Plano council tables Via contract, hears residents warn of DART loss
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Summary
Council paused votes on alternative transit procurement to await results of ongoing DART negotiations and heard multiple public comments warning that withdrawing from DART could harm riders who rely on bus and paratransit service; staff recommended tabling Items 1 and 2 to the Feb. 23 meeting.
The Plano City Council on Feb. 2026 tabled two agenda items tied to alternative transit procurement after staff advised council to wait for outcomes from ongoing negotiations with Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART).
An item before council (Agenda Item 1) sought approval to purchase alternative transit services from Via Transportation Inc. with an initial six‑month term, three one‑year automatic renewals, an initial expenditure of $3,952,247 and an estimated annual cost of $8,000,000 for renewals. Staff said a proposal from the chair of the DART board had emerged in recent weeks and recommended tabling Item 1 and the companion Item 2 until Feb. 23 to allow those regional negotiations to play out. Council voted 7–0 to table both items.
Public commenters urged caution before severing or diminishing DART service. Amber Chaffin, director of Keep DART in Plano, asked council members to ride DART and hear from residents who rely on bus routes and GoLink micro‑transit, warning that removal from DART could force low‑income riders and families to move or lose access to Plano ISD schools. "There are serious concerns that she may have to move and take her kids out of the city of Plano, out of Plano ISD due to, if Plano were to lose DART services," Chaffin said.
Mary Witherspoon, who said she uses paratransit and DART to access Plano medical providers, told council that withdrawing from a regional transit system creates barriers for people with disabilities. "When cities withdraw from a regional transit system, barriers are created, especially for those of us who cannot drive," she said.
City staff described ongoing, multi‑city discussions among managers and council leadership and said the next two weeks would be critical to determine whether the chair’s proposal would lead to a different path forward with DART. Given that uncertainty, the city opted not to finalize an alternative‑service contract on the night’s agenda.
Next steps: Council will revisit Items 1 and 2 at its Feb. 23 meeting pending additional information from DART and staff reports.