Amanda Wanke, the DART transportation system’s main public relations contact (among other things), was kind enough to pass along a copy of a new DART publication that is a one-stop shop for information about how the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority operates and whom it serves. 

I was particularly interested in the information about who uses DART and where they are heading when they get on the buses. 

• About two-thirds of riders come from households with combined incomes of less than $25,000.
• Nearly half of riders don’t have a driver’s license.
• 70 percent are white, 13 percent black, 4 percent Hispanic or Latino. 
• There is a wide age diversity among riders, but the biggest share – though not by much – comes from the 34-and-under crowd. 

Among the 4.6 million trips DART riders take each year:

• 43 percent are for work.
• 16 percent are for medical or health reasons.
• 13 percent are for shopping.
• 9 percent involve social events or recreation.
• 7 percent are rides to or from school.