Our Mission

Provide customer-focused community transportation with a commitment to excellence in safety and service promoting independent lifestyles for central Iowa residents.

Our Vision

To become the transit provider of choice making a positive difference by enhancing community livability through safe, innovative, sustainable regional transportation options and promoting independent lifestyles for central Iowa residents. 

Our Values

We emphasize safety in everything we do. We are committed to providing safe, secure, and clean public transit vehicles and work sites.

We serve the public, each other, and our community partners with friendliness, courtesy, respect, and dignity. We recognize our customers are why we exist, and we take pride in the positive impact we make in their daily lives.

We foster trust, inclusiveness, and cooperation in our communication. We promote an open, respectful culture, where opinions and ideas are shared and where candor is valued. We listen to and actively engage our customers, community partners, and employees.

We encourage and respect new and challenging ideas from employees, partners, and the public. We use innovation, technology, and best practices to anticipate and respond to the future needs of our community.

We take responsibility for our actions as individuals and as an organization. We are accountable as stewards of public funds and community trust; we honor this commitment with transparency, honesty, and integrity.

History

In 1981, the Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency (HIRTA) was formed under a 28E agreement with the 7 counties in central Iowa. 


Region 11, better known as HIRTA, was established to provide public transit services in the counties of Boone, Dallas, Jasper, Madison, Marion, Story and Warren.

Friendly and Helpful:

Our staff are always ready to schedule your trip and answer your transit questions. Contact us via phone or email. 1 (877) 686-0029 or erides@ridehirta.com.


Safety is Important:

The safety of our customers is most important. Our drivers go through a training program upon hire. HIRTA requires all drivers pass a national background screening and Motor Vehicle Record check, as well as adhere to an extensive drug and alcohol program. Drivers are required to attend regular training to stay up to date on how to use a fire extinguisher, blood borne pathogens, accident prevention, etc.


Accessible:

100% of the HIRTA vehicle fleet is ADA-accessible and operates in accordance with the Iowa Smoke-free Air Act of 2008. HIRTA does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, disability, religion, color, sex or national origin. 


Our transit services are safe, reliable and have an on-time performance of above 95%. HIRTA is open to people of all ages, abilities and income levels. 

Public Transit in Iowa

Iowa has 35 designated transit systems. Sixteen of these systems are rural and nineteen are urban. Chapter 324A of the Iowa Code defines transit systems. The Iowa Department of Transportation Bureau of Public Transit may only distribute state and federal public transit assistance to public transit systems that have been duly designated as a single administrative agency (transit system).

Chapter 324A of the Iowa Code mandates that transportation services be coordinated and defines transit systems. For information on Iowa Public Transit, click here to be directed to the Iowa DOT Bureau of Public Transit website.