McKinney Avenue Transit Authority (MATA)

McKinney Avenue Transit Authority (MATA) celebrates its 30th year in 2019 with a $368,000 Sun Club donation. The M-Line’s air-conditioned and heated vintage trolleys operate 365 days a year, providing safe, clean, reliable, and convenient public transportation free of charge in Dallas’s vibrant Uptown neighborhood. This year MATA will focus on long-term sustainability. Sun Club was able to help in many ways.

On the trolley barn, a 40 kW rooftop solar array will offset 20 percent of total usage, saving MATA $18,500 each year. Before installing the solar, the trolley barn will get a new “Cool Coat” energy-efficient roof, reducing energy costs by an additional 20 percent.

The restored trolley cars had antiquated heating and cooling units that could not keep up with hot Dallas summers and cold Dallas winters. Replacing these units will provide greater comfort to travelers and annual savings of $12,800. Tinting both the trolley cars and the trolley barn will reduce 99 percent of UV rays, resulting in annual savings of $3,000.

Finally, converting lights to LEDs will result in annual energy and maintenance savings of $1,700 for MATA to reinvest in its mission to extend this service to a broader area in downtown Dallas while maintaining its unique, historic ambiance and character.