DART averages 366 riders for temporary Ingersoll service
The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) wrapped up its D-Line downtown shuttle service to Ingersoll Avenue on Dec. 3.
The service totaled 2,194 riders during a six-week period, which averages out to 366 riders per night. The busiest night of service was Nov. 19, with 643 riders; it was one of two nights to tally more than 500 riders.
The shuttle was a limited-time service that DART offered from 5 p.m. to midnight on six Fridays from late October through early December. The shuttle extended the D-Line’s regular route to the west along Ingersoll Avenue to 39th Street and shortened the east end of the route to turn around in the East Village instead of behind the Capitol.
The Des Moines West Side Chamber of Commerce and the Ingersoll Business Association approached DART with the goal of promoting area business on Friday nights. The service will not become a permanent fixture anytime soon, but could be on the table for discussion in the future, a DART spokesman said. Officials were pleased with the ridership numbers.
“The Ingersoll D-Line has been a great demonstration of what public transit can do for a city,” said DART Public Information Officer Gunnar Olson. “If you develop good service, people will ride it and businesses feel the benefits.”