Service center up and running at DART transit hub
Within three weeks, the new DART First State Maintenance Facility south of Five Points along Route 1 in Lewes will be fully operational.
Completion of the $2.1 million facility is Phase 2 of the Lewes Transit Center overall plan. It joins the 248-parking-space park and ride, ticket and information booth, and area bus hub, which has been open since May 2017.
Bill Thatcher, project manager, said all that remains is completion of the bus wash system and the required inspections to open the fuel depot.
John Sisson, CEO of Delaware Transit Corporation, said the facility answers a great need for the DART system to keep pace with growth in the Cape Region. The facility also replaces an outdated operation at the Rehoboth Park & Ride, which included a more than 25-year-old trailer for drivers and an old building for maintenance.
“This is much more functional for operators and drivers,” Thatcher added.
Sisson said the new facility also helps to improve efficiency. He said it was not uncommon for a driver living in the Lewes area to drive to Georgetown to pick up their bus and then travel back to the Lewes area to start their route or make a paratransit stop.
The facility includes a drivers’ lounge, dispatch center, three-bay bus maintenance shop and parking for 20 fixed-route buses and 20 paratransit buses, with additional room to add more buses during the summer season.
The bus fleet includes six electric buses. A grant is in process to add two more, Sisson said.
An exterior charging port for the buses allows them to be able to provide service all day. Sisson said the buses usually plug in two to three times a day to get temporary charges with a full charge done at night after they are out of service. A full charge allows buses to travel about 140 miles.
The electric buses, purchased using federal grants, cost $900,000, compared to $500,000 for the cost of a diesel or propane bus. The fixed-route buses are on a 12-year replacement cycle.
The paratransit system
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that disabled persons receive the same level of transportation services as non-disabled persons. Paratransit service is available to disabled residents who meet eligibility requirements. Pickups are made by appointment.
For more information, go to dartfirststate.com/RiderInfo/Paratransit.
DART job fair
DART will sponsor a job fair from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, March 11, at Milford Central Academy. Sisson said while there are several openings that need to be filled, there is a particular need for paratransit drivers.
Project at Rehoboth center
A major project is also planned at the Rehoboth Park & Ride on Shuttle Road and Route 1 near the entrance to Rehoboth Beach. Work is expected to take place this year into 2024. DART received a $5.4 million grant from the Federal Transportation Administration for the project.
The facility will have a new administrative building with a climate-controlled waiting area, restrooms and ticket sales area; eight new bus-boarding areas for an expanding zero-emissions bus fleet; self-sustaining microgrid fed by on-site solar generation; public electric vehicle charging ports; a new electric bus maintenance facility; sheltered bicycle parking and repair stations; improved site layout that will enhance circulation and provide additional park-and-ride spaces; and pedestrian and bike connectivity to adjacent routes and communities.
The Delaware Transit Corporation, a subsidiary of the Delaware Department of Transportation, operates DART First State. For more information, go to DartFirstState.com or call 1-800-652-DART. Real-time bus information and DART Pass, the mobile fare payment option, are available on the free DART Transit app.
