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Des Moines Area Regional Transit
Public transportation service in Iowa, US From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) operates mass transit service in Greater Des Moines. It is the largest public transit agency operating in the state of Iowa.[2]
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History
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DART was founded in 1973 as the Des Moines Metropolitan Transit Authority, commonly known as the MTA. Formed by a partnership of the cities of Des Moines, West Des Moines, Clive, Windsor Heights, and Urbandale. The MTA eventually developed a 14-county carpool and vanpool system in addition to its bus system.[3]
By 2006, population growth in varying regions of central Iowa led to Polk County and nineteen cities forming a regional transportation agency following changes to Iowa law in 2005.[4]
Sunday service was added for the first time in 2007. In 2008, a free shuttle linked downtown Des Moines with the Iowa State Capitol.
DART has offered a Park & Ride service during the Iowa State Fair since 2006.[5]
Free wifi connectivity began to be offered on all buses in 2018. This was implemented at the same time new fareboxes were installed, which required an internet connection.[6]
DART began a pilot electric bus program in October 2020, starting with seven Proterra Catalyst buses on route 60 (Ingersoll/University). The pilot program was funded by a grant from the Federal Transit Administration, with a local match from MidAmerican Energy.[7] Due to numerous issues with the buses, including suspension and weatherproofing issues, all seven buses were sidelined in fall 2022 shortly before their major manufacturer warranties expired. Despite attempts from Proterra technicians to address the issues, they were never fully resolved, and the buses were retired from the DART fleet in early 2025.[8][9]
DART is represented by a board of 12 Commissioners, one from each member government it serves. DART serves Altoona, Ankeny, Bondurant, Clive, Des Moines, Grimes, Johnston, Pleasant Hill, Urbandale, West Des Moines, Windsor Heights, and greater Polk County.
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Structure
DART utilizes a hub and spoke system, designed to favor commuters, as opposed to point-to-point system.[10] The network was redesigned in 2012 to utilize the new DART Central Station, which most local and express routes terminate at or pass through. A secondary hub around Valley West Mall connects multiple western routes. A northern crosstown route 50 (Euclid/Douglas Crosstown) was added in 2018.[11]
DART also has On Call routes that operate within specific zones in the Greater Des Moines area.
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DART Central Station
Located at 620 Cherry Street in downtown Des Moines, DART Central station serves as the primary hub of the DART system. The $21 million bus transfer station opened in November 2012 on the south end of downtown, ending decades of using Walnut Street as a transit mall.[12] DART Central Station has been certified LEED Platinum, the highest certification of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Rating System of the U.S. Green Building Council. The site was selected in part due to proximity of the historic Rock Island Railroad depot, which is hoped to have passenger rail service in the future.[13][14] It was designed by Substance Architecture, built by Weitz Construction, and contains both a bicycle storage room and a cafe.[12]
Routes
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Local routes
Express rush hour-only routes
Former routes
- 2 Kingman (Discontinued on June 8, 2004, due to budget crisis)[15]
- 9 Express Service (Split into Routes 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, and 96)[16]
- 12 Urbandale Business Park (Discontinued on April 25, 2010, due to budget crisis)[17]
- 51 Merle Hay Crosstown (merged with Route 5 on August 23, 2015)[18]
- 71 Ankeny / Delaware Avenue (Discontinued on November 23, 2012)[19]
- 73 Urbandale / Windsor Heights FLEX (peak only, 20-30 minutes; replaced by DART Flex Connect on October 13, 2019)[20]
- 90 Airport South Business Park Express (Discontinued on June 10, 2012; replaced by extension of Route 8)[21]
- 91 Merle Hay Express (Discontinued on October 1, 2017; replaced by extension of Route 5)[22]
- 97 SW Park Avenue Express (Discontinued on November 22, 2003, due to budget crisis)[23]
- Windsor Heights Express (replaced with new Urbandale Express and On Call Service on March 4, 2002)[24]
- Urbandale Express (replaced with new Urbandale Express and On Call Service on March 4, 2002)[25]
- Summer Special (replaced with new Urbandale Express and On Call Service on March 4, 2002)[26]
Shuttles
- The LINK (free)
- D-Line Shuttle discontinued November 2024
- Iowa State Fair Park & Ride Shuttle
Flex Connect in Urbandale/NW Des Moines
Flex Connect is a new on-demand service DART is testing that connects riders in the Flex Connect zone to DART buses. Flex Connect replaced Flex Route 73 in Urbandale and Windsor Heights.
With Flex Connect on weekdays, riders in the zone can book an Uber, YellowCabCo. taxi or a DART accessible vehicle to take them to and from one of three transfer points: Gloria Dei Park & Ride, Buccaneer Arena Park & Ride or Merle Hay Mall. From there, riders can connect to DART buses via routes 5, 14, 16, 50, 92 or 93.
On call
- Ankeny
- Bondurant
- Easter Lake
- Grimes
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Fares and Passes
Fares
The following fares are charged on the various services DART operates: [27]
Unlimited Ride Passes
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Fleet
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Fixed Route Ridership
The ridership and service statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response. Per capita statistics are based on the Des Moines urbanized area as reported in NTD data. Starting in 2011, 2010 census numbers replace the 2000 census numbers to calculate per capita statistics.[31]
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Gallery
2010 Orion VII NG #1020
2010 Orion VII EPA10 HEV #1028 (retired)
2013 New Flyer XDE35 #1029
2014 New Flyer XD40 #1413
2016 New Flyer XD40 #1630
2018 New Flyer XD35 #1809
2018 New Flyer XD40 #1813
2020 Gillig Low Floor Plus 29' #2012
2021 New Flyer XD40 #2016
2021 Gillig Low Floor Plus 29' #2103
2022 New Flyer XD40 #2113
2023 Gillig Low Floor Plus 29' #2303
2006 Orion VII #26442 (retired)
2008 Orion VII NG #28460
2010 Orion VII NG #1011 interior
2012 Orion VII EPA10 #1023 interior
2010 Orion VII EPA10 HEV #1028 interior
2016 New Flyer XD40 #1621 interior
2018 New Flyer XD35 #1810 interior
2008 Orion VII NG #28459 interior
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See also
References
External links
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