LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — Lorain County Transit has been awarded a $2.7 million federal grant to expand its micro-transit program.
The dollars come from a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement grant. The funding will expand service hours for Via LC, an app-based on-demand ride service.
The service launched in 2024 has a pilot program to help improve local transportation. The county said it received an overwhelming response within the program's first two months with over 10,000 rides given to 2,000 customers.
According to the county, most riders are disabled and looking to get to appointments, but the county now wants to target second and third shift workers by expanding hours during the week and into the weekend.
"If we can expand our operating hours to include those times," Lorain County Deputy Administrator Karen Perkins said. "And we can serve those folks just like we serve our base users today, that's the goal."
Via LC has now given 85,000 rides to 4,000 customers.
The service currently operates Monday through Friday between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Rides can be booked through the LC Transit app, which is available in the App Store and Google Play.
