“Don’t Text and Drive! Commute Smart, Ride DART” is the theme for DART First State’s 12th Annual Transit Poster Contest. Open to students in Grades 6 through 12, the contest is designed to encourage students to learn more about public transportation and its benefits, as well as the chance to see their artwork featured by DART First State in various advertisements, promotions, or displays.

Printable details and contest instructions.

With statewide efforts and local communities continuing to educate on the dangers of texting, or using your phone while driving, DART wants to use the opportunity to inform and promote the advantages of using public transit. Increased awareness of Delaware’s Public Transit system informs new and current commuters, that riding DART can be a wise choice. To be eligible, students must be in the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and posters must be submitted by March 16, 2012 to:

DART First State Poster Contest
Marketing Dept.
119 Lower Beech Street
Wilmington, DE 19805

Pencils, crayons, markers or paint can be used to create a poster on 8½”x 11″ paper or poster board. On the reverse side of the poster, students should include their name, address, age and grade level, school or organization name and address and teacher/advisor name and phone number. Prizes and certificates will be provided by DART First State and its business partners.

Interested schools are being asked to conduct the contest within the appropriate grade levels at the school, and forward the entries to DART First State for judging. Individuals who wish to enter apart from their school may do so as long as they are in grades 6 through 12. For details and contest instructions please call 302.576.6016.

The Delaware Transit Corporation, a subsidiary of the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), operates as DART First State. DART First State is Delaware’s bus, train, and intermodal transportation provider. Services include contracted, state-funded SEPTA commuter trains, intercounty bus, fixed route bus, Paratransit, seasonal resort bus, commuter assistance, Operation Lifesaver rail crossing safety and trespasser awareness programs, and the RideShare Delaware ridematching program. DART First State provides more than 12 million passenger trips annually, including 1.1 million commuter train trips. For information on all fixed route services statewide, please call 800.652.DART. Paratransit reservations and GoLink information is available at 800.553.DART. For media inquiries, please call DelDOT Public Relations at 302.760.2080 or visit deldot.gov.

Wilmington – DART First State today announced that it will hold the 14th annual Stuff The Bus Thanksgiving Food Drive throughout the State starting on November 8 and ending on November 11. The public is invited to help Stuff The Bus by donating nonperishable food items such as canned goods, boxed cereal, and household products such as paper products, laundry detergents, and side dishes. The Food Bank of Delaware, located in Newark, will distribute the donated food via its 440 hunger-relief partners in Delaware. Last year, the DART First State Stuff the Bus food drive stuffed three 30 foot buses and collected 20.4 tons of food for Delawareans in need thanks to the generosity of the public, including several schools and businesses.

Stuff The Bus 2011 will be collecting food at five sites throughout the State. The site locations, collection dates, and times are:

Tuesday, November 8, Walmart, 939 N. DuPont Highway in Milford 
AND Acme, North Dover Center in Dover 8 AM to 6 PM

Wednesday, November 9, Acme, Fairfax Shopping Center, US Route 202 in Wilmington 8 AM to 5 PM

Thursday, November 10, Rodney Square in Wilmington 7 AM to 5 PM 

Friday, November 11, Rodney Square in Wilmington 7 AM to 1 PM

There will be live radio broadcasts with EAGLE 97.7 and COOL 101.3 all day long on Tuesday at both the Walmart in Milford and Acme in the North Dover Center in Dover. On Thursday at Rodney Square WJBR will broadcast from 11 AM to 1 PM.

At each collection site, DART First State will be staffing an exhibit that will also provide public transit and food bank information to visitors. 

DART First State also encourages the public to donate directly to the Food Bank of Delaware if they are unable to visit any of the Stuff The Bus collection sites. For more information on donating food, contact the Food Bank at 302-292-1305, or visit their website at www.FBD.org.

The commuter benefit is an employer provided federal tax benefit that allows working families and commuters to save money on their daily commute, saves businesses of all sizes critical dollars that can be reinvested to create new jobs, helps reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality, saves energy and enhances our national security.  As a DART rider you may be eligible for this transit tax benefit through your employer.  Your support is needed now to preserve the transit portion of the commuter benefit.   Please urge your Congress representative to co-sponsor Senate Bill S. 1034 or the House’s H.R. 2412, which will maintain the transit benefit at its current level. To show your support, please visit Contact Your Reps in Congress

– Until further notice the implementation of the statewide service change set for May 22^nd has been postponed. DART bus routes will continue to operate according to their current route alignments and schedule times.  Please visit www.dartfirststate.com for the most up-to-date information. 

– DART First State services, both fixed route and paratransit, will not operate on Monday, May 30, 2011, with the exception of the Resort Transit Routes 201-208, its related paratransit service, and the Route 305 – Beach Connection. 

– DART First State services, both fixed route and paratransit, will not operate on Monday, May 30, 2011, with the exception of the Resort Transit Routes 201-208, its related paratransit service, and the Route 305 – Beach Connection.

Bike-to-Work Day is an annual event sponsored nationally by the League of American Bicyclists where employees across the City are encouraged to ride their bicycles to their places of employment rather than drive their automobiles.

There are several significant reasons why we should encourage biking. First, biking is one of the most environmentally friendly modes of transportation. The bicycle also utilizes much less space than the automobile, and is considerably quieter than other modes of transportation. Cycling also has tremendous health benefits and is ranked among the top three exercises for improving cardiovascular fitness. Cycling to work, school or shopping as part of a regular daily routine can be both a sustainable and time-efficient exercise regimen for maintaining acceptable levels of fitness. Studies have shown that bicycle commuters work more efficiently, arriving to work eager and alert and, due to a cyclists improved health, have fewer job-related injuries. And let’s not forget that riding a bike is a fun and enjoyable pastime.

To kick off an entire bicycling weekend in Wilmington, encourage your employees to participate in Bike-to-Work Day by cycling into Wilmington on the morning of May 20, 2011. All riders and bike enthusiasts are welcome to stop by The Bike Boutique (in the Nemours Building at 11th & Orange Streets) for refreshments, healthy snacks and warm fellowship from 7:30am – 9:00am.

That same day, everyone is also invited to an after work party starting at 4:00 pm at Brandywine Park’s Monkey Hill (intersection of North Van Buren Street & Stadium Drive) where we will enjoy a great barbecue and watch the Wilmington Grand Prix time trials. For more information about the Wilmington Grand Prix, please visit www.wilmgrandprix.com. This family friendly event, which runs from May 20 – 22, has been named to USA Cycling’s prestigious National Racing Calendar for four straight years.

For more information about Bike-to-Work Day, please contact Michael Leventry, Co-Chair of the Wilmington Bike Committee, atmleventry@wilmingtonde.gov or (302) 576-3102.

Thank you again for being a part of Bike-to-Work Day 2011!

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service urge Americans to “Be Air Aware” during Air Quality Awareness Week, May 2 – 6, 2011. Click below to find featured articles, tips, and information on how YOU can help improve your local air quality. http://www.epa.gov/airnow/airaware/index.html

The RideShare team is excited to announce our new interactive database and commute tracking database! This new platform allows you direct access to finding ridematch partners, logging and tracking your clean commute, updating your profile in real time, transit information, and much more.

This new ridematching system will provide emission tracking software to calculate and report carbon dioxide emission from carpoolers, transit riders, vanpoolers, bicyclists and people who walk to work. This information will help our commuters see how their clean commute reduces cost of their trip to the office, and also quantify how they are positively impacting the region’s air quality by sharing the ride. Log on to ridesharedelaware.org today and click the “Register My Commute” tab to get started. Happy clean commuting!

Drivers with one hand on the wheel and the other holding a cell phone will now face stiff fines in Delaware.
As of January 2, the state now requires motorists to use a hands-free device when talking on a cell phone. New York, New Jersey, and D.C. all have similar laws on their books.

Those not using hands-free technology like an ear bud or a blue tooth device will face a $50 fine on the first offense. Repeat offenders can pay up to $200. However, the fines are not moving violations and will not incur points on drivers’ licenses.

The new law also bans the use of pagers, PDA’s, laptops, or any other electronic device while operating a vehicle. The Delaware State Police said 214 crashes in 2010 were the result of drivers distracted by cell phones.

Drivers are allowed to pick up their phones to dial or answer an incoming call, but then put the phone down during the conversation. Drivers are also allowed to use the phone while driving if they are reporting a fire, road hazard, traffic crash, or reckless driving. Government employees operating two-way radios are exempt.

National research shows that drivers using a cell phone are four times more likely than other drivers to get into a crash causing serious injury. Delaware’s prohibition was signed into law July 6, 2010, but did not take effect until 2011.

(Source: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local-beat/PHI-Delaware-Hands-Free-Cell-Phone-Law-In-Effect-112770199.html)

The RideShare Delaware staff would like to wish everyone a safe and healthy 2011.  In the new year, we are looking forward to updating our commuter database giving all users direct access to their commuter profile making it easier than ever to record your clean commute!

Also, DART is operating with the following modifications:

12/31 Dover First Night Detour Notice –

On Friday, December 31, 2010, beginning at 2 PM, Downtown Dover will be closing streets in preparation of First Night Festivities. DART Bus Routes 101 and 107 will be on detour. DART bus service will be operating on a Saturday schedule, due to the New Year’s Holiday.

DART New Year’s Service Notice –

On Friday, December 31st, DART services, both fixed route and paratransit, will operate on a Saturday schedule. The SEPTA train service will operate its Saturday schedule. On New Year’s Day, Saturday, January 1^st, DART services, both fixed route and paratransit, will not operate. The SEPTA train service will not operate within Delaware, but will operate on a special Holiday schedule from Marcus Hook on New Year’s Day.

12/31 Dover Transit Center Detour Notice -

Due to construction at the Dover Transit Center, on Friday, December 31, 2010, DART Bus Routes 109 and 112 will not be able to access their regular bus stops. During this time Route 109 riders are to board at the RT 100 bus stop and Route 112 riders are to board at the RT 105 bus stop.