News

DART plans to make changes to service on November 24, 2024, and wants feedback on how these changes could impact you. The changes include:

Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) and its governing body, the DART Commission, have launched an 18-month collaborative effort to establish a shared vision for how public transit can meet communities’ needs and connect people to vital destinations across a growing region.

DART made minor schedule changes to several local and express bus routes in late August.

The following routes were impacted: 

The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) provided 3,504,072 rides across all transit services in Fiscal Year 2024 (July 2023 – June 2024), an increase of nearly 9% from the previous year.

Ridership grew on several DART services last year:  

DART is updating its Park & Ride locations across Greater Des Moines. Two new locations have been added, while several are no longer available. 

DART partners with the owners of each Park & Ride location to offer free parking near a bus stop. Look for the Park & Ride sign in each of the designated lots.  

DART plans to make several changes affecting customers on July 1, 2024. Scroll down to read about each change and why it is occurring. 
 

No Wi-Fi on Buses 

Wi-Fi will no longer be available on any DART bus effective July 1, 2024. Customers can use Wi-Fi for free at DART Central Station. 

DART’s Ride to Thrive program allows people who receive food assistance, housing assistance or workforce assistance to pay about half the cost of a regular bus fare. Riders who use this program must re-enroll every two years. Many Ride to Thrive customers will need to re-enroll in the program beginning July 1, 2024. 

On May 18, DART held its annual Roadeo competition, a timed driving skills course. Twenty competitors, from all over DART, participated to showcase their talents behind the wheel of a 40-foot and/or a smaller On Demand bus.

Here are the winners from the 2024 DART Roadeo:

Please note: The public input meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday, May 28, 2024, due to the threat of severe weather on May 21.

DART plans to increase the cost for riding DART On Demand, starting July 1, 2024. 

The Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) Policy Committee awarded DART $3.6 million from its Carbon Reduction Program last week. These one-time funds will go to DART’s capital budget, allowing the organization to purchase buses, and provide flexibility to use more federal funds for operating expenses. At today’s DART budget hearing, the DART Commission voted to use the equivalent amount of federal funds to fill a budget gap and to maintain services for two years, while the Commission engages member communities in planning for longer-term stability.