However, the real estate market in the Dallas area suffered a major downturn in the late 1980s. Development of the Las Colinas Urban Center slowed, and there has been no need to extend the APT system beyond its initial 1.5-mile segment. Ridership was so low and financial problems became so severe that the system shut down completely from July 1993 to December 1996.

Since its re-opening, the APT has operated only from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm on weekdays, with two cars, one for each route. Operation is now completely manual, with cars running on demand. An operator in each car uses controls intended for emergency or maintainance use, that are normally hidden behind a panel in the seats. A third employee in the former automated control center monitors video cameras in the stations and notifies the car operators via hand-held radios when passengers arrive.