Over 108,000 rides were given by the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority during the seven-day, free-to-ride Try Transit Week, which ran from October 6 to October 12, according a DART news release.
By comparison, over 90,000 rides were given during the previous week-an increase of twenty percent. “We’re thrilled that people responded to the promotion as strongly as they did,” noted DART general manager Elizabeth Presutti. “The take-away is that people are interested in checking out the service improvements that have been made in the past year.”
Among them are a new route from Valley West Mall and Jordan Creek Town Center via Interstate-235, increased frequencies on the flex-route (a hybrid of on-call service and regular route service) whose area covers West Des Moines, Windsor Heights and Clive, a new route serving Merle Hay Mall via Interstate-235 and Merle Hay Road and most notably, a new station in the downtown area.
Find out what's happening in Ankenyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Moreover, DART has inaugurated the MyDART Trip Planner in BETA, which allows customers to plan their trips around the Des Moines area with the transit system online. It can be found at www.ridedart.com.
Gunnar Olson, the public affairs manager of DART, noted the new planner was received favorably. Many used the planner to help plan trips. One rider later wrote that the planner was “user-friendly and detailed in its explanation”, noted Olson.
Find out what's happening in Ankenyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Overall Try Transit Week was a success, noted Olson. “We’ve done a lot to expand service,” he said. “We were glad that so many were able to try the new improved DART.”
Individuals who want to try the MyDART Trip Planner or who want more information about DART’s routes and services are encouraged to visit DART’s website at www.ridedart.com. They can also call the general offices at 515-283-8100.