Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA) was recognized as the Iowa rural public transit system with the largest ridership in fiscal year 2021 by the Federal Transit Administration during the Breakfast of Transit Champions at the 2023 Midwest Transit Conference in Kansas City on September 8th.

SWITA has continued to show tremendous growth in ridership despite the decline many other agencies have seen since the pandemic. The award itself was delayed because of the pandemic. For the award year (2021) SWITA provided 377,547 rides. SWITA will hold the title for 2022 and 2023 as well with 480,229 rides and an unprecedented 526,300 rides respectively. Workforce ridership is one specific area of growth for SWITA and ridership has more than doubled from fiscal year 2020 at 43,363 rides to fiscal year 2023 at 99,286 rides. SWITA transportation is available for all residents in Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie and Shelby counties.

SWIPCO Executive Director John McCurdy said, “Awards because of big numbers are nice, but what is really important is what those numbers represent. SWITA is getting people in Southwest Iowa where they need to go—including to work, school, and medical appointments. The SWITA staff bend over backwards to meet the needs of our clients because they know every trip is important to that client.”

SWITA transportation is accessible to everyone including the disabled population and elderly. SWITA vehicles are equipped with wheelchair accessibility and one personal care attendant rides free. SWITA transportation is affordable: taxi rides are $2.50 per trip or $2.00 per trip for elderly clients (60 years and older) with collaboration from Connenctions Area Agency on Aging; medical trips are $30 per hour; Summer Fun Bus rides are $1 per trip or $40 for the full summer; other special trips are $40 per hour.

SWITA Transit Director Mark Lander said, “SWITA is one of the few Rural Public Transit Agencies in Iowa that has routes running 24/7 and we were the only public transit agency in the state that saw ridership gains during the pandemic. This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the men and women at SWITA that work day in and day out to get the people of Southwest Iowa where they need to go!”

For questions or to request a ride, contact SWITA at 712-243-2518 or 1-800-842-8065.