Steve Gaer was raised to believe in the importance of public service.
The fourth-generation West Des Moines resident and four-term mayor grew up going to city council meetings with his father, who was elected to an at-large seat in 1967 when Gaer was 7 years old.
He remembers one night when a resident knocked on his family s door mad about a project on 19th Street. Gaer asked his father why he served, why he put up with people who were mad at him for one thing or another. His comment was, You know, Steve, we’ve benefitted from living in this community and I hope you and your brothers come back here and live in the community. We need to give back and try to make it a better place. And I just never forgot that, Gaer said.
DART to inaugurate half-fare program on an experimental basis.
DART to inaugurate half-fare program on an experimental basis beginning next month.
The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) is piloting an expansion of its Half Fare Program for 6 months, beginning Jan. 1, 2021. Eligible individuals can apply for a temporary Half Fare ID card, allowing them to purchase individual bus fares, bus tokens, and day, weekly and monthly bus passes for half the price.
“By expanding the reach of our Half-Fare Program, we hope to remove transportation barriers for even more central Iowans, giving them access to work, shopping, medical appointments, school and more. In times of economic uncertainty, access to our region remains critical. We hope by expanding the reach of this program, we are able to also expand the number of central Iowans we serve, helping us fulfill our mission to Enrich Lives, Connect Communities and Expand Opportunities,” states DART CEO Elizabeth Presutti.