Dakota County, Minnesota

The Dakota Area Resources and Transportation for Seniors (DARTS) is a volunteer-based nonprofit organization, providing senior and transportation services in Dakota County. In 2003, DARTS provided 165,677 rides using 36 vehicles over 1,050,000 miles. DARTS programs in the area of maintenance, training and software development resulted from a need expressed by local non-profit agencies. DARTS uses a “first ride” survey to obtain customer expectations and has been the test site for an FHWA advanced technology field operational test designed to measure the benefits of advanced technologies on the paratransit environment.

One of the many attributes of the DARTS system is its responsiveness to customer needs and wants. For example, DARTS regularly conducts surveys of its clientele using a “first ride” survey to obtain customer expectations. This has encouraged other agencies and organizations to entrust their clients to utilize the system. One of the principle strategies DARTS is undertaking is to expand coordination and the delivery of transit services in Dakota County. This decreases operational costs and improves operational efficiencies of nonprofits with the cooperative maintenance program, low cost trip scheduling software, and training classes. Agencies who participate in the DARTS maintenance program experience a cost saving by not having to hire their own maintenance staff. Furthermore, by using DARTS maintenance staff, coordinating agencies are assured they are fully compliant with FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Testing requirements. As agencies become more comfortable working with each other further coordination may take place. Other agencies that are currently hesitant to coordinate may learn that the benefits outweigh a loss in total autonomy.

DARTS’ 2005 objectives include expanding the professional drivers training program for DARTS and community providers, and to fully develop and launch an inter-county transit network for coordination of specialized metro area-suburban county travel.