As an Unlimited Access partner, Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) contracts with DART to provide rides to DMPS middle and high school students as well as DMPS employees. DART's school tripper routes are available here.
DMPS Student Service
DMPS can assign students to either a yellow bus or DART bus if they qualify for school transportation. Student ID cards indicate the level of DART access students have.
- Students with green All Access text on their ID can ride DART for free to and from school.
- Students with yellow Evening-Weekend text on their ID can ride DART for free after 4 p.m. on school days and any time on weekends and during school breaks. These students can pay half fare ($0.75 per trip) to ride DART to and from school by showing their student ID when they board a bus or at Customer Service when purchasing a bus pass.
All students can:
- ride any DART route free on school days after 4:00 p.m.,
- ride any DART route free all day on weekends and any day when school is not in session.
North High School and Harding Middle School students can ride DART for free during the 2024-2025 school year, thanks to continued funding from the Principal Foundation.
How to Ride
Students need to show their student ID to the driver when they board the bus. DART will accept student ID cards from last school year until students receive their new ID cards. Using a photo of an ID card or using another student’s ID card is not allowed.
If a student misplaces their ID card, they will need to pay $0.75 for each DART ride until their ID card is replaced. DMPS is responsible for providing students with ID cards. DART cannot issue ID cards to students.
After showing their student ID to the driver, students should take a seat. If seats are full, students can stand, and should fill the bus from back to front. When students need to get off the bus, they should pull the cord to signal the driver at least half a block before the bus stop. There is no need to signal stops at schools or DART Central Station
DART offers how-to-ride training events to walk new riders through the steps of boarding a bus, paying fare, exiting a bus and reading bus schedules.
DART Safety
DART is committed to providing a safe and welcoming experience on all of its buses and at DART facilities. Along with extensive training for all bus drivers, DART has a constant security presence at DART Central Station and cameras on board all DART buses. These measures help DART identify any problems riders may have and give immediate support as necessary.
Rider Guidelines
All DMPS students are expected to follow the school district’s code of conduct and DART’s Rider Code of Conduct while on a DART bus, at a DART bus stop and at DART Central Station.
Riding DART for free is a privilege and a student’s access may be taken away if they violate either DMPS or DART’s codes of conduct.
DMPS Staff Benefits
DMPS employees can ride any DART route free anytime by showing the driver their staff ID when boarding a DART bus. Staff must present their physical ID to qualify for these free rides.
Questions?
Students or parents with questions about what type of service students are assigned to should contact staff at their school. If you have questions about DART’s services, please contact DART Customer Service by calling 515-283-8100.