DART presents two network concepts to Clive: frequent, ridership-focused routes or broader coverage with microtransit

DART officials and a consultant presented two high-level network concepts to the Clive City Council on April 10 as part of a regionwide “Reimagine DART” study: one prioritizes ridership through higher-frequency trunk routes; the other prioritizes geographic coverage using lower-frequency routes and microtransit zones.

Amanda (DART staff) told the council Clive accounts for about 8,000 fixed-route boardings and just over 4,000 paratransit trips annually in the data presented. The study team explained that, with the same total hours on the road, the design choice is a trade-off: concentrating buses in busy corridors increases frequency and access to jobs in limited travel times, while spreading service provides access to more residents but at lower frequency.

Consultant Ricky (Jarrett Walker & Associates) summarized the trade-off as a coverage–ridership spectrum, saying in plain terms that higher frequency benefits people who need to travel without tight scheduling constraints, while microtransit and coverage models bring service closer to more residences but limit travel range because waits and transfers increase. He illustrated the impacts with modeling results: under the ridership concept, the average Clive resident could reach an estimated 83% more jobs within a 45-minute transit-and-walk window compared with today; in the coverage concept, more residents would be within reach of some transit service (about 40% within the Clive boundary) but the trips would be less frequent and on average would reach fewer jobs.

DART staff noted the commission is considering budget scenarios including status-quo hours, smaller networks or deeper cuts tied to potential state property-tax changes. The public-engagement period was open through April 30; DART will summarize responses and seek member-community preferences at a May 6 session, and the commission is expected to take direction on May 19 before drafting a plan for further public review in August and final adoption in December.

Council members and attendees asked detailed implementation questions: whether microtransit rides would be on existing buses or smaller vehicles (staff said vehicle sizing is part of later analysis), how on‑demand response times and trip denial rates have been managed in Ankeny’s pilot (staff cited denial rates in the 30–40% range when demand outstrips resources), and how equity and low‑income riders are considered. DART staff said they would continue to refine financial scenarios and explore potential private-sector partnerships to fill service gaps where feasible.

The council’s expressed local preference at the meeting and in discussion tended toward coverage for Clive’s community pattern, but DART emphasized the commission will weigh survey results and member-city feedback before choosing the draft network design.