Lorain County Transit

Lorain County Transit

Founded	1970s
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.

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

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

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. The now-defunct Cleveland Commuter route fare was $4.25 each way.

Routes

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

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	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
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

• List of bus transit systems in the United States