DART First State
The Delaware Transit Corporation, operating as DART First State, is the only public transportation system that operates throughout the U.S. state of Delaware. DART First State provides local and inter-county bus service throughout the state and also funds commuter rail service along SEPTA Regional Rail's Wilmington/Newark Line serving the northern part of the state. The agency also operates statewide paratransit service for people with disabilities. DART First State is a subsidiary of the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT).
A DART First State bus at Christiana Mall Park & Ride | |
| Parent | Delaware Department of Transportation |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1994 |
| Headquarters | 900 Public Safety Boulevard Dover, Delaware 119 Lower Beech Street Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Locale | Delaware |
| Service area | Delaware |
| Service type | Local and intercity bus service |
| Routes | 54 bus 3 on-demand zones |
| Stops | 2,295 (April 2024) |
| Fleet | 246 bus 286 paratransit |
| Daily ridership | 30,700 (weekdays, Q4 2023) |
| Annual ridership | 8,034,800 (2023) |
| Chief executive | John Sisson |
| Website | dartfirststate |
Although most of its bus routes run in and around Wilmington and Newark in New Castle County, DART operates bus route networks in the Dover area of Kent County; seven year-round bus routes serving Georgetown and Sussex County; and additional seasonal routes connecting Rehoboth Beach, other beach towns in Sussex County, and Ocean City, Maryland. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 8,034,800, or about 30,700 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.
DART was awarded the prestigious Public Transportation System Outstanding Achievement Award by the American Public Transportation Association in 2003.