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Irving weighs microtransit future as DART governance fight tightens before May 2 ballot
Summary
Irving officials reviewed microtransit/paratransit options and DART governance concerns, citing an RFI with eight respondents and a $2M state grant for Campion Trails; council members urged clarity on impacts for transit‑dependent riders and noted a Feb. 27 ballot‑printing deadline for DART items.
Irving city staff updated the City Council on the city’s work to evaluate microtransit and paratransit alternatives and pressed DART for a governance response ahead of a May 2 election.
Mayor Rick Stover and staff said the city issued a request for information (RFI) for turnkey microtransit and paratransit services on Nov. 21 and closed it Dec. 19; staff reported eight respondents and a shortlist of three vendors for further study. “It is citywide; it includes both microtransit and paratransit,” Melissa Baker, public works manager, told the council, describing the RFI evaluation criteria and next steps for community outreach.
Council members focused on potential service impacts for riders who rely on paratransit. The council heard staff estimates that 47 Irving residents use dialysis three days a week at a single clinic and stressed the need to protect medical trips. Speaker 7 cautioned, “We have people who need public transit in the city,” urging stronger engagement with DART.
Councilors also pushed for faster answers from DART’s board about governance changes the region’s cities seek. Speaker 3 (city management) said the mayor and managers’ working group is promoting a governance model that would ensure every member city has at least one seat and one full vote and prevent a single city from holding a full majority. Staff reported that Dallas Transportation Committee would discuss governance and that the city manager aims to bring an alternative to council before the legal deadline to remove the DART ballot item.
Timing factored into council questions: Dallas County staff told the city Feb. 27 is the deadline for removing the DART item before ballots are printed; special‑election extensions to March 6 do not change that print date. Mayor Stover said the council may still consider approving a governance resolution to present a unified regional position to the legislature.
What’s next: staff will continue vendor outreach and community engagement and report back to council as the city develops options and a proposed governance position ahead of the Feb. 27 ballot‑printing deadline.
