Transit FAQ

When DART was created in 1983, it required cities to devote a 1 cent sales tax in order to participate, which Grand Prairie elected to reserve and use for other purposes. In order to join now, cities have to devote the 1 cent sales tax by vote of the people. Grand Prairie does not have a 1 cent sales tax available for this purpose. But Grand Prairie does have a Park and Ride on I-30 east of Belt Line. And the city is in discussions with DART to serve the lot in the future. The West Irving Light Rail station also serves Grand Prairie near Belt Line and Rock Island.

The Grand Connection transit system serves those who are at least 60 years of age or have a physical or mental disability.

If you are 60 years or older, you must provide proof of age (a copy of your state issued drivers license, a stated issued identification card or a birth certificate will meet this requirement).

An individual with a physical or mental disability, must have a physician or your licensed health care professional complete and verify Part V of the application. If you are a Medicaid applicant, please mark it on the application. We will verify your Medicaid status with the Texas Department of Health and Human Services Transportation Department.

The Grand Connection does not charge for rides. All rides are free, including work and school trips.

All trips requests must be made at least TWO (2) WORKING DAYS IN ADVANCE of the day you wish to travel. You may call up to two (2) weeks in advance of the trip. Please call the dispatch line at 972-237-8546. Give us a detailed message regarding your trip request.

You must give the following information to the Dispatcher when requesting a trip:

1. Your name and phone number
2. Address of your pick-up point-including the building name of your apartment complex
3. Address of your destination-including the doctor's name, building name/number, suite/room number
4. Day and date of travel
5. Pick-up time preferred, appointment time, length of time needed and preferred time for a return trip.

Passengers are limited to five (5) carry-on packages. Each package must be equal to, or be smaller, than a brown paper grocery bag and packages are limited to 10 pounds each.

Driver assistance in loading or unloading is not required, therefore, please plan to carry only items which you can manage independently.

Passengers on the Grand Connection may travel with one (1) companion, if space is available. The companion must travel to the same location as the passenger and will not be permitted to depart the vehicle at a difference location. Companions must be 16 years of age or older, unless an exception is approved by the Transit Coordinator or by the Transportation Services Director in writing (emergency cases only may be approved by verbal approval).

If a passenger requires assistance while traveling, they may have a Personal Care Attendant (PCA) travel with them. The PCA must be 16 years of age or older, unless an exception is approved by the Transit Coordinator or by the Transportation Services Director, in writing (emergency cases only may be approved by verbal approval).

Yes, in compliance with the ADA, service animals* are welcome on any Grand Connection buses and all buildings on company property and may attend any meeting or other event. There may be an exception to certain areas.

*According to the ADA, a service animal is defined as "any animal individually trained to work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals to an impending seizure or protecting individuals during one, and alerting individuals who are hearing impaired to intruders, or pulling a wheelchair and fetching dropped items."

If you travel to the same place on a routine schedule, you may wish to request a "Subscription Service." This eliminates the need to continually request a trip. It automatically places your trips on the schedule. These are generally established for work, school, Nutrition Program, Dialysis Center or therapy trips as well as other places individuals travel to on a regular basis.

At the present time, we take dialysis patients to Irving Dialysis for treatment, as space is available. If you need this type of subscription service, please contact the Dispatcher for availability.

Subscription Service capacity is limited and offered only on first come, first served basis. If there is no space available at the time you wish to travel, you will be put on a waiting list until that time slot becomes available.

Monday through Friday 4:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Saturday: no service

Sunday: no service

During severe weather, The Grand Connection may cancel or delay operations, if it is deemed unsafe to operate. We also do not operate on the following city holidays:

New Year's Day
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving - Thursday and Friday
Christmas

Customer satisfaction is the number one goal of The Grand Connection. Please let us know how we are doing! Every transit vehicle is supplied with Customer Comment Cards. They will be distributed, upon request, to any passenger or PCA with a complaint or a commendation. Customers will receive a response with two (2) business days of receipt of the Customer Comment Card.

Smoking, eating or drinking is not permitted on the transit vehicles. Passengers who carry handguns on The Grand Connection, whether concealed or openly carried, shall do so in accordance with and subject to Chapter 411 of the Texas Government Code and other applicable law.

Passengers must wear seatbelts at all times. Individuals utilizing wheelchairs must allow the drivers to properly secure the wheelchair with the appropriate securing devices.

Abusive behavior or language will not be tolerated. Each violation will be examined and handled on an individual basis.

The dispatcher will call you to confirm the times of your trips. The driver may arrive 15 minutes before or after the scheduled time. For instance, if your pickup time is scheduled for 12:00 p.m., the driver may arrive between 11:45 a.m. and 12:15 p.m., depending on how much time the previous trip pickup required. The driver is required to wait only 5 minutes after they arrive within the scheduled time window. If you miss your trip, it will be recorded as a "No-Show" and your return trip will be automatically canceled.

You may be placed on probation if on three (3) occasions in a 6 month period you fail to show or you do not call to cancel a requested trip before the driver arrives. If the abuse continues, you may be placed on suspension. After the suspension, you may be required to re-apply for transportation service requests.