Based on Customer Feedback, Delaware Transit Corporation Pulls Back on Some Proposed Changes
Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC) has announced changes to DART Statewide Bus Services to become effective Sunday, June 26, 2016. The changes are more limited in scope than those initially proposed at public hearing workshops held in April. Based on customer feedback, DART has decided not to proceed with some of the changes, while making modifications to others, most notably affecting bus routes 10 and 39 and the routes serving Christiana Mall.
The proposed discontinuation of Route 10 service to Greenville and Centerville will not go forward. And Route 39, which was proposed for elimination, will continue with four trips; two into Wilmington at 6:10 AM and 6:40 AM and two back to Newark at 4:40 PM and 5 PM. The original proposal to discontinue service to the Target stop at the Christiana Mall on commuter routes 33, 34, 40, 54 and 55 has been modified. Routes 33 and 40 will continue to serve Target during off-peak hours on weekdays and all trips on weekend. The Route 16 proposal to discontinue service to Fairfield, starting instead at the Newark Transit Hub, will go through. While comments were received opposing this change, the low ridership in this segment supports the change, with an average of 22 riders over 13 trips per day.
The specific approved changes are (by County):
New Castle County
Time changes on most routes to improve on-time performance and connections.
Christiana Mall –To improve efficiency and on-time performance, Routes 34, 54 and 55 will not serve the Target stop at the Mall, while Routes 33 and 40 will serve this stop during off-peak weekday hours only (9 AM to 3 PM, and after 6 PM) and on weekends. Routes 5, 15, and 44 will continue to serve the Target stop on all trips, and all routes will continue to serve the Mall Park & Ride. Weekday service between the Mall and Downtown Wilmington will run every 15 minutes between Routes 33 and 40.
Routes 3 & 17: Routes will be combined into new Route 14 offering service approximately every 30 minutes during rush hours and every 60 minutes during mid-day and evenings. The current Route 17’s unproductive segments of Holloway Terrace, Garfield Park and Southgate Industrial Park will no longer be served (Zenith will continue to be served). After leaving Shoprite, route will travel north on Walnut St., left on 8th St., and right on Orange St. continuing the current Route 3 routing.
Route 5: Service will run every 15 minutes during rush hours, every 20 minutes during mid-day and every 30 minutes in the evening resulting in five extra roundtrips. Fairplay Station will no longer be served by this route.
Route 6: All trips will serve Prices Corner Park & Ride and service will run every 20 minutes during rush hours and every 30 minutes during mid-day and evenings.
Route 10: Service will be extended until 9 PM and time changes will be made on most trips to improve connections to SEPTA trains at Wilmington’s Amtrak Station.
Route 16: Route will begin at Newark Transit Hub, no longer serving Fairfield, Elkton Rd. at Suburban Plaza, instead staying on Park Place. All trips will serve the I-95 Service Plaza.
Routes 18 & 30: Routes will no longer use Skyline Dr. due to low ridership, instead staying on New Linden Hill Rd. on all trips, resulting in minor time changes.
Route 22: Trip times will be staggered along US 13/DuPont Hwy. with Route 25, resulting in time changes and two additional roundtrips.
Route 25: Service to Delaware City will be maintained on majority of the trips; however, some trips will end at Wrangle Hill Park & Ride, resulting in minor time changes.
Route 28: Route will no longer serve the Experimental Station resulting in minor time changes.
Route 33: Service between Christiana Mall and Downtown Wilmington will operate every 30 minutes until 8 PM, with less frequent service thereafter, and will only serve the Target stop at the Mall during off-peak weekday hours and weekends, and no longer serve Continental Dr. The routing in and out of Downtown Wilmington will change to be one directional, traveling I-95 to MLK Blvd. to Amtrak Station, north on Walnut St., left on 8th St., right on Orange St., left on 12th St. to access I-95 South back to Newark, no longer serving Rodney Square; closest stop is on Orange St. at 10th St.
Route 34: Route will have minor time changes and no longer serve the Target stop at the Mall.
Route 39: Route will be reinstated with two morning trips to Wilmington at 6:10 AM and 6:40 AM and two trips back to Newark at 4:40 PM and 5:00 PM. The routing into downtown Wilmington will use the same routing as Routes 33 & 40.
Route 40: Service between Christiana Mall and Downtown Wilmington will operate every 30 minutes until 7:15 PM, with less frequent service thereafter, and will only serve the Target stop at the Mall during off-peak weekday hours and weekends. The routing in and out of Downtown Wilmington will change to be one directional, traveling from I-95 to MLK Blvd. to Amtrak Station, north on Walnut St., left on 8th St., right on Orange St., left on 12th St. to access I-95 South back to Glasgow, no longer serving Rodney Square; closest stop is on Orange St. at 10th St.
Route 41: Route will be discontinued reallocating trips to Route 40 (see above) to increase trip frequency.
Route 42: Route will serve the I-95 Service Plaza on all trips. Service to Pencader Corporate Center will be discontinued.
Route 43: Route will have minor time changes to improve transfers with Routes 45 and 301.
Route 44: Trip times will be coordinated with available resources, resulting in a new schedule.
Route 47: The 7 AM trip from Amazon would be discontinued on weekdays and Saturdays.
NEW Route 48: New route will operate 4 morning express trips from Wilmington’s Amtrak Station to JP Morgan Chase Delaware Technology Center in Fairfax and Chestnut Run Plaza, and 4 afternoon express trips back to train station coordinating with SEPTA train connections.
Route 53: Trip times will be coordinated with available resources, resulting in a new schedule.
Route 54: Route will have minor time changes and no longer serve the Target stop at the Mall. With the increased efficiency, route will operate approximately every 45 minutes increasing the number of trips. The first weekday trip from Newark will be extended from the Mall to Downtown Wilmington using the same routing as Routes 33 & 40 into downtown.
Route 55: Route will have minor time changes and no longer serve the Target stop at the Mall. With the increased efficiency, route will operate approximately every 45 minutes increasing the number of trips. The trips in and out of Wilmington will use the same routing as Routes 33 & 40.
Route 59: Route will add stops at the major employment centers of JPMC Morgan Christiana Center, Bank of America in Ogletown, and JPMC Iron Hill to connect with SEPTA train service between Newark, Fairplay and Wilmington Stations. A trip has been added leaving Wilmington at 10:40 AM.
Route 62: Route will no longer serve Christiana Mall, DelTech, or travel Churchmans Rd., and instead serve White Clay Center on Ogletown Rd., JPMC Morgan Christiana Center and Fairplay Station. Service has been changed to be timed with train arrivals/departures at Fairplay Station.
Kent County and Intercounty Service – no changes
Sussex County
Route 212: Route will have minor time changes to improve on-time performance
Route 215: All trips will be extended south to serve Church St. in Rehoboth.
Online route schedules will be available in early June, and the printed pocket schedules will be available in mid-June.
