DART wants to slashits 27 fixed-route bus network by more than half.
Why it matters: If approved, the reorganization and its proposed 10 main routes would increase the system’s usability, making rides faster and more reliable, a consultant told commissioners Tuesday.
Catch up fast: Earlier this year, DART launched its “Reimagine” project, which aims to modernize and better align services with current travel patterns.
- The public transit agency asked the public to weigh in on whether buses should reach more people or go to more places, flagging summer 2026 for its rollout.
- This week’s proposed redesign follows years of budget challenges and is the network’s first major overhaul in over a decade.
Driving the news: The proposed network would shift most bus services to eight routes that run every 30 minutes most of the day and two others that would have service every hour.
- They would connect downtown and places like Merle Hay Mall with Ankeny, Altoona, Windsor Heights, West Des Moines, Urbandale and Clive.
State of play: The proposal includes fewer bus stops, which would speed up travel times for many trips but require some people to walk longer distances to catch a ride, according to Jarrett Walker + Associates, a consultant hired by DART.
- “Microtransit zones” would be created in Ankeny, Clive, and Urbandale to transport people to select destinations via on-demand booking.
Zoom in: Service hours would generally begin an hour later and end an hour earlier on weekdays and an hour earlier on Saturdays to reduce total hours of services when ridership is the lowest.
- The new hours,beginning in June 2026, would be: Monday through Saturday, 6am to 10pm, and Sunday, 7am to 7pm.
The intrigue: Under the plan, DART’s operating budget would decrease slightly from $45 million to $43.7 million in the fiscal year that begins in July 2026, partly due to the hours-of-service reduction, Erin Hockman, the transit’s chief strategy officer, tells Axios…