DART reports rising ridership in Johnston, outlines 'Reimagine DART' redesign

Amanda Wonke, CEO of Des Moines Area Regional Transit, told the Johnston City Council on the evening of the meeting that DART provided more than 3.5 million trips last year and that ridership in Johnston has increased in recent years.

Wonke said fixed-route boardings in Johnston totaled just over 10,000 in fiscal 2024 and paratransit trips in the community stabilized at about 8,000 trips systemwide. She said DART tracks paratransit users by application and that 44 paratransit riders are Johnston residents, while the remainder travel into Johnston for work, appointments or shopping. “We want to be the most efficient and effective stewards of your taxpayer dollars,” Wonke said.

The presentation described local services to Johnston: local Route 5 (seven-day service), express Route 93 (weekday peak commuter), paratransit (door-to-door for qualified riders), vanpooling and special-event service. Wonke said Route 5’s weekend service places Johnston in tier 4 under DART’s property tax formula; seven-day service would move the community into tier 3, but she said the commission is pausing tier conversations while pursuing the Reimagine DART process.

Why it matters: Wonke framed the program as an economic driver and a social-equity service: she said 9 in 10 DART trips serve work or income-generating travel and that the majority of riders live in households with annual incomes of $50,000 or less and often lack a car or driver’s license.

Council members asked for performance details and potential service options. Councilmember Evans said he has heard “anecdotally” about canceled or curtailed stops and asked DART to provide data on how often Johnston stops or routes are delayed to the point of cancellation. Wonke responded that on-time performance and missed trips are top priorities and she would follow up with Johnston-specific numbers.

Councilmember Burkhart and Mayor Derenfeld asked about special-event service and whether DART could supply routes for fairs, business events or large gatherings to reduce parking demand and introduce new riders to transit. Wonke said federal regulations can limit some special-event arrangements but that DART is reviewing options and studying changes as part of Reimagine DART; she also noted pilots that are already underway (microtransit in Ankeny, a FlexConnect pilot with Uber and taxis).

Wonke described Reimagine DART as a system redesign intended to build regional consensus around shared goals; early priorities she listed were economic impact, social equity and ensuring each member community receives a return on investment. She said the commission expects to select a new system design by December 2025 to align with the fiscal 2027 budget cycle.

The council thanked Wonke and DART staff for the update and encouraged continued outreach to local businesses and the community to boost ridership. Wonke said she would follow up with the data requested by council and continue engagement on special-event and route-design options.