• Began in 1976 with first handicap accesible vehicle--opereated a coordinated transportation service in Emmet County with ECHO
• In 1977, coordinated service with Area Agency on Aging Dinner Date Program to provide transportation to senior citizens in Clay, Palo Alto, Buena Vista, Dickinson, O'Brien, and Sioux counties
• In 1978, RIDES was officially established as a Regional Transit Authority in nine counties
• In 1979, RIDES become a non-profit corporation, and purchased ten ADA accessible vehicles through a grant with the Iowa Department of Transportation and Federal Transit Administration

Today, RIDES provides more than 300,000 trips throughout Northwest Iowa, while travelling nearly 1,000,000 miles on an annual basis.