Plano to place DART membership question on May 2, 2026 ballot; city outlines microtransit options

Plano officials said they will put a question on the May 2, 2026 ballot asking residents whether the city should remain a member of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). A city official said the council moved to place the measure on the ballot to let the community decide after about six years of work with DART to try to improve service for Plano.

"We were just placing it on the ballot. We're we were voting to place this on the ballot 05/02/2026 because we really felt like it was it was time to let our community help us make this decision on how we move forward with public transit," the staff member said. The official said the city has taken the issue to the legislature three times and framed the ballot as an opportunity for voter input ahead of another legislative cycle in 2026.

City officials and residents discussed fiscal and service consequences of a withdrawal. A resident asked how long the 1¢ sales-tax contribution would continue if Plano left DART and cited a large cumulative dollar figure during the discussion. The staff member said the sales tax contribution in some scenarios could remain for about seven to 10 years and observed that because the city cannot put the question to voters again for six years, the practical span of decision-making could extend across multiple future councils and residents.

Officials said low ridership on both buses and trains in Plano is a primary driver of the city—s review. "We're really concerned about the routes that DART has in Plano and the lack of ridership that we have, not only in our buses, but in our trains as well," the staff member said. The staff member said first-mile/last-mile gaps disproportionately affect seniors and people with disabilities and that the city wants to explore door-to-door options using smaller, more flexible vehicle types.

City staff described a negotiation window with DART. The staff member said the city has until roughly Feb. 15 to reach an agreement before the 45-day period during which the ballot question cannot be withdrawn ahead of the May 2 election, giving the city several weeks to continue talks with DART and potentially remove the question if a negotiated solution is reached.

On infrastructure, staff said Plano would like to retain use of existing rail and is negotiating with DART to keep rail access while taking responsibility for microtransit inside the city and discontinuing bus service. "We would love to keep the rail and we're we're talking to Dart about negotiating in that that realm of being able to keep the rail and and really letting us deal with the micro transit in the city and eliminating the bus services," the staff member said. If the city and DART cannot reach an agreement, staff said they would arrange local services that connect residents to rail hubs in neighboring cities such as Richardson or Addison.

Staff described alternatives the city is studying, including app-based microtransit services. The official said options include Uber-like services and the Via platform and that city staff will meet with vendors to evaluate vehicle types and accessibility. "Uber based would be 1 option. Via would be another option. We're gonna have meetings with them, actually in just a few days," the staff member said. Officials said vendors offer varied vehicle types intended to address paratransit needs and senior door-to-door trips.

Officials also noted regional health-care travel as a planning challenge. The staff member said Plano has five hospitals and that many specialized medical destinations are in Dallas, Lewisville or Carrollton, requiring solutions for longer trips as well as local errands.

On event planning, staff said Plano does not have a designated World Cup hotel but noted that hotels are reserving rooms for fans and committed to minimizing disruptions to travel between Plano and event sites in Arlington.

City staff said they will begin planning for alternatives immediately regardless of the May 2 vote, while continuing negotiations with DART. The staff member said the city seeks ways to lower the 1¢ burden shared by DART member cities and to expand membership as part of finding a more affordable regionwide solution.

No formal vote or final action on withdrawal was recorded during the public Q&A portion of the meeting excerpt.