend on DART every day.

Public transit works best when cities work together. Tonight, Plano citizens took an important step toward reaffirming that commitment. DATA is concerned that, for all the efforts to forge a path forward, the council will continue with their original plan and not accept the committee’s input.

About Dallas Area Transit Alliance

The Dallas Area Transit Alliance (DATA) is a grassroots organization dedicated to preserving and advancing public transit in the service area of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). Founded in 2024, DATA advocates for the continued funding and improvement of services, ensuring that all residents have access to safe, reliable, and efficient public transportation.

Dallas Area Transit Alliance (DATA) is a rider-run advocacy group that is not affiliated with Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) or any other transit or government agency.

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Chelsea Limboy

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