LEWES, Del. - All aboard the Lewes Line. The city hosted a ribbon-cutting Monday morning at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal to kick off their new pilot transit program.
Five repurposed DART First State buses were unveiled. The city is renting them from the Delaware Transit Corporation for a whopping price of $1 per day.
They have the buses for three years, but right now, Lewes Line is just a trial for the summer. They will re-asses in the fall based on customer feedback.
Lewes Line buses will travel between 10 stops around the city. One of those stops is Cape Henlopen High School, which won't be operational until school is out in June.
It cost $1 per Lewes Line ride, and buses run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. There is an option to purchase 12 rides for $10.
Lewes City Councilperson, Carolyn Jones, who spearheaded the initiative, says the program was born as a way to solve parking problems.
"No matter how many things you build, you’re never going to have enough parking spaces," Jones said. "So, you really ought to start thinking about moving people around. So, how can we do that? So, my mind went into let’s think of a way to move people around. Here it is."
Lewes Line will be fully operational on its regular schedule Tuesday through September 30th.
Riders can track the Lewes Line buses on the city's website or via the TransLoc app. There are QR codes on the buses and at bus stops that riders can scan for more information. Additionally, there are QR codes inside the buses where riders are encouraged to provide feedback on the service.