University Park city leaders plan to keep paratransit services rolling if residents vote in May to withdraw from Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART).
Staffers have been researching paratransit options since a city council vote earlier this year that authorized University Park to provide services itself in the event of DART withdrawal.
During a March 17 meeting, council members heard from representatives of Via, which already partners with the cities of Arlington and Grand Prairie, the Denton County Transportation Authority, and the Trinity Metro to provide transportation services.
Via representatives explained that the company would offer University Park its own, fully dedicated fleet. In addition to serving paratransit riders, the city would have the option of making Via’s microtransit services available to other members of the public.
Drivers would be trained in how to deliver door-to-door services for paratransit riders, and vehicles would be retrofitted with rear-entry wheelchair lifts. Riders would be able to book rides themselves with an app or by calling a dedicated phone line.
Via representatives said that paratransit rides would each cost the city in the upper $40 to $50 range, depending on distance and the number of rides per vehicle. General microtransit rides would be about $15 to $20.
If University Park remains a member of DART, it will send about $8 million to the transit agency in the next fiscal year, City Manager Robbie Corder said during the February State of the City address.
According to DART data, the total number of University Park paratransit rides annually was 1,514 in fiscal year 2023, 1,727 in fiscal year 2024, and 702 in fiscal year 2025. The sharp decline in the number of rides in 2025 was due to a change in DART’s methodology, explained special projects coordinator Amanda Hartwick.
“The end goal here is that in May, when the election takes place, if withdrawal is successful, we’ll be able to provide a seamless transition for those riders that depend on service,” she said.
The University Park City Council is slated to consider a contract with Via at its April 7 meeting.
Also during the March 17 meeting, the city proclaimed Friday, March 20, as Celebration of Story Day in University Park. World Storytelling Day is a global celebration observed annually on the vernal equinox, the proclamation explained.