DELAWARE — Delaware County Transit plans to serve more of the county with a Regional Transit Authority now overseeing growth rather than a board from a county system.
The organizational change, approved by county commissioners on Monday, does not have any impact on current operations, but positions the agency to better respond to growth.
A response to increased ridership
The change is in response to the growth in ridership and the growth of population, according to Delaware County Transit Executive Director Andy Volenik.
The total rides per year have increased 299.9% over a 10-year period, with 66,846 rides in 2015 to 200,478 in 2025. Volenik expects 2026 to be even busier.
DCT plans to add a new service line covering Orange Township in October to accommodate for riders in that part of the county. The service line would run Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Orange Road will serve as the northern boundary for the service area, the county line as the southern boundary, the Ohio Health Westerville Campus on Africa Road as the eastern boundary and the west side of U.S. 23 as the western boundary.
“Our goal is to grow the service for southern county,” Volenik said.
DCT is also looking into providing more east-to-west connections and investigating a commuter-style service that would potentially travel to Columbus’ business district.
“We will serve the county. We will continue to provide the services that we see. This provides a legal framework for us to execute that and improve upon the service that have already seen massive improvements,” Volenik said.
Why an RTA?
RTAs typically serve larger areas, such as Columbus’ Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) and Cincinnati’s Southwest Ohio Transit Authority (SORTA).
The commissioners established the county’s transit system in October 1999 to provide transit services within those parts of Delaware County that were not already served by COTA.
COTA only serves select portions of Delaware County, including stops at the Columbus Zoo, Polaris Fashion Place and Ohio Health’s Westerville location
Whereas DCT serves all parts of the county through three services:
- Delaware City FLEX offers same-day or up to two weeks in advance curb-to-curb service to and from city locations, Monday-Friday, 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Sunbury City FLEX offers same-day or up to two weeks in advance curb-to-curb service within Sunbury city limits, Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Demand response allows riders to choose their pick-up and drop-off locations anywhere within Delaware County Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Demand trips require riders to schedule their trip by noon of the business day prior to the trip, or up to two weeks prior to the ride.
Volenik said the organizational switch does not change much, but it creates a governmental structure more positioned for growth.
DCT’s current seven-member board of trustees will transition as of July 1, 2026, to new terms on the DCRTA’s board. County Commissioners will continue to appoint them for three-year terms.
As an RTA, DCT can now purchase the 60-foot “accordion-style” buses as well, though Volenik said that is not in the pipeline right now.
