Bar-hopping made easy

There are plenty of nightlife spots downtown and in West Glen, but the distance between the two districts doesn't make for easy bar hopping.

This week Adam Sieren, 31, and his partner, Casey White, 28, are launching The Shuttle, a service that will transport customers back and forth between Court District, All Play and West Glen Town Center in West Des Moines.

Sieren, who owns 101 Lounge, 101 Fourth St., got the idea after overhearing a conversation at Bonefish Grill in West Glen. A mother and daughter at a nearby table discussed how it would be a good idea for someone to provide steady transportation between downtown and West Des Moines.

"Within two weeks I was in Vegas buying two shuttle buses," Sieren said. "Everyone is always wondering what the other district is doing. If it's slow at West Glen, they go downtown. But if you were at happy hour at Cab West at 5:30 p.m. and had planned to go downtown, you might be halfway drunk by 8:30 p.m. It's about safety and convenience."

John Cimaglia of newly opened West Glen restaurant Ciao, 5513 Mills Civic Parkway in West Des Moines, sees the shuttle as a great bridge between the two districts. There's also the safety benefit.

"Hopefully it will cut down on OWIs and drunk driving and give people a safer way to get out and entertain themselves," Cimaglia, 32, said.

How it works:

Beginning Friday, two 15-passenger buses will shuttle patrons back and forth between Court District and West Glen every 30 minutes between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m. on weekends. On Thursdays, a bus will leave from each stop every hour from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Each one-way trip costs $5.

The pickup/drop-off points are Third Street and Court Avenue downtown and the parking spaces on the turnabout between Tonic and Cabaret West Glen in West Des Moines. Signs will point out the shuttle stops. The Des Moines City Council voted 70 in February to create a designated stop downtown. The trip is 12 miles each way, which Sieren estimates will take 16-18 minutes.

The buses:

These are not party buses, Sieren says. There are no flashing lights or coolers to stow beverages for the trip. The buses are equipped with XM Satellite Radio and video surveillance, and the drivers will be in uniform (red hats and black polos).

"We'll change the station or turn the radio down if that's what the people onboard want," Sieren said. "I want the drivers to feel the energy of the client that's riding. It will be a classy service that appeals to a wide range of riders."

Sieren's goal is to appeal to patrons of bars like Tonic, who might not be downtown regulars, and make sure they're comfortable on the shuttles. "If it was just a bus, they're not getting on that thing," he said.

Sieren isn't looking to start a taxi service and doesn't see The Shuttle expanding beyond downtown and West Glen.

"You need to have 2,000 people and 10 bars in walking distance and the same thing 15 or 20 miles away," Sieren said.