Both paratransit and fixed route services are set to expire next summer.
PLEASANT HILL, Iowa — The city of Pleasant Hill is weighing whether to reinstate DART paratransit services. The city council has until Jan. 28, the next DART Commission meeting, to make up its mind.
Pleasant Hill previously announced that all DART services, including paratransit and fixed routes, would no longer be offered starting in June.
Jaunette Figgous lives in Pleasant Hill and can’t drive due to her medical conditions.
“It's $30 to take a taxi from Pleasant Hill to Des Moines,” Figgous said. “It's about $40, $45 to get to West Des Moines.”
DART’s paratransit takes her to and from physical therapy appointments in Ankeny at an affordable price.
“There's at least four or five people I've assisted and gotten into paratransit because there is a need,” Figgous said.
With services set to end in Pleasant Hill, DART is offering the city three options: become a DART member again, continue with plans to withdraw services altogether or provide paratransit-only services.
“If they want to do the paratransit-only option that would take effect on July 1, and their residents would be eligible for that,” DART CEO Amanda Wanke said.
Normally, cities wouldn’t be allowed to offer only paratransit. However, the DART Commission voted last month to make an exception for Bondurant and Pleasant Hill.
“One of the things we have heard when some of our smaller outskirt communities have withdrawn from DART is that they've wanted access to the paratransit service,” Wanke said.
DART will be doing a three-year study to look at factors like who’s eligible for paratransit and the price per trip under this new option for cities.
“It's a pilot, it's a study, we are trying it out,” Wanke said. “We'll work out the kinks, and then the commission and those communities can decide if they want to do it long term.”
For Figgous, if paratransit is cut, she will miss physical therapy.
“It's unfortunate, because I think a lot of people just don't even know that this is going on,” Figgous said.The paratransit-only option is estimated to cost Pleasant Hill somewhere between $110,500 and $127,500 annually, which is over $350,000 cheaper than what the city pays now.
In a 3-2 vote, Bondurant City Council voted to withdraw from all DART services. Typically, it takes 18 months for changes to take effect. During that period, Bondurant city officials will work with the DART Commission to consider implementing the paratransit-only model.
According to a city spokesperson, Bondurant currently has paratransit services in the Wolf Creek neighborhood and a fixed route to the Amazon facility. Around 12 residents use the two services.
The city claims the taxpayers will see a property tax reduction of $0.67 per $1,000 home evaluation starting in July 2027 if services are dropped.
A city spokesperson sent Local 5 the following statement: "The City of Bondurant is deeply appreciative of the feedback received from residents throughout this process. Through surveys, conversations, and public input, community members have played a vital role in helping the Council reach an informed decision. While the outcome was not reached easily, the Council remains committed to ensuring that this direction serves the best long-term interests of Bondurant and its residents."