Lorain County Transit

Lorain County TransitFounded| 1974

|

Headquarters| 226 Middle Avenue
Elyria, Ohio
Locale| Elyria, Ohio
Service area| Lorain County, Ohio
Service type| Bus service, dial-a-ride, microtransit
Routes| 5
Annual ridership| 30,000 (2017)
Website| Official website

Lorain County Transit (LCT) is a public transportation system in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. Robert Wickens, Board Chairman in the 1970s, successfully led the effort to begin fixed route transit service in the county. A division of the Lorain County Commissioners, LCT's headquarters are located in downtown Elyria.

LCT originally operated several fixed bus routes, several of which connected at a transfer point near the now-defunct Midway Mall in Elyria, the county seat. Secondary transfer hubs for the system were in downtown Elyria and Lorain. Additionally, LCT operated connecting paratransit service for the three communities of Oberlin, Amherst and Avon. Many of the routes had been discontinued on January 14, 2010 as a result of funding shortfalls.[1] [2]

In addition to servicing the county's various localities, LCT also provided an express route connecting Oberlin to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (from which one can transfer to the RTA Red Line into Cleveland.) On June 1, 2009, LCT discontinued this route due to funding shortfalls. This route was funded primarily by Oberlin College. Since fall 2005, LCT had provided supplemental service to the airport for the college's vacations and holiday breaks. In spring 2009, this supplemental service was provided on 47-55 passenger motorcoaches owned and operated by Brecksville Road Transit.

LCT also provided an express bus route from Elyria to the RTA park and ride lot in Westlake. LCT proposed to extend the route to Downtown Cleveland. On September 10, 2012, LCT launched the "Cleveland Commuter" express route that operated from Elyria to Downtown Cleveland, but was later discontinued on August 16, 2013 due to low ridership.

On August 16, 2024, LCT supported the city of Oberlin to launch the Oberlin EBus Loop, a fare-free fixed bus route making several stops across the city, with funding provided by Oberlin and contracted by Slidr, using electric shuttle buses.

## Other services

[edit]

In addition with the fixed routes, LCT also operates a demand-response dial-a-ride service along with an "Oberlin Connector" service, where residents are required to have their trips begin or end within Oberlin's city limits, along with Dial-A-Ride services In July 2024, LCT launched "ViaLC", a demand-response microtransit service under partnership with Via Transportation providing service within Elyria and Lorain.

## Fares

[edit]

Oberlin Connector, ViaLC microtransit, and fixed routes cost $2 for a one-way trip. Dial-A-Ride service outside of Oberlin costs $9 one way. Seniors, children, disabled, and Medicare card holders can receive a discount, while veterans and children 2 and under can ride for free. Transfers to other routes are also free of charge upon request.

Riders on fixed routes, Oberlin Connector, and Dial-A-Ride must provide exact change in cash upon boarding, while ViaLC accepts both cash and card.

The now-defunct Cleveland Airport Express route costed $6 one-way, with student discounts available at $4.[3] The now-defunct Cleveland Commuter route fare was $4.25 each way.

## Routes

[edit]

Current routes  Route No. | Destination | Notes

|
|

Loop | Downtown Elyria Loop |

* Some select buses stop at the Port Authority Complex
* Some buses connect with routes 51 and 52
* Operates weekdays only

1 | Lorain/Elyria via Washington |

* Operates every 2 hours, weekdays only
* Free transfer available to route 51 without ticket required.

2 | Lorain/Elyria via Broadway |

* Operates every 2 hours, weekdays only
* Free transfer available to route 52 without ticket required.

51 | East Elyria/Broad Street Loop |

* Operates every 2 hours, weekdays only
* Free transfer available to route 1 without ticket required.

52 | East Elyria/Abbe Road Loop |

* Operates every 2 hours, weekdays only
* Free transfer available to route 2 without ticket required.

Defunct routes[4] Route No. / Name | Destination | Notes

|
|

3 | Sheffield Lake/Abbe Road |

* Operated Monday-Saturday
* Terminus at Meridian Plaza

11 | North Ridgeville/Center Ridge Road |

* Operated weekdays only
* Terminus at North Olmsted near the corner of Lorain Road & Barton Road, as "RTA Connection".

21 | Oberlin / Wellington |

* Operated bi-hourly to Wellington on weekdays
* Operated daily to Oberlin

31 | Cooper Foster Park Road |

* Terminus at the now-defunct Super Kmart
* Operated Monday-Saturday

32 | Cleveland Clinic, Lorain/Amherst Loop [5] |

* Operated weekdays only
* Stopped at the now-defunct Super Kmart to transfer to routes 31, 41, & 42
* Westbound direction operated via Cleveland & West Martin Avenues
* Eastbound direction operated via Cooper Foster Park Road

33 | Cleveland Hopkins Airport Express |

* Originally named Cleveland Link and formerly Cleveland Connector
* Served Oberlin & Elyria
* Express buses to/from Oberlin for the college's holiday breaks, special events, and beginnings and ends of semesters.
* Discontinued on June 5, 2009 due to funding shortfalls
* Formerly provided limited service at the "RTA Connection" origin in North Olmsted

41 | Oberlin Avenue |

* Originally named West Lorain Loop
* Terminus at the now-defunct Super Kmart
* One of the routes to not terminate at the "Transfer Point" stop in Elyria[6]

42 | West Erie |

* Terminus at the now-defunct Super Kmart
* One of the routes to not terminate at the "Transfer Point" stop in Elyria

43 | Central / West Lorain |

* One of the routes to not terminate at the "Transfer Point" stop in Elyria
* Operated weekdays only

53 | West Elyria/West Ridge Road Loop | Operated Monday-Saturday
55 | Avon Lake / Avon Commons |

* Operated Monday-Saturday
* Terminus at Abbe Road & Lake Road

70 | Westlake Express |

* Operated 3x both directions, weekdays only
* Terminus at the Westlake Park-N-Ride lot, allowing commuters to connect to RTA routes
* LCT proposed to extend this route to downtown Cleveland but did not come to fruition.

Commuter | Cleveland Commuter |

* Express service between Downtown Elyria and Downtown Cleveland on weekdays
* Stopped at West Side Market and Public Square
* Route launched in late 2012 but later discontinued on August 16, 2013 due to low ridership

## See also

[edit]

* List of bus transit systems in the United States

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Lorain County Transit bus routes will be eliminated after Dec. 31". Cleveland. December 4, 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
2. ^ "County bus routes cut drastically". Morning Journal. January 12, 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
3. ^ "Cleveland Hopkins Airport Express". Retrieved 25 August 2024.
4. ^ Lorain County Commissioners. "Lorain County Transit". Retrieved 25 August 2024. `{{cite web}}`: Check `|archive-url=` value (help)
5. ^ "LCT - Route 32 - Cleveland Clinic, Lorain/Amherst Loop". Lorain County Transit. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
6. ^ "Oberlin Avenue". Lorain County Transit. Retrieved 5 December 2024.

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