Mckinney Courier-gazette > News
Collin County Area Regional Transit will begin charging riders
FARES: Residents react to changes in the bus system
By Jim Kilpatrick, McKinney Courier-Gazette
McKINNEY -- The Collin County Area Regional Transit service will begin charging customers for their rides starting in May -- and some of the seniors who are the most affected are not happy about it.
The new fares will be 50 cents for passengers who are handicapped or over 60 years old, and $1 for everyone else.
“It may not seem to be a lot to most people, but to our population [seniors] it is a lot,” said Marilyn Stidham, executive director of the Collin County Committee on Aging. We will transport about 275,000 people over a million miles this year. We take them to work, medical appointments and shopping. These are all the vital things people do every day.”
But public officials believe they are doing the right thing creating the fare system.
“The way the Federal Transit Administration and the State look at it is that public transportation is not free,” Director of Transportation for CCART Ronald “Rep” Pledger said. “There is a push that there should be a fare for everything that deals with public Transportation.”
Residents are invited to share their views on the new fare system at a public meeting at McKinney City Hall at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 16.
They are not the only changes being imposed. Also included are termination of weekend routes, having all five routes meet at the CCART offices every hour, having the Route 500 shadow the 100 route and color-coordinating brochures and street signs, Pledger said. These changes take place Nov. 15..
Pledger urged people to show up at the meeting to look at the proposed routes and make suggestions.
“We want input,” Pledger said.
David Henry of McKinney is a regular rider of CCART and considers it the easiest way and the quickest way to work.
“I didn’t know they were going to have to start charging to ride, but I can understand why,” he said. “It’s not going to change me riding the bus.”
Evelyn Box of McKinney knew about the new fare rate and knew it would affect her.
“It will in some ways because I am on a fixed income,” Box said. “In the first of the month it won’t affect me but in the middle and end of the month it will.”
She also will keep riding the bus, she said.
It would be naive to think the fares won’t affect some riders, Pledger said. But ultimately, if people need the bus system, they will use it, he added.
“I’m sure they will, but I think it will actually put more folks on there then are actually using the transportation to get to work,” he said.
CCART’s growth began because of the growth of McKinney, according to officials.
When the population of McKinney grew to over 50,000 people in the 2000 census, the Federal Transit Administration notified the state that McKinney had a transportation issue and provided money to handle the issue.
“CCART had already started running fixed route in the city of McKinney,” Pledger said. “They were doing it without anything to do with the city.”
CCART volunteered to run the transportation system for the city and new routes were opened in 2003. Routes 100, 200 and 300 were established in 2003.
“The first pot of money didn’t arrive until 2004,” Pledger said. “Until that time they [CCART] were paying for it in anyway they could pay for it.”
Routes 400 and 500 were activated on Oct. 30, 2006.
During the month of September CCART reported a total of 11,682 riders with Route 100 carrying the most riders at 5,122.
“We generally have a larger number of A.M. riders then P.M. riders,” Pledger said.
CCART’s hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
The primary target for CCART is providing public transportation to the general public for individuals 14-year-old and older. Infants under 5 years or 40 pounds can also ride, secured in a passenger-provide child carrier and must be accompanied by a guardian 18 years of age or older.
Contact Jim Kilpatrick at jkilpatrick@acnpapers.com.
By Jim Kilpatrick, McKinney Courier-Gazette
McKINNEY -- The Collin County Area Regional Transit service will begin charging customers for their rides starting in May -- and some of the seniors who are the most affected are not happy about it.
The new fares will be 50 cents for passengers who are handicapped or over 60 years old, and $1 for everyone else.
“It may not seem to be a lot to most people, but to our population [seniors] it is a lot,” said Marilyn Stidham, executive director of the Collin County Committee on Aging. We will transport about 275,000 people over a million miles this year. We take them to work, medical appointments and shopping. These are all the vital things people do every day.”
But public officials believe they are doing the right thing creating the fare system.
“The way the Federal Transit Administration and the State look at it is that public transportation is not free,” Director of Transportation for CCART Ronald “Rep” Pledger said. “There is a push that there should be a fare for everything that deals with public Transportation.”
Residents are invited to share their views on the new fare system at a public meeting at McKinney City Hall at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 16.
They are not the only changes being imposed. Also included are termination of weekend routes, having all five routes meet at the CCART offices every hour, having the Route 500 shadow the 100 route and color-coordinating brochures and street signs, Pledger said. These changes take place Nov. 15..
Pledger urged people to show up at the meeting to look at the proposed routes and make suggestions.
“We want input,” Pledger said.
David Henry of McKinney is a regular rider of CCART and considers it the easiest way and the quickest way to work.
“I didn’t know they were going to have to start charging to ride, but I can understand why,” he said. “It’s not going to change me riding the bus.”
Evelyn Box of McKinney knew about the new fare rate and knew it would affect her.
“It will in some ways because I am on a fixed income,” Box said. “In the first of the month it won’t affect me but in the middle and end of the month it will.”
She also will keep riding the bus, she said.
It would be naive to think the fares won’t affect some riders, Pledger said. But ultimately, if people need the bus system, they will use it, he added.
“I’m sure they will, but I think it will actually put more folks on there then are actually using the transportation to get to work,” he said.
CCART’s growth began because of the growth of McKinney, according to officials.
When the population of McKinney grew to over 50,000 people in the 2000 census, the Federal Transit Administration notified the state that McKinney had a transportation issue and provided money to handle the issue.
“CCART had already started running fixed route in the city of McKinney,” Pledger said. “They were doing it without anything to do with the city.”
CCART volunteered to run the transportation system for the city and new routes were opened in 2003. Routes 100, 200 and 300 were established in 2003.
“The first pot of money didn’t arrive until 2004,” Pledger said. “Until that time they [CCART] were paying for it in anyway they could pay for it.”
Routes 400 and 500 were activated on Oct. 30, 2006.
During the month of September CCART reported a total of 11,682 riders with Route 100 carrying the most riders at 5,122.
“We generally have a larger number of A.M. riders then P.M. riders,” Pledger said.
CCART’s hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
The primary target for CCART is providing public transportation to the general public for individuals 14-year-old and older. Infants under 5 years or 40 pounds can also ride, secured in a passenger-provide child carrier and must be accompanied by a guardian 18 years of age or older.
Contact Jim Kilpatrick at jkilpatrick@acnpapers.com.
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