Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transit Ridership topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Transit staff report November ridership dip, highlight stable trip lengths and improved no-show rates
Summary
DART project manager Ryan McCutcheon told the board ridership fell in November—average trips per unique rider dropped from 15 to 12—and highlighted strong operational KPIs including low no-show rates and stable trip duration around 17 minutes.
Ryan McCutcheon, project manager in service planning and scheduling for DART and manager of the McKinney Urban Transit District shared‑ride service, told the board the Collin County Transit program experienced a decline in ridership in November, primarily because the month included only 18 weekdays around Thanksgiving. "Over the last few months we finally experienced a decline in our ridership," McCutcheon said, adding that average trips per unique rider fell from 15 in October to 12 in November and that the program's heaviest users (those taking more than 50 trips per month) also declined.
McCutcheon said several service metrics remain healthy: no‑show rates have trended downward and staff aim for a no‑show rate below 5 percent; he reported being at "0.5 of that in the year of 2025." Average trip distance is just over seven miles, trip duration averages about 17 minutes, and the program logged nearly 450 unique riders per month in 2025. McCutcheon emphasized operational changes meant to improve customer experience—adding Lyft and Uber as non‑dedicated options alongside wheelchair‑accessible vehicles has reduced wait times—while warning that ridership fluctuations affect local match and budgeting decisions.
