DART opens discussion on improving Sussex bus ridership

Not enough bus stops and times that don’t accommodate the work hours of users were among the items topping the list of concerns during a recent needs assessment meeting hosted by the Delaware Authority for Regional Transit and held Sept. 29 in the Rehoboth Beach Public Library.

DART planner Tremica Cherry-Wall said the state’s public transportation provider was looking to re-establish a Sussex County working group to find ways to better serve the bus-riding community. She said the meeting was the first of many. There was a second meeting later in the afternoon at the Georgetown Public Library.

After a brief introduction of all the stakeholders in the room, Cherry-Wall opened up the floor to public comment, and people didn’t hesitate.

More than one person – Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce President Carol Everhart, Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lauren Weaver, Boardwalk Plaza Sales Manager Karen Zakarian and Community Resource Center job placement counselor Ann Ameigh – said the bus times aren’t early enough in the morning or late enough in the evening for employees.

“Downtown can’t run without its employees,” said Everhart.

Ocean Atlantic Companies President Preston Schell said he would like to see more bus stops west of Fenwick, and he would like DART to speed up the approval times. He said the company is building workforce housing off Routes 20 and 17, and neither has bus service anywhere near.

“It’s a chicken and egg situation,” he said. “It’s hard to build workforce housing and not have services, but then we’re told we have to create the density first.”

Yvonne Willey of La Esperanza said there’s a huge issue with transportation for the Spanish-speaking population in Sussex County. There are also not enough places with shelter, she said.

“People are just out there waiting,” she said.

Renee Suslak, of Lewes, said she’s a senior who doesn’t drive and needs to be able to get to Dover and Wilmington regularly. There need to be more bus services for older non-drivers, because eventually, all the seniors are not going to be able to drive, she said.

CHEER Development Manager Ken Moore said on-time performance was an issue. He said the national average for bus services staying on schedule is about 82 percent. This year, near the beaches, on-time performance ranged from 60 percent to 77 percent, he said.

Even with more stops, getting to work on time isn’t going to happen because of infrastructure issues, said Moore.

Representing the Delaware Division of Libraries, librarian John Phillos said he would like to make sure there’s a bus stop at every library.

As of press deadline Oct. 1, a future needs assessment or working group meeting has not been scheduled, but there is a needs assessment questionnaire available on the DART website.