The bottom line.
Under the leadership of Lorain County Transit and the Lorain County Commissioners, public transit is no longer fragmented and siloed in the sprawling suburbs of Lorain County. Residents can now access convenient transit with a tap. With modern transit technology and a data-driven planning approach, two of the largest cities in Lorain County — Lorain and Elyria — have designed a microtransit network that enhances first- and last-mile connection to intercity fixed routes.
Tell me more.
Lorain County Transit partnered with Via in July 2024 to launch ViaLC, an on-demand microtransit service. This initiative, funded by Lorain County Transit grant funds, was driven by the Lorain County Commissioners' vision to modernize and enhance public transportation. The program quickly proved successful: ViaLC reduced cost-per-ride by 36% compared to fixed-route services.
Thanks to multimodal trip planning features in the app, riders can also use the service to connect to fixed-route transit, further enhancing access to jobs, schools, and leisure destinations. Building on this success, the county brought additional demand-response services, Dial-a-Ride and the Oberlin Connector, onto Viaʼs tech-powered transit platform. Looking ahead, Lorain County officials are committed to further expanding Via Lorain County, with plans to solidify it as a core component of the county's broader network in 2025.
“Via came in and we thought, ‘that’s it’ — it’s a business model in government, and it’s very efficient.”
— David Moore, Board of Commissioners
Data Journalist
