DART is developing a new long-term transit plan, by evaluating our services to see what’s working well for our riders, what improvements can be made and what innovative transit options will support growth throughout the cities of Johnston, Grimes and Urbandale and the entire region. The DART Board of Commissioners' four goals for the new long-term plan are to:
- Optimize DART’s existing service.
- Identify how to meet evolving transportation needs of the region.
- Evaluate innovative service models that embrace advancements in technology.
- Develop a long-term vision for DART to serve the central Iowa region into the future.
Below you will find a brief analysis of service for your community, along with potential improvements that could be made to some of DART’s current services to expand public transit access to more people. Your feedback is important to us, so please let us know what you think by completing our online survey.
Johnston, Grimes and Urbandale services
DART regularly tracks ridership across its routes and services, allowing us to monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of the transit system. The DART Board of Commissioners set targets for ridership, costs, and quality of service on all of DART’s Fixed Routes, known as DART’s Performance Standards. We use these metrics to track where additional investment is needed, where we would recommend altering service levels, or where we believe we should change what type of service is provided entirely.
Of DART’s current Fixed Route services for Johnston, Grimes, and Urbandale, DART has used its performance standards and other observations to identify several trends:
- Certain routes, including Local Route 74 which serves Urbandale, either aren’t meeting their performance targets or operate with limited hours and frequency. These routes serve critical mobility needs by connecting communities, and we would like to hear from riders whether they should be modified to better meet travel needs or identify alternative ways to meet the limited travel needs in these areas to allow DART to reinvest some of the resources in other areas where there is a greater need.
- Express Routes, which are designed for commuters to get from suburban communities to downtown Des Moines and back, were experiencing declining ridership prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we expect changes to work locations and travel patterns will accelerate that trend.
- Jobs, housing and retail are growing in Grimes, Johnston and Urbandale, but not always near existing DART bus routes.
- Existing bus routes mostly provide north-south mobility to bring residents toward Des Moines, but we have heard that there is increasing needs for east-west transit connections within Urbandale and Johnston.
- Access to housing and employment opportunities is not always equitable across the region, and transit could help connect people to jobs that might currently be hard to get to in Grimes, Johnston and Urbandale.
These trends point to some areas for potential improvement, and we hope to hear from members of the community about how DART can best focus its resources to improve access to jobs, shopping, medical facilities, housing and more. Please help us understand more about how DART can better serve your community by taking our survey.
What change could look like
So, what would changes look like to riders in Johnston, Grimes, Urbandale and the entire region? As we learn more from riders, we hope to develop recommendations that focus DART’s resources on serving the most people and filling key transportation gaps. That could result in more frequent service and other enhancements to the busiest routes, as well as adjusting service levels and trying out new and innovative ways to provide service in areas where traditional bus service isn’t the best fit. Recommendations could include:
- Adjustments in bus frequency and routing.
- Features of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) like dedicated bus lanes, priority at traffic signals and high-quality waiting areas.
- Microtransit services, which use DART vehicles to provide real-time, curb-to-curb service within a transit zone similar to a ride hailing service like Uber or Lyft.
- Partnerships with taxi or ride hailing companies to fill transit gaps in our region to help people connect to shopping, entertainment, work, school, medical appointments, or to access DART bus stops.
- Additional mobility hubs in the region, bringing multiple methods of transportation together into one space, including enhanced bus stops, bike or scooter share stations, park and ride stops for vanpools, and even car shares.
By focusing resources and considering alternative service delivery models, these methods could allow DART to expand access to regional transportation and allow riders to fulfill their entire trip need, from the first mile to the last mile.
Ways to give feedback
Your input will have a direct impact on what changes will be prioritized for transit in our region. Due to COVID-19 in central Iowa, we will be offering several virtual options for riders and residents to let us know what they think.
- Survey: Our survey is available two ways:
- Online by clicking here.
- Or paper copies of the survey can be picked up, or dropped off, at the Customer Service Window at DART Central Station, or from these community public libraries.
- Virtual public meetings and online info sessions:
- What: All communities Facebook Live
When: Monday, April 5 at 10 a.m.
Where: Live on DART’s Facebook page
- What: Johnston, Grimes and Urbandale virtual meeting
When: Thursday, April 8 at 6 p.m.
Where: Meeting virtually via Zoom click here for login information
- What: All communities Spanish language meeting
When: Thursday, April 22 at 6 p.m. (Spanish language meeting for all communities)
Where: Meeting virtually via Zoom click here for login information
- What: All communities Facebook Live
When: Friday, April 23 at Noon
Where: Live on DART’s Facebook page
- What: All communities Facebook Live
Interpreters are available for any of our meetings by request. Please submit your request to DART Customer Service at least 5 days before your meeting by calling 515-283-8100 or emailing dart@ridedart.com.
- Via phone call: Riders can share their thoughts on the study by calling DART Customer Service at 515-283-8100 and selecting option 0. They can either leave a comment with Customer Service, complete the survey over the phone, or request a member of DART’s Planning Team call them directly to discuss the changes.
- Via email: Riders can submit their comments to the changes by emailing comments to dart@ridedart.com.