The City of McKinney has unveiled a new shuttle to help with downtown parking problems.
The Downtown Area Shuttle, casually referred to as DASH, can be flagged down by a simple wave of the hand around the downtown square during peak shopping and dining hours. Amy Rosenthal with McKinney Main Street says the car fits up to five riders and costs just three cents a day to operate.
“It’s an electric car,” said Rosenthal. “It is street legal. It’s larger than a golf cart but it’s not a full size van by any means. It has a real cute look.”
The McKinney DASH, Downtown Area Shuttle, will help alleviate downtown parking congestion by offering free rides to downtown visitors’ walking to and from parking lots surrounding the square during peak dining and shopping hours. The DASH operates for free because of contributions from the McKinney Convention and Visitors Bureau, the McKinney Community Development Corporation, and sponsorships from local businesses. The electric car is economically and environmentally savvy with daily operations costing as little as three cents per day.
Rosenthal said Downtown McKinney is quickly growing, but the addition of a new mix use development has made parking more difficult.
“It’s being built on what was our largest free unlimited parking lot,” Rosenthal said. “So we lost about 500 parking spaces.”
Rosenthal said there is additional parking in downtown but it is often difficult for a visitor to know where to go. The hope is that the shuttle will make navigating the downtown square a little easier.
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