DES MOINES, Iowa — Almost 20 residents stood in front of the Des Moines City Council on Monday, with the majority speaking out against potential cuts to DART services.
In November, DART announced it was considering a plan to cut down their bus services by 40% by 2025. However, frequent DART users are concerned about what these cuts could mean for Des Moines' future.
"You all cannot in good faith present us with a possible 40 percent cut in public transit services because of a lack of funding while you're on the verge of investing 56 million dollars for a new police building that the public does not want and the city does not need," said Luke Bascom, a constituent at the city council meeting.
Speakers noted cuts to bus services would impact underprivileged communities in Des Moines, such as refugees who recently resettled in Iowa.
"Just imagine that I picked you up from the airport, a new place, a new country, and I told you that you have to get a job, learn a new language and feed a family of four. All the while, you don't have a means of transportation," said Samuel Hutchisson, another constituent.
Some say this could also impact students and teachers trying to get to school.
"You might not realize this, but many of Des Moines public school students take the bus, take DART to school everyday as well," said constituent Jon Knapp McAlister. "We stop at maybe about a dozen students get off at Lincoln High School every morning."
According to DART, these services provide 12,000 rides on an average weekday and these budget cuts could create longer wait times.
"I'm going to have to prep more time to get to work to be able to pay my bills, to be able to live in Des Moines," said constituent and former mayoral candidate Denver Foote. "So not only will this affect people like me, it will affect thousands of people across the city that rely on DART."
Des Moines City Council Mayor Elect Connie Boesen declined to speak on camera. However, she says the city has not decided whether to go through with the cuts to DART. She also noted the council plans to hold a work session to address constituents' concerns.