DART Blog

Snow and ice often cause travel disruptions across Greater Des Moines in the winter. Here are some important reminders for riding DART when wintry weather occurs.

DART provides free rides to warming centers when Polk County Emergency Management's Extreme Temperature Plan is in place. Discover how you can use this service to stay warm during the winter. 

Take a closer look at public transit safety in Central Iowa. 

Learn how the YSS Rooftop Gardens program is helping young people make moves to a bright future and why public transit is a vital component of community well-being.

Explore the most common questions DART receives about its fleet of buses and how the organization is planning for the future.

At DART, we know your questions and needs don’t always fit neatly into business hours. Explore the ways you can pay fare and receive information when DART Customer Service is unavailable.

DART is redesigning its transit network this year and plans to change bus routes and services in summer 2026. Here are five key insights DART staff learned about designing a new system. 

As part of an ongoing commitment to operate as efficiently as possible, DART became the first public transit agency in Iowa to test electric buses in fleet. Explore the lessons DART learned from the pilot and discover why the electric buses are no longer on the road.

From getting on and off the bus to using bus stops and paying fare, here is how to make riding DART in Central Iowa as easy as possible.

Todd Kilzer is a regular DART Paratransit rider and serves on DART's Transit Riders Advisory Committee. Read how DART plays an important role in connecting Todd to critical medical care appointments every week.

Anawim Housing partners with DART to allow all of the people they serve to ride public transit for free. Read how access to DART makes life easier for Anawim tenants and fulfills a need for Anawim staff.

Wes Majerus rides DART throughout Greater Des Moines to access work, appointments and social activities. Explore why Wes says having the freedom to travel on the bus improves his quality of life. 

Wondering when DART does and does not have service? This handy guide will help you find the answer. 

Public transit agencies across the Midwest are identifying new ways to expand people's access to transportation and encourage higher use. Here are four examples of how communities are thinking creatively about public transit. 

Jon West rides DART to and from his job as a grocery store stock manager in Des Moines. Discover why Jon says he specifically chose this career opportunity because of its access to public transit. 

Interest in microtransit is growing across the country as the way people travel changes. Here's a closer look at the benefits and limitations of microtransit for riders and transit agencies.

Gary and Josh Dvorak ride a DART express route from West Des Moines to their offices in downtown Des Moines each week. Read why this father and son say choosing to take a bus to work has brought them even closer together.

Employers stand out in recruiting and retention when they proactively break down barriers to transportation. Here's a look at why DART's newest Unlimited Access partner chose to invest in public transit. 

At DART, we're committed to providing safe and reliable transportation to riders with disabilities. Here's an in-depth look at how we go above and beyond what is required of public transit agencies to ensure central Iowans with physical or intellectual disabilities have a positive experience on our buses.

From residents and visitors to businesses and neighborhoods, DART is a public service providing value to all in central Iowa. Here we dig into the ways DART impacts the communities it serves.

Drake University senior Leetal Cohn has relied on DART throughout college to juggle classes, work and required field experience for her education degree. After graduation, she hopes to become a teacher in Des Moines. Read why Leetal says her success in school wouldn't have been possible without the bus.

DART provides free rides to cooling centers when Polk County Emergency Management's Extreme Temperature Plan is in place. Discover how you can use this service. 

How many rides does DART provide? The number can sometimes be surprising. Here are a few facts that put DART ridership into context.

DART provides 3.2 million rides to central Iowa residents and visitors each year. Curious why someone would ride DART? In fall 2022, DART conducted a customer survey. Let’s explore the top six reasons riders are using public transportation in central Iowa.