While the city’s fleet of bright crimson buses certainly standout, especially amongst the snow-laden streets in winter, local officials are looking to spread the word about the service these vehicles provide.

Members of the Dowagiac Dial-A-Ride Transit board have recently began efforts to increase public awareness of the service, which provides low-cost transportation to residents living in the city and its immediate outskirts. The public transportation authority has recently distributed pamphlets to local businesses promoting the busing service, in an effort to reach residents who could benefit from it, said Rozanne Scherr, assistant city manager and DART coordinator.

“We want to get this information out to the public,” Scherr said. “There are some in the city who do not know there is public transit available for them.”

The move is motivated in part by a decline in ridership in recent years, Scherr said. Last year, DART buses had a total of 22,865 passengers, down from 24,479 the previous year.

DART has been a longstanding institution of the community, providing affordable public transportation since 1975.

“We are one of, if not the oldest, public transportation authorities in the State of Michigan,” Scherr said.

Led by Scherr and a six-person advisory committee, the service is funded primarily through state and federal grants, a citywide millage and rider fares, Scherr said. The service currently has two buses that cover the city, and a third vehicle that is employed when one of main buses are out-of-commission.

DART is a demand response service, meaning that customers must call and request a ride rather than the buses maintaining regular routes. In addition to providing coverage within city limits, drivers also provide coverage to residents and businesses 1 mile outside them, including to Southwestern Michigan College, Scherr said.

“We have a lot of regular riders,” Scherr said. “For many people, this truly is their sole source of transportation.”

More than half of the people who regularly use the service are either elderly or have disabilities, Scherr said. Children and teenagers are also frequent riders.

Formerly operated by the public services department, in 2015 DART entered into a partnership with the Cass County Transportation Authority, which now handles many of the day-to-day operations, including dispatch and vehicle maintenance and storage, Scherr said. The partnership has been beneficial to the city and has allowed the service to become more efficient, Scherr said.

“We rarely receive any complaints,” she said. “People appear to be satisfied with the service.”

The service operates from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. People can schedule a ride by calling 782-3300.