Des Moines Area Regional Transit
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| Founded | 1973 2006 (as transit authority) |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 620 Cherry Street |
| Locale | Des Moines, IA, United States |
| Service area | urban area |
| Service type | bus service, express bus service, paratransit, vanpool |
| Routes | 26 |
| Stops | 1,642 |
| Hubs | 1 |
| Fleet | 244 |
| Daily ridership | 12,055 (FY 2013) |
| Website | ridedart.com |
Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) operates mass transit service in the Des Moines metropolitan area.
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.
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.
Sunday service was added for the first time in 2007. In 2008, a free shuttle linked downtown Des Moines with the Iowa State Capitol. In 2012, a $21 million bus transfer station was opened on the south end of downtown, ending decades of using Walnut Street as a transit mall.
DART utilizes a hub and spoke system, designed to favor commuters, as opposed to point-to-point system. All routes run through downtown Des Moines. In 1985, Walnut Street, traditionally a retail center for the city, was repurposed as a transit mall, with traffic banned during daytime hours in order to enable bus transfers. This system was replaced by the $21 million DART Central Station in 2012.
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