The Sioux Area Metro (SAM) is the local governmental transit agency in

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

, and the largest operator of public transportation in the state. They provide multiple scheduled fixed routes and paratransit services. Although the bus fleet is owned by the city the system is currently managed by

First Transit First Transit is an American transportation company. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, First Transit operates over 300 locations, carrying more than 350 million passengers annually throughout the United States in 39 states, Puerto Rico, Panam ...

and operated under Sioux Area Metro. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of .

Facilities

Transit Offices and Garage

:Address: 500 E. Sixth St. :Coordinates: :Facilities: Head office, bus storage and maintenance

Sioux Area Metro Depot

:Address: 120 E. 11th St. :Coordinates: :Facilities: Downtown bus terminal The Sioux Area Metro Depot was originally built in 1988 and known as "The Bus Stop". In 2017, the facility underwent a $2 million renovation and reopened on November 6, 2017 with the name Sioux Area Metro Depot. The renovations included a skylight, new canopy, new benches, bike storage and bike repair station. The facility serves 11 routes.

Southwest Transfer Facility

:Address: 4409 S. Louise Ave. :Coordinates: :Facilities: Mall area bus terminal

Fixed routes

Effective February 1, 2016 Routes operate Monday-Saturday unless otherwise indicated.

Discontinued Services

Sioux Area Metro operated an old-time trolley styled bus in the downtown area. In 2014 operation of the service was assumed by Downtown Sioux Falls Inc, and in 2019 they were joined by a coalition of local businesses to continue funding through 2022. Sioux Area Metro also operated four school "tripper" routes until May 2016. These routes were open to the public, with high schools as destinations. School Bus, Inc is currently operating those routes.

Paratransit

Sioux Falls Paratransit is an extension to the city's fixed-route system, and persons with

disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

are encouraged to use it. Each

paratransit Paratransit is the term used in North America, also known by other names such as community transport ( UK) for transportation services that supplement fixed-route mass transit by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables. ...

bus is equipped with a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...

lift. All passengers must be certified by guidelines established by the

Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ...

, and be registered with Sioux Area Metro after qualifying. Passengers must schedule Paratransit trips by calling their local office.

Fixed route ridership and service

The ridership and service statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response. Per capita statistics are based on the Sioux Falls urbanized area as reported in NTD data. The significant changes in per capita numbers from 2010 to 2011 are a result of the 2010 census numbers replacing the 2000 census numbers.

Fleet

2009 2015 2018

Gillig Low Floor The Gillig Low Floor (originally named Gillig H2000LF and also nicknamed Gillig Advantage) is a transit bus manufactured by the Gillig Corporation. The second low-floor bus introduced in the United States (after the New Flyer LF), the Low Floor ...

References

Bus transportation in South Dakota Transportation in Sioux Falls, South Dakota {{SouthDakota-transport-stub