Continued growth in ridership and Delaware County’s population have prompted the County Commissioners to authorize the reorganization of Delaware County Transit from a county system to a regional authority. While the action, approved today in session by the Commissioners, does not have any impact on current operations, it does position the agency, which will continue to be known as Delaware County Transit or DCT, to respond more efficiently to future growth.

The County’s transit system was first established by an act of the Commissioners in October 1999 to provide transit services within those parts of Delaware County that were not already served by COTA, the Central Ohio Transit Authority. Today’s act creates a new agency that has the official name of the Delaware County Regional Transit Authority.

“This reorganization keeps the same service areas that COTA and we have in place,” said Jeff Benton, president of this year’s Board of Commissioners. “The primary impact is that it lays the legal groundwork for our system to continue to evolve and improve.”

DCT Director Andy Volenik pointed out at today’s session that the system’s growth has been expansive, especially in the last decade. The total rides per year have increased 299.9% increase during that time period from 66,846 rides in 2015 to 200,478 in 2025.

“In addition to a record breaking year in 2025,” Volenik said, “DCT has seen another increase in ridership and anticipates 2026 to be its highest ridership year ever. The Board of Commissioners’ empowering DCT to become a regional transit authority provides flexibility to serve the residents, businesses, and visitors to Delaware County. We agree with the Commissioners that becoming an RTA is an appropriate, logical and wise decision to provide mobility options for our community’s current and future needs.”

DCT’s current seven-member board of trustees will transition as of July 1, 2026, to new terms on the DCRTA’s board. They will continue to be appointed by the County Commissioners for three-year terms. The full transition of all assets and employees to the DCRTA will be completed by Dec. 29, 2026.

“We expect this to be a seamless transition from the public’s perspective,” Benton said.

For more information about transit services in Delaware County, visit their website.