The mission of DART First State and the Delaware Transit Corporation, an operating division of the Delaware Department of Transportation, is to design and provide the highest quality public transportation services that satisfy the needs of the customer and the community.We aspire to be a premier transportation organization with accessible facilities and interconnected services incorporating state-of-the-art technologies. Our well-trained workforce, using clear communications and beneficial working partnerships, will enable us to connect people to their destinations in an affordable, safe, and efficient manner.The present day modern, statewide and multi-transit services of DART First State date back to 1864, when Wilmington City Railroad Company started horse and mule drawn 20-seat car service along several downtown streets. In 1888, the Company introduced the state's first electric trolley car system and the first motor bus service began in 1925. 1938 saw the start of trackless electric trolley service.In 1969 the privately owned transit system, operated by Delaware Coach Company, became public by an act of the State Legislature. Overseen by the Delaware Department of Transportation, the Greater Wilmington Transportation Authority ( GWTA ) created and promoted a new name to stimulate public interest. The new name of the transit services became DART, the Delaware Authority for Regional Transit.In 1994 the Delaware State Legislature created the Delaware Transit Corporation to manage and operate DART along with the Delaware Administration for Specialized Transport, Delaware Railroad Administration, and Commuter Services Administration. From this merger arose the name change to DART First State to take advantage of the well known DART name and to recognize that this service was now a statewide operation.Today DART First State provides transportation services statewide with over 400 buses and 57 year round bus routes plus its 8 bus route Sussex County Resort Summer Service and paratransit service. Today DART First State also serves New Castle County with commuter rail service to and from Philadelphia. DART First State, brought forth by business, community and governmental visionaries over the last 13 decades, looks to the future to provide Delawareans with the highest quality of transportation in the next century.Future plans include the upgrading of all bus stops and passenger shelters, providing even more new hybrid electric buses to its fleet, continuing efforts to go greener and protect our environment while cutting operating costs and maintaining a safe system for riders, and increasing mobility options for all users. Also underway is a five-year business plan to greatly improve all services and recognize the potential for increased partnerships with community, business, and governmental groups and officials to respond to the state's growth and development.The face of transportation has changed dramatically since the General Assembly first passed laws governing the use of automobiles in 1903. These laws, which required that all automobiles be equipped with a horn, bell or similar device, and that drivers slow down their automobiles when approaching a horse or mule-drawn carriage, may seem to be anachronistic today. But in that same year, the General Assembly also passed a State Aid Law, providing for joint state-country funding of new road construction, thereby providing the basis through which a modern-day highway department could have been developed.
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