A transportation break for Drake
Drake University and the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority announced today that Drake students, faculty, staff and retirees now can ride Greater Des Moines buses for free, as Drake becomes the first university to join DART’s Unlimited Access Program.
“We are delighted to be joining the Unlimited Access Program,” Drake President David Maxwell said in a press release. “For students, it provides a chance to easily access the Greater Des Moines community for internships, jobs and recreational activities. For faculty and staff, the program offers free transportation to work and campus events.”
DART and Drake will establish a set annual payment based on current ridership and/or bus pass purchases. People affiliated with Drake simply have to show a valid Drake ID to ride the bus. As part of the agreement, DART will build a bus shelter on University Avenue and post signs with bus schedules along University and Forest avenues.
The program is part of Maxwell’s efforts to find ways to minimize global warming emissions as a charter signatory to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.
Information sessions on DART’s routes and schedules and its partnership with Drake will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. on Monday and Tuesday next week in the Bulldog Theater in the Olmsted Center at Drake.