DART made several changes to its service on Oct. 13, 2019. All changes for this major service change were cost-neutral. Because of this, DART had to eliminate, or shift, resources from underutilized services to better serve riders in other areas.
Express Route 98 – Ankeny
DART offers service on Express Route 98 from three Park & Ride lots in the city of Ankeny to downtown Des Moines. In October 2019 DART made the following changes to low ridership trips on this route in order to allow further investment into Ankeny’s On Call shuttle.
- Removed service from the DMACC Urban Campus in Des Moines. Ridership statistics show that the majority of riders rode Route 98 between downtown and Ankeny, with few riders getting on and off at DMACC Urban. The route still serves the Park & Ride lot at DMACC’s Ankeny Campus, and DMACC Urban is served by DART Local Routes 3, 15, 16, 17 and 60.
- Combined certain midday trips on Express Route 98 with particularly low ridership. The route now has 9 trips in the morning and10 afternoon trips. New schedules available on the route information page.
Ankeny On Call
DART used savings found by improving efficiency on Express Route 98 to expand Ankeny's On Call zone and the hours this shuttle operates to run on weekdays from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
DART's Ankeny On Call Shuttle:
- provides curb-to-curb service to anywhere within the on-call zone. This route is open to anyone who reserves a trip with DART, and provides a service for people in Ankeny to travel to local businesses, medical and other appointments within the community.
- allows riders to schedule trips from within Ankeny to transfer points for Local Route 4 and Express Route 98.
DART made changes to this service to respond to requests from residents for more public transit options that allow them to travel within the City of Ankeny. Riders must request a trip on Ankeny On Call Shuttle. Reservations can be made by calling 515-283-8136 during DART service hours.
Questions?
Riders with questions about this service change, or DART's public input process are encouraged to reach out to DART staff via email, or by calling DART Customer Service at 515-283-8100.