Lorain County Transit

Lorain County Transit (LCT) is a public transit provider for Lorain County, Ohio, United States. It is a division of the Lorain County Commissioners, and its offices are in downtown Elyria. Robert Wickens, Board Chairman in the 1970s, successfully led the effort to begin fixed route transit service in the county.

LCT once 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. However, on December 31, 2009, many of the fixed routes had been discontinued as a result of funding shortfalls.^[1]

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 Rapid Transit 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 holidays. 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 November 27, 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, with support from LCT, the EBus Oberlin Loop was launched into service. It is 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.

LCT operates a demand-response dial-a-ride "Oberlin Connector" service, where residents are required to have their trips begin or end within Oberlin's city limits. On July 2024, LCT launched "ViaLC", a demand-response microtransit service under partnership with Via Transportation providing service within Elyria and Lorain.

Oberlin Connector, ViaLC microtransit, and fixed routes cost $2 for a one-way trip. Seniors, children, disabled, and medicare card holders can receive a discount of $1, while veterans and children 2 and under can ride for free. The EBus is free of charge for each ride. Dial-A-Ride service outside of Oberlin costs $9 one way for adults, with discounts available. 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.^[2] The now-defunct Cleveland Commuter route fare was $4.25 each way.

• List of bus transit systems in the United States