Iowa's largest transit agency is proposing a new plan that reduces the number of bus routes from 27 to 10 and prioritizes fewer, high frequency routes in denser parts of the Des Moines metro.
The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) introduced the plan as part of its 18-month "Reimagine DART" initiative. The project is aimed at redesigning the system to address shifting travel patterns and looming budget challenges.
While the network currently has a balanced budget, a host of factors, including high inflation, increased labor costs, legislative changes around property taxes and drying up of one-time COVID relief dollars have shifted the transit network into more precarious financial positions in recent years.
DART is projected to face a $6.7 million shortfall in fiscal year 2027. Last year, seven suburbs threatened to leave the network because of disagreements over funding contributions.
The proposed plan eliminates the expected deficit. It also cuts service hours by 10% and focuses on providing more frequent service throughout the day and through the weekend.
Amanda Wanke, CEO of DART, said the plan was put together based on input from the DART Commission, elected officials and community members, including a public survey conducted in April.
"We have focused on, one, where we have seen the most ridership, where there is the densest development and where we know people are traveling and jobs are as well," Wanke said. "This reduces our service hours by about 10% and and at the same time, we increase access, and it's because the more frequent service means people can get more places in a faster time."
The new map also includes three microtransit zones — in Ankeny, Altoona and Clive/Urbandale. The zones, organized around hubs, operate similar to a shared taxi service with residents being able to book rides on-demand.
The network will hold nine public input meetings this month, including a virtual meeting, to gather feedback on the plan. Central Iowans can also fill out an online survey. DART will review feedback in October, but Wanke said any changes made to the plan after the public input phase will have to be budget neutral.
"If we add service one place, we have to take it away another place," she said. "That's one thing I just want to be realistic with people about. As much as I would just love to be adding more service, that's not the reality we're in."
Under the current timeline, the DART Commission will adopt a finalized plan in December and implement the new routes starting next summer.
The proposed new bus network
The plan concentrates frequent service along four corridors. Buses would come to stops every 15 minutes, seven days a week along the following passages:
- University Avenue to Valley West Mall
- East University Avenue to Hubbell
- MLK Jr. Parkway to Polk County River Place
- Ingersoll Avenue to 42nd Street
Bus stops are spaced every three to four blocks in the draft plan instead of every one or two.
Currently, the transit system has 20 local routes, with regular service throughout the day and seven express routes that operate less frequently and travel further out to the metro's suburbs, Monday through Friday. All 10of the new routes will be local routes and operate seven days a week.
Routes would start an hour later and end an hour earlier under the new service hours — from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays. The proposed routes would run from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m on Saturdays, and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.
Paratransit services for riders will also be reduced to meet bus service hours. However, the service area will remain the same for now.
According to a news release from DART, the network's less frequent, far-reaching routes have seen less growth due to fewer people traveling from the suburbs into downtown Des Moines for work. Meanwhile, demand for service during midday, night and weekend hours has increased.
Wanke said a variety of factors, including the price of gas, affect ridership, making it hard to predict how ridership will be impacted by the new plan.
"There are things out of our control, but what is within our control, and what our goal is is to increase that access in order to increase ridership," she said. "The hope is it will increase ridership, but again, because there's so many factors, we don't actually try and predict the specific numbers."
Facing looming funding challenges
According to DART, the transit agency's total budget would decrease slightly in fiscal year 2027 from $45 million to $43.7 million. After fiscal year 2027, DART projects property tax revenue would have to increase by 4% to maintain service.
Wanke said the redesign prioritized matching the level of services to what member communities could afford. In total, 67% of DART's revenue comes from property taxes from member communities, and the reduced hours are aimed at limiting property tax growth in coming years.
Currently, the transit system is expected to face a $6.7 million shortfall in fiscal year 2027. Of that, $2 million is caused by revenue falling behind rising costs, and $4.7 million comes from phasing in a new funding formula aligning member communities' contributions with their usage levels.
Under the new formula, Des Moines' portion of funding exceeds how much DART can collect in property taxes for public transit under state law. The city has used money from its general fund to help close the gap. Last month, the city council approved a franchise fee increase on gas and electric bills to help fund the transit system.
Wanke said improving public transit not only helps riders, but the larger community, as well.
"Public transit, just like other infrastructure, like our roads and our water and our parks, is there to benefit the whole region," Wanke said. "Whether it is your server at Starbucks or your nurse at the hospital, you might not use public transit, but others in the community do rely on it. So it is an overall economic driver for all of us in the region."
