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(Des Moines, IA) -- Ridership is up seven percent on Des Moines Area Regional buses, with more than half of the people using DART to get back and forth to work.
"So by connecting workers to jobs, DART is really helping staff businesses, hospitals, schools, grocery stores, restaurants and other services that we all throughout Central Iowa depend on and enjoy," said Erin Hockman, Chief Strategy Officer for DART.
Hockman says DART provided 3.7 million rides during the fiscal year that ended in June. Additionally, the transit authority ran 263,000 shuttles to the Iowa State Fair this year.
The numbers are being released the same week the Des Moines City Council voted to raise its utility franchise fee to subsidize the bus service.