DART First State

DART First State
(Delaware Transit Corporation)

DART 1st State bus #111 in downtown Wilmington, Delaware at Rodney Square.
Parent Delaware Department of Transportation
Founded 1994
Headquarters Dover, Delaware
Locale Delaware
Service area Delaware and Cecil County, MD
Service type Local and intercity bus service
Routes 66
Fleet 227 bus
284 paratransit[1]
Operator Delaware DOT (most routes)
Hart to Heart Ambulance, Inc. (59, 61-65)
Chief executive Lauren Skiver
Website Official Website

The Delaware Transit Corporation, trading as DART First State is the primary public transportation system that operates throughout Delaware, USA. DART First State is a subsidiary of the Delaware Department of Transportation.

Although most of its routes run in and around Wilmington and Newark in New Castle County, DART operates bus route networks in the Dover area of Kent County, two year-round bus routes which hub at Georgetown in Sussex County, one route which operates into Elkton, Maryland, with connection to the modified fixed-route and dial-a-ride services of Cecil County, Maryland, and six seasonal routes connecting Rehoboth Beach and other beach towns in Sussex County, and with Ocean City, Maryland.

DART was awarded the prestigious Public Transportation System Outstanding Achievement Award by the American Public Transportation Association in 2003.[2]

Fixed-route bus service

New Castle County

DART First State operates 45 fixed-route bus routes throughout New Castle County, the majority of which hub in downtown Wilmington. Other major bus hubs in New Castle County include Newark and the Christiana Mall. Most routes operate Monday through Saturday with some Sunday service. All except 6 of these routes are directly operated by DART First State; the remaining 6 routes are operated by a third-party contractor utilizing cutaway buses. These routes are numbered between 59 and 65.

Kent County

DART First State operates 14 fixed-route bus routes within the Dover area. These bus routes operate Monday through Friday with some Saturday service out of the Water Street Transfer Center in downtown Dover as a hub-and-spoke system. These routes are numbered in the 100-series.

Sussex County

DART First State operates a total of 9 bus routes within Sussex County. Two of these routes offer year-round fixed-route bus service within Sussex County and connect at Georgetown. During summer months, DART operates 7 additional bus routes which hub at the Rehoboth Beach Park and Ride lot and offer connecting service to coastal communities along the Delaware shoreline and to Ocean City, Maryland. These routes are numbered in the 200-series.

Intercounty Service

DART First State operates two inter-county bus routes which connect the three separate systems. Route 301 operates weekday service between Downtown Wilmington, Christiana Mall, Middletown, Smyrna, and Dover, connecting the New Castle and Kent County fixed-route systems. Route 303 operates between Dover and Georgetown, connecting the Kent and Sussex County fixed-route systems. During the summer months, DART First State operates Route 305 on weekends, connecting Wilmington and Dover with Rehoboth Beach.

Rail service

DART First State, through the Delaware Department of Transportation, subsidizes the segment of the Wilmington/Newark Line of SEPTA Regional Rail within the State of Delaware. SEPTA operates the service under contract with DART First State. Signage at the Delaware stations differs from that at other SEPTA Regional Rail stations.

These trains originate in Philadelphia and operate to Wilmington, with an intermediate stop at Claymont. A few rush-hour trains continue on to Newark, with an intermediate stop at Churchmans Crossing station, located near the Delaware Park horse racing track.

Fares

Most DART First State bus routes have a base cash fare of $1.50 as of 2014. Cash fares must be paid in exact change. A reduced fare is available for senior citizens and disabled persons. Children under 46 inches in height and the blind ride for free. DART First State does not issue transfers; a Daily Pass can be purchased on the bus for riders who use multiple buses in a single day. Inter-county bus routes along with Route 45 have zone fares based on distance traveled. Weekly or Monthly SEPTA TrailPasses can be used on buses in northern New Castle County.[3]

DART First State offers a stored value card called DARTCard that can be used to pay for single-ride bus fares or a Daily Pass. DARTCards are available in six denominations (Gold, Blue, Yellow, Green, Purple, and Platinum) ranging from $9.60 to $65.00 for regular fares along with a $14.00 Red DARTCard for reduced fares for senior citizens and disabled persons. DARTCards provide a discount off the regular fare, with the discount increasing the more expensive the card is. For example, the Gold DARTCard costs $9.60 and has a value of $12.00 for a 20% discount; while the Platinum DARTCard costs $65.00 and has a value of $108.00 for a 40% discount. The reduced fare DARTCard costs $14.00 and has a value of $46.00 for a 70% discount. DARTCards are not rechargeable and a new one must be purchased once the value is used up.[4] DARTCards are available from DART First State by purchasing over the phone, by mail, or online; they are also available at selected retailers across the state.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ DART 1st State federal filings
  2. ↑ http://www.deldot.gov/public.ejs?command=PublicNewsDisplay&id=1456
  3. ↑ "Fares". DART First State. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  4. ↑ "DARTCard". DART First State. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  5. ↑ "DARTCard Purchasing Outlets". DART First State. Retrieved September 15, 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to DART First State.