A draft of a newly redesigned public transit system for the Des Moines metro that focuses on ridership is ready to go before the public and stakeholders with hopes of gaining final approval by early 2026.

The proposed redesigned network was presented to the Des moines Area Regional Transit Authority Commission on Sept. 2. It will undergo a period of public feedback over the next couple of months before further tweaks are made based on that input. The goal is to bring the plan back before the DART commission in December or January. If approved, it would take effect July 1, 2026.

It’s just one piece in the transit institution’s Reimagine DART initiative, which was launched last year as DART works to create a transit system that will be sustainable for the next 10 years and beyond.

DART began gathering public input in 2023 as it sought feedback from its member communities and thier riders on what they wanted from a public transit service. The agency officially launched its Reimagine DART initiative, a multi-step effort to redesign the bus route network and address funding challenges, in the fall of 2024.

Since then, DART has offered more public input opportunities for stakeholders and earlier this year began work to draw new maps based on what they learned.

Now, with a proposed new network in hand, DART is keeping its foot on the gas in hopes of launching a new network next year.

The redesigned network

“Frequency is what drives that high use.”

The proposed network reduces the number of fixed routes from 27 to 12. There would also be a 10% reduction in service hours, which would be achieved by trimming time off the start and end of DART’s service day. That is needed to offset cost increases in DART’s budget, which is about $42 million for the current fiscal year.

Under the proposed plan,service hours would change from the current schedule of 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays to 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. On Saturdays, service would end at 10 p.m. instead of 11 p.m. but still start at 6 a.m. There would be no change in hours on Sunday and remain 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

DART will also run three microtransit zones; in Altoona and Ankeny with the third covering Clive and Urbandale.

The hours of paratransit will change to match the updated schedule of the proposed new network, but no changes to the paratransit service area are planned.

Leaders of DART said the redesign is needed to better meet the evolving needs of riders, which have changed as the metro has grown. Those needs look much diffrent than they did when the current system was launched 10 years ago as more riders use the bus throughout the day and on the weekends than just commuting to and from work, they said.

The redesigned network will also satisfy what DART leaders learned from the public input, focusing on high ridership by offering fewer routes that run more often in the busiest areas.

“There is a direct correlation between how often buses run, or the frequency of the service, and how many people will use the service,” said Erin Hockman, chief strategy officer at DART. “There’s a strong correlation all across the country that when you look at high ridership services are highly frequent services, so that frequency is what drives that high use.”

Under the new network, 7% more residents will be near a 15-minute route, with 5% more being closer to any bus service, compared to the current system.

The redesigned network will also create greater access to jobs, with the average resident being able to reach 21% more jobs compared to the existing network, leaders said.

According to the proposed network, nearly all of DART’s routes would operate seven days a week, compared to less than half of the routes in the current network.

Another change would be how far bus stops are spaced apart. Today, they are one to two blocks apart. under the proposed plan, that would increase to three to four blocks.

“We’re trying to look at how we can make the service more useful for more people, allow them to get further and more places in a shorter amount of time,” Hockman said.

Who rides DART?

According to the agency’s website, 60% of its riders take the bus to get to and from work. more than 60% of its riders are between the ages of 25 and 64, with 14% being under 18 and 7% being over the age of 65.Another 14% are between 19 and 24.

Data provided by DART also shows that 61% of DART riders do not have a working vehicle in their home, about an equal number don’t have a valid driver’s license, and 85% of those who ride DART have a total household income of less than $50,000 a year.

DART recently announced ridership has increased to more than 3.75 million rides for fiscal year 2025, which ended June 30, an increase of nearly 7% over the previous year, which leaders have said shows a growing demand for the service.

Besides using a bus to get to work, DART riders also take the bus to get to medical appointments, school and to shop.

Nine out of 10 trips on DART are to make or spend money, leaders said.

Amanda Wanke,director of planning at DART,said the agency is excited to get feedback from the public on the proposed redesign.

“We really want to hear from people about what they think about the plan, what they like, what they don’t like, and what questions they have,” Wanke said. “we’re really trying to make sure that we’re building a network that works for as many people as possible.”

DART will hold a series of public meetings in September and October to gather feedback on the proposed redesign. The agency will also be accepting comments online and by mail.