Urbandale council hears DART’s ‘reimagine’ transit options; members lean toward ridership model

DART staff presented two conceptual alternatives for a redesigned regional bus network to the Urbandale City Council on April 1, underscoring a choice between a higher-frequency “ridership” network and a broader “coverage” network that uses microtransit zones.

The presentation, led by Amanda Wonke of DART and consultant Ricky Ngueta of Jarrett Walker & Associates, reviewed current ridership and paratransit use in Urbandale, fiscal constraints tied to property-tax funding, and a schedule that asks the DART commission to take direction in early May and vote on a recommended level of service on May 19.

Why it matters: the two concepts have different goals and implications. The ridership concept concentrates service on fewer corridors with more frequent buses to expand the number of jobs and destinations reachable within 45 minutes; the coverage concept spreads service more widely using microtransit zones to keep many more residents within walking distance of some transit, but at lower frequency and lower capacity.

"Ridership has surpassed those pre pandemic levels and is at about 22 to 23,000 total in, in Urbandale," Amanda Wonke said, citing DART ridership and noting heavy use of paratransit. Wonke said about 70 paratransit users are Urbandale residents and roughly 200 are riders from other cities who come into Urbandale for services and shopping.

Ngueta, the consultant, described the two approaches using the standard trade-off transit planners call "ridership versus coverage," and said the models presented are concepts, not formal recommendations. "We foster clear conversations about transit that lead to confident decision," he said, summarizing his firm's role in showing options rather than prescribing one.

Under the ridership concept shown to the council, Urbandale would gain a Rev-4 loop running roughly every 30 minutes on key corridors (Douglas/86/Euclid/Merle Hay) and a 5B branch running hourly; the model enlarged the number of jobs reachable from central Urbandale to an estimated 15,000 within a 45-minute transit-plus-walk trip. Under the coverage concept, the plan retains fewer high-frequency segments but adds a large microtransit zone covering Urbandale and Johnston that would put door-adjacent or near-street service within a quarter-mile for substantially more residents — an estimated 73 percent of Urbandale residents close to some level of service — but with smaller capacity and a lower 45-minute job reach (about 7,000 jobs from the same reference point).

DART staff stressed budget constraints. Wonke said the agency is implementing a property-tax funding formula for member cities and reported Urbandale's levy rate has decreased from 71 cents in fiscal 2021 to 63.5 cents in fiscal 2025. She described three broad fiscal scenarios: a status-quo scenario that keeps current hours but would require a one-time tax increase in FY 2027 (Wonke cited a 7.4 one-time increase figure) plus 5 percent annual property-tax growth thereafter; a mid-range constrained scenario that holds tax-growth to 4 percent and would require annual expense growth nearer 3 percent, producing an estimated 15–20 percent service reduction; and a deeper constraint that could force a 20–25 percent cut. Wonke also warned pending state property-tax legislation could alter the commission’s options.

Council discussion focused on which model would better serve Urbandale’s residents who rely on transit for work and essential trips. Councilwoman Carberry Montgomery said she had expected to favor coverage but after reviewing the maps and data, she told colleagues, "I feel like the ridership model is better for Urbandale." Amy Crowell said she also felt "more comfortable with the ridership concept now, because it is important to make sure that we can get people to the route so that they can use it." Several other council members said they too leaned toward the ridership end of the spectrum while noting the final regional network will depend on what neighboring communities prefer.

DART staff answered council questions about on-demand services. Wonke said the agency’s Flex Connect (a pilot first-mile/last-mile program run with taxis and rideshare partners) had 19 unique users in fiscal 2024 and that the Ankeny on-demand program would be folded into fixed-route hours under the ridership concept. The coverage plan’s microtransit zones are similar to on-demand service but are designed to operate on main streets within the zone to improve driver efficiency; DART staff emphasized microtransit’s lower capacity (roughly four to five boardings per vehicle-hour versus 10–35 boardings on fixed routes).

On paratransit, staff said DART presently provides service that exceeds the federal minimum (paratransit within three-quarters of a mile of fixed routes) and that commission and staff have not signaled a desire to reduce paratransit availability; any change would be a future budget conversation. Wonke noted federal rules limit paratransit fares to no more than twice the fixed-route fare and that DART offers an expanded-access option for outlying trips for a higher fee (Wonke cited a $30 example for outlying trips).

Next steps and timeline: DART is collecting public input through an online survey through April 30, will gather member-city feedback at the commission meeting on May 6, and expects the commission to select a recommended level of service on May 19. Staff plan to publish a draft plan for public review in August and aim for commission adoption in December, with implementation slated to begin in FY 2027.

Council members asked staff to pass along survey breakdowns (city of residence and rider vs. non-rider responses) and requested quick turnaround so that communities can discuss results before May 6. Wonke said DART would try to supply that disaggregated information to member communities quickly.

The meeting closed with the council thanking DART staff and consultants and noting a public meeting on April 28 at the Urbandale Public Library for more local input.