Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC) announced changes to DART Statewide Bus Services will become effective Sunday, December 11, 2016. Based on customer feedback received online and through DTC’s public hearing process, DART has reconsidered some of the changes, while making modifications to others, most notably affecting bus routes in Kent County.
New Castle County
Time changes on most routes to improve on-time performance and connections.
Routes 1, 9 & 14: Due to congestion, boarding locations are changing from King St. at 11th St. (former US Post Office) and King St. at 9th St. to King St. at 10th St. on Rodney Square. The Rodney Square stop on 11th St. at King St. will continue to be served.
Route 2: Weekday service between 8 AM and 8 PM will operate every 30 minutes, filling in late afternoon/early evening service gaps.
Route 7: Departure times from Gilpin St. in Trolley Square will be 10 minutes later; departures from Chase Center will be 5 minutes later.
Route 10: Based on customer feedback, time adjustments were made to the following morning rush-hour trips. The current 7:15 AM departure from Rising Sun Lane will depart at 6:58 AM; 7:37 AM departure from Amtrak Station will depart at 7:17 AM; and the 8:07 AM trip will depart from Centerville at 7:51 AM.
Route 14: Map/time reference points have been added for the Rodney Square and Opportunity Center stops, and time adjustments have been made to improve on-time performance.
Routes 18 & 30: Based on customer feedback, a new schedule will be implemented to improve on-time performance and departure time adjustments were made to all morning rush-hour trips from both Polly Drummond Shopping Center and Rodney Square.
Route 28: Trips after 3 PM have been adjusted to better meet major employer shift times.
Route 33: Fairplay Station will not be served when there is no SEPTA Train Service, thus no service during off-peak weekday hours or Saturdays.
Route 39: Time adjustments were made to AM trips leaving 13 minutes later from Newark to alternate with Route 33 to provide better service.
Route 40: Four new express trips are added to weekday rush hour (two AM and two PM) between Peoples Plaza and downtown Wilmington to address overcrowding. As express trips, bus will not serve DE 7 & E. Songsmith Dr., DE 7 & DE 273 Park & Ride, or Christiana Mall Park & Ride, and instead use DE 1 to I-95 to Amtrak Station and downtown Wilmington.
Route 43: Trip times are adjusted to improve connections with Routes 45 & 301 at Odessa Park & Ride.
Route 45: This weekday commuter route will link Boyds Corner, Odessa and Christiana Mall Park & Rides with downtown Wilmington. Based on customer feedback, AM rush hour service to Wilmington will depart Boyds Corner every 30 minutes from 5:25 AM to 7:25 AM. PM rush hour service to Boyds Corner will depart downtown Wilmington every 20-30 minutes between 4:15 and 6:35 PM. Five trips are scheduled during mid-day hours between downtown Wilmington and Boyds Corner. Schedule adjustments have been made to improve on-time performance.
Routes 46 & 55: Peak hour time changes have been made to improve connections between routes at Newark Transit Hub.
Route 47: Weekday schedule time adjustments have been made to meet employee shift times. The first southbound trip at 5:07 AM will be discontinued due to low ridership.
Route 48: All trips will be extended to serve AI DuPont Hospital for Children, along with adding a new morning trip departing Amtrak Station at 8:10 AM, arriving at Chestnut Run Plaza at 8:40 AM. Morning trip departure times from Amtrak Station are adjusted to address late arriving SEPTA trains.
NEW Route 49: A new bus route between Riverfront, S. Market St. and Downtown Wilmington, will serve major parking and employment centers operating weekdays from 6 AM to 8:30 PM, every 15 minutes during peak business hours (6-9 AM & 3-7 PM); every 30 minutes other times until 8:30 PM.
Route 55: A weekday AM trip will be extended to downtown Wilmington, departing Newark Transit Hub at 7:20 AM.
Kent County
Route 101: Based on customer feedback, no changes will be made to routing.
Route 102: Evening service will be discontinued due to low ridership; last departure is 6 PM from Dover Transit Center.
Route 103: Route will be discontinued due to low ridership.
Route 104: An extension to the route will be added along Kesserling Ave. and Webbs Ln.
Route 105: Evening service will be discontinued due to low ridership; last departure is 6 PM from Dover Transit Center.
Route 106: Route has been streamlined and will no longer serve Dover Transit Center or Camden Walmart, instead operating on US 13 between Dover Air Force Base and Scarborough Road Park & Ride via Blue Hen Corporate Center, Luther Village Apts., Capital Commons Shopping Center (formerly Kmart), Dover Downs and Dover Mall. Route will operate hourly from 6 AM to the last departure from DAFB at 9 PM weekdays and new service on Saturdays starting at 9 AM , with last departure from DAFB at 5 PM.
Route 107: Route will no longer serve Bay Court Plaza or Luther Village Apts. and include minor routing changes to improve on-time performance. Evening service will be discontinued; last departure is 6:35 PM from Dover Transit Center; and Saturday service will be discontinued to due low ridership.
Route 112: Saturday service will be discontinued due to low ridership.
Route 113: Based on customer feedback, Route will remain in service; last departure is 6 PM from Dover Transit Center.
NEW Route 119: Weekday route will operate hourly from Luther Village to Luther Towers, Bayhealth Kent General, Dover Transit Center, Eden Hill Medical Center, and Modern Maturity Center, from 6 AM to last departure at 6 PM.
Route 120: Service will be increased to operate every 30 minutes from Dover Mall to Smyrna Rest Stop/Park & Ride, no longer serving Dover Transit Center. Connections to other routes can be made at Dover Mall & Scarborough Park & Ride. This route will now operate on Saturdays every 30 minutes from 9 AM to last departure from Mall at 5 PM.
Sussex County
Route 206: Minor time changes to improve on-time performance/connections, not serving Allen Harim Foods (on-site).
Route 212: Minor time changes to improve on-time performance/connections.
Intercounty
Route 301: All service to/from Boyds Corner will be discontinued and replaced by Route 45. For peak direction commuters, select morning trips to Wilmington and select afternoon trips to Dover will skip Delaware State University and Christiana Mall to offer faster travel times; however, service to/from Christiana Mall and Delaware State will continue to be provided for commuters to Dover in the morning and to Wilmington in the afternoon. Mid-day, evening and Saturday service will continue to offer service to/from Christiana Mall and Delaware State. Other time adjustments have been made to improve on-time performance.
NEW Route 302: Weekday Intercounty service linking Dover, Smyrna, Townsend, Middletown, Glasgow and Newark began service on Monday, November 7, operating four round trips during rush hours.
Route 303: Select trips will serve Perdue Farms in Milford.
The individual pocket schedules are being printed and should be online early next week; however, the full schedule is available here.
