The city of McKinney, the McKinney Urban Transit District and the Denton County Transportation Authority together provide Collin County Transit, a subsidized tax voucher program. This program provides transportation options for participating cities, which include Celina, Lowry Crossing, McKinney, Melissa, Princeton and Prosper.
In addition to living in a participating city, individuals who qualify to use the taxi voucher program must be 65 years or older, have a disability, or meet certain low-income criteria.
Riders using the system have had a variable fare, with the rider paying 25% of the fee and Collin County Transit shouldering the rest of the fee. But at the April 15 MUTD meeting the board gave the green light for a six-month pilot program that would introduce a $3 flat fare for riders.
Moving to a system where riders pay a flat fare for their trip is expected to boost weekly ridership by 30-40%, according to meeting documents.
The McKinney Urban Transit District looked at two flat-fare models, one for a $2 flat rate and one for a $3 flat rate. While the $2 flat rate was predicted to bring in more riders, it would also increase the cost to Collin County Transit for servicing these trips by 35% compared to the current pricing, according to meeting documents. The $3 flat rate increased costs by 19%.
Documents showed the best value for money option for Collin County Transit would be to introduce the $3 flat rate.
Collin County Transit plans to switch from its existing model to the flat fare in early summer, officials said. This payment model will be in place for six months, according to meeting documents. During this time the MUTD board will evaluate the program’s success and could remodel the program based on its performance.
“This makes all the sense in the world and I would be curious to see how the $3 fare plays out,” board member La’Shadion Shemwell said.
Editor's note: The original post has been edited to correct an error. Collin County Transit will implement an early summer start date for the flat fare.
