New and free Iowa State Fair shuttle starts today
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Photo: Courtesy of DART
The Iowa State Fair starts today with a new, free shuttle replacing DART's former park-and-ride service at Southeast Polk High School.
Why it matters: Moving a major shuttle hub from the eastern metro to the south side could change travel patterns for thousands of fairgoers — and affect traffic and parking near the fair.
Catch up quick: Pleasant Hill's recent withdrawal from DART ended its regular bus service, including the Southeast Polk shuttle, because it was treated as an extension of the city's service.
- To make up for the loss, the fair hired CIT, a private charter company, to start a new free shuttle from Southridge Mall.
Meanwhile, DART will continue to run its $3 round-trip park-and-ride service from the Capitol and Center Street garage.
The intrigue: DART counts fair shuttles in its annual reporting.
- The Southeast Polk site provided 83,981 rides last year — equivalent to about 2.2% of DART's 3.75 million FY2025 rides.
What we're watching: Whether fairgoers embrace Southridge.