TAPS Suspends Bus Service in Collin County Indefinitely

A public transit service in North Texas will eliminate most bus and van routes amid money troubles.

The Texoma Area Paratransit System board voted Friday to limit most service to people requiring medical trips. The move effectively ends fixed-route service for McKinney, Sherman and Denison.

TAPS reached out NBC DFW to make sure riders understand with the immediate indefinite suspension, buses will not run in Collin County as expected on Monday.

"There is hope that we could be back up and running with a 'regular' schedule this spring," said TAPS public information officer Dan Acree.

The Dallas Morning News reports the Sherman-based agency, known as TAPS Public Transit, has more than $4 million in overdue bills, including payroll taxes overdue.

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission on Thursday dropped its contract with the system amid solvency concerns. The Office of Inspector General has begun an investigation into whether funds were mismanaged.

The Herald Democrat reports the system previously spent $200,000 weekly for transit operations. That will drop to about $5,200 per day, with layoffs expected in the 200-person workforce.

NBC 5's Meredith Yeomans contributed to this report.
 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us