DART First State
Delaware Area Regional Transit, or DART First State, is the primary provider of bus service within the state of Delaware. Operating under the Delaware Transit Corporation and DelDOT, DART First State also provides funding for SEPTA‘s Wilmington/Newark Line which operates into Delaware as well.
DART First State Operations
DART First State operates four levels of bus service all through the state of Delaware: Local, Inter-County Express, On-Demand service, and Paratransit.
- Local Bus Service typically operates within the counties of Delaware. Outside of Kent/Georgetown routes, local routes tend not to leave their local counties.
- Inter-County Express these routes are express bus routes with higher fares and premium fares, as they cross over between the different counties of Delaware. These are numbered in the 300 series
- Flex Service is a type of fixed route that can operate off route by reservation. These are numbered in the 900 series with a trailing F. Currently, the only route that exists within the Flex Service branding is 903F, as other routes were replaced with DART Connect service.
- DART Connect is an On-Demand service providing last-mile transport to riders. This service operates within “zones” where riders can request rides as long as the first and last stop is within said zone.
DART Connect
Introduced in 2023, DART Connect is a microtransit on-demand service where riders can request rides within zones, as long as the ride begins and ends within the same zone. This service mostly replaced the 901F and 902F flex service that previously served Newark and Georgetown. The following zones currently exist.
- Newark
- Georgetown and Millsboro
For the most part, DART Connect uses Ford Transit buses, but occasionally shares the fleet with Paratransit operations
DART First State Local Bus Service
Local Bus Service typically operates within the counties of Delaware. These counties are as follows:
- New Castle County
- Sussex County
- Kent County
Local bus routes operate with numbers between 1 and 299, with every route above 100 reflecting a specific service area with their first digit.
DART First State New Castle County Bus Operations
Bus service operating in New Castle Comes out of either the Wilmington Garage, located at 119 Lower Beach Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 19805, or the Mid-County Garage. New Castle county routes primarily serve Wilmington, Newark, and Christiana. These routes cross-honor SEPTA fares from the Wilmington-Newark Line.
Typically, DART First State local bus routes in this service area operate with route numbers between 1 and 99, with Inter-County bus routes being in the 300 series.
New Castle county also has one of the DART Connect zones in Newark, DE.
Here are some major transfer points within the system
- Christiana Mall for local routes 5, 15, 33, 34, 37, 40, 44, 45, 51, 54, 55, and Inter-County route 301
- Newark Transit Hub for local routes 6, 33, 46, 53, and Inter-County route 302, and Cecil Transit route 4
- Wilmington Transit Center for DART First State routes 2, 5, 6, 10, 11, 13, 14, 18, 20, 28, 31, 33, 35, 37, 40, 42, 47, 52, and 301 and SEPTA’s Wilmington/Newark Line
DART First State Kent County Bus Operations
Bus service operating through Dover Beach and Kent County operates out of the Dover Garage, located at 900 Public Safety Blvd, Dover, DE 19901. These routes primarily serve the southern portion of Delaware and provide access to the Delaware beaches.
Typically, DART First State local bus routes in this service area operate with route in the 100 series, with Inter-County bus services using 300 series numbers.
Here are some major transfer points within the area.
- Dover Transit Center for local routes 101, 102, 104, 105, 107, 108, 109, 112, and Inter-County routes 301, 302, 303, and 307
- Scarborough Road Park & Ride for local routes 102 and 120, and Inter-County routes 301, 302, 305
DART First State Sussex County and Rehoboth Beach Local Bus Operations
Bus service operating through Dover operates out of the Georgetown Garage. These routes primarily serve the southern portion of Delaware and provide access to the Delaware beaches.
Typically, DART First State local bus routes in this service area operate with 200 series numbers, with Inter-County service running in the 300 series. During the summer time, these routes are named with colors and enhanced with additional service, as well as the introduction of seasonal routes 208 and 305. Sussex County also has the route 903F Flex Service within Seaford.
Here are some major transfer points within the area.
- Lewes Transit Center for routes 201, 204, 206, 207, and 208 and Inter-County routes 305 and 307, and Cape May-Lewes Ferry Shuttle
- Rehoboth Beach Park & Ride for local routes 201, 203, 208, 215 and Inter-County route 305
DART First State Inter-County Express Service
DART First state operates five inter-county express routes. These are the only lines in the system that cross between service areas, and typically use premium MCI Coaches and Gillig suburban buses. Unlike the local bus routes and DART Connect service, these routes operate with premium fares based on distance traveled.
The Inter-County express routes are as follows:
- Route 301 from Wilmington to Dover Transit Center
- Route 302 from Middletown to Dover Transit Center
- Route 303 from Georgetown to Dover Transit Center
- Route 305 (seasonal) from Wilmington to Rehoboth Beach
- Route 307 from Lewes Transit Center to Dover Transit Center
DART First State Local and Inter-County Bus Fleet Roster
Since DART First State’s local and inter-county bus routes share garages, occasionally you may see premium coach buses on local routes and vice versa. The fleet primarily consists of Gillig Low Floor buses varying between 29 and 40 feet, as well as MCI forty-five foot coaches, and Proterra Electric buses. As of 2021, DART First State is also utilizing Gillig Low Floor electric buses. Diesel buses ordered/delivered after 2021 utilize a numbering system, similar to NJ Transit, where the fleet number is a five digit number, and the first two digits indicate the year. For example 21001 would be a 2021 model.
Last Update: August 18th, 2025
- Photos by DashTransit
- References: Philadelphia Transit Vehicles, Philadelphia Metropolitan Area Transit Scene