Transit services to be expanded in Delaware County
DELAWARE, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Delaware County Transit is expanding its same-day microtransit service to the City of Sunbury, Berkshire Township, and the Village of Galena starting on Oct. 14.
It's essentially an Uber-style public transit service. DCT first started its FLEX service in 2020.
Watch: Delaware County busing expansion
DCT Executive Director, Andy Volenik, said for the first time ever it's adding this new zone. He said it's a steppingstone into their larger plan, which is to service all of Delaware County with this style of service.
"Sunbury is a growing community. That area has Tanger Outlets. It has lots of schools. It has a community that's ready for this style of service, but we've never done two zones at once," Volenik said. "So, being able to do this in a community where we have some good control makes a lot of sense for us to do."
Volenik said the goal is to grow and perfect the service for when Intel is up and running.
"This is a legacy service. And so, we're able then to expand even farther east as those areas develop and we have a really good, robust service for that area to get to and from jobs, whether it's Intel, whether it's Intel adjacent, whether it's within Sunbury," Volenik said. "This allows us to grow with that community."
Volenik said the expansion was made possible through a grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation through the Office of Transit. He said the two biggest topics people talk about are housing and infrastructure, which is where transportation comes into play.
"How do I get to my medical appointments? How do I get to my jobs? How do I get to my community services? And as we continue to grow, people want options," Volenik said.
Volenik said they have found that people want this style of service, and the demand is there.
"This year we're on schedule to break 150,000 trips," Volenik said. "Our ridership is exploding in the Delaware area."
Volenik said in both July and August, they made over 13,000 trips and they're on track to surpass that number again this month.
To schedule a trip, you can use the Delaware County Transit app or call the office.
Service will be Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fare is $2 for one way and $1 for those who are 65 and older, 19 and younger, and disabled.