Delaware's public transit service is postponing the final phase of its fare hike and some service and schedule changes until Valentine's Day in the new year.
The increase will add a quarter to most cash fares, 10 cents to reduced fares and 50 cents to day passes. It's the last part of a three-phase roll-out -- the first increase in fares since 1989.
Delaware Transit Corporation spokeswoman Julie Theyerl says it's the last increase they currently have planned, but it will help pay for some new programs next year.
"There's really no transit agency in the country that makes money, unfortunately," she says. "But we do like to try to put up more service where there's needed service."
That includes adding new bus routes to take workers to big employers, like Mountaire Farms' Millsboro plant and Amazon's Middletown fulfillment center.
"It's really about getting people access to jobs," Theyerl says. "That's really important for transportation, is to be able to get people where they need to go."
She says that's also true of new late-night SEPTA trips to and from Wilmington, plus more bus trips to Amtrak Station and between Newark and Wilmington. DART will also send a bus to the former AstraZeneca campus, now occupied by JPMorgan Chase.
Theyerl says DART will recoup more cash for those changes by ending some redundant or low-ridership bus routes, including the Wilmington Trolley and certain trips between downtown Wilmington and Christiana Mall.
All those changes and the fare hike will take effect Feb. 14, 2016. DART expects to update online schedules by Jan. 12. In the meantime, find details below:
DART - Fare Increase and Service Changes
