Bus Services

DMACC students, employees and staff can ride Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) fare free.

This benefit allows you access to unlimited fare free boarding on DART buses. You can ride to work, run errands, travel to entertainment venues and more! The benefit includes DART’s local bus routes.

To access the benefit, you will need either a physical or mobile pass. If you do not have access to a mobile phone and require a physical DMACC DART Card, please contact your campus Student Services Office for assistance.

Mobile passes are issued each academic year beginning in August. You will receive a pass distribution notification email in your DMACC inbox. You may activate, then utilize the pass immediately upon receipt. For eligible students who register for classes after August, mobile passes are issued on a monthly basis throughout the academic year. Passes can also be issued to eligible students, faculty, and staff by request by emailing DARThelp@dmacc.edu.

Please activate the pass prior to boarding a bus. Operators are unable to assist with mobile pass activations.

Accessing your mobile pass:

I have the MyDART App!

If you already have a MyDART app account associated with your DMACC email address:

• The new pass will appear in the ticket section of the app.
• Skip to the Activating my mobile pass section of this message and follow the activation instructions to enjoy your DART benefit.

If you already have a MyDART app account associated with a personal email address:

• You will need to email DARThelp@dmacc.edu with your name, personal email address and current @dmacc.edu email address. A new pass will be issued to your existing account within three days.
• Once the new pass has been distributed, follow the activation instructions in the Activating my mobile pass section of this page to enjoy your DART benefit.

I do NOT have the MyDART App.

If you do not have the MyDART app, your mobile pass was distributed to your DMACC email address. Check that inbox (or spam inbox) for the email of distribution notification.

• Click the link in the email and register for an account using your DMACC email address.
• After you complete the account registration, download the MyDART app on your phone and log in using your newly made account.
• Follow the activation instructions below and enjoy your DART benefit.

Activating my mobile pass:

Once you have the MyDART app, activate your mobile pass through the following steps:

1. Open tickets section of MyDART app and DMACC mobile pass will be visible in the “Available” tab.
2. Touch the pass until it highlights and “ACTIVATE” icon appears.
3. Press “ACTIVATE” icon to begin activation process.
4. Click “YES” when the expiration reminder appears.
5. Your mobile pass will appear, completing the activation process. Press “SHOW CODE” icon to reveal boarding QR code.
6. Utilize this QR code each time you board the bus.
7. NOTE: After activation, your pass will be available in the “Active” tab of the tickets section

Should you experience any issues with your mobile pass after activation, please contact DART’s customer service at dart@ridedart.com​ or 515-283-8100.

You will only be issued one unlimited access pass per academic year – either mobile or physical. Please contact DARThelp@dmacc.edu with questions.

Having issues getting your bus pass through the MyDART App?

Logged in using non-DMACC email address

Using the MyDART app account, make sure you are logged in using your DMACC email address. Open the app, click more in the bottom right corner then click on "your profile" to see which email address is associated with your account.

MyDART App Frequently Asked Questions