Lorain County Transit

Lorain County Transit

Founded	1974
Headquarters	226 Middle Avenue Elyria, Ohio
Locale	Elyria, Ohio
Service area	Lorain County, Ohio
Service type	Bus service, Demand responsive transport, microtransit
Routes	5
Website	Official website

Lorain County Transit(LCT) is a public transportation system in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. It is a division of the Lorain County Commissioners. Then-board chairman, Robert Wickens successfully led the effort to begin fixed route transit service in the county in 1974.

LCT originally operated several fixed bus routes, majority of which served as a terminus near Midway Mall in the county seat of Elyria. A second terminal for some of the routes were in downtown Lorain, as "Meridian Plaza". Additionally, LCT operated connecting paratransit service serving Oberlin, Amherst, South Amherst Avon, and Avon Lake. On December 31, 2009, LCT suspended service systemwide, and on January 14, 2010, LCT shut down majority of the routes due to funding issues, following a failed tax levy. ^{[1] [2]}

In addition to servicing the county's various localities, LCT also provided a few inter-county bus routes; an express route connecting Oberlin and Elyria to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, which was discontinued on June 1, 2009 as a result of funding shortfalls. This route was funded primarily by Oberlin College; an express bus route from Elyria to the RTA park and ride lot in Westlake; and a local route from Elyria and North Ridgeville to the Lorain Country line in North Olmsted, allowing commuters to connect to an RTA route into Cleveland. On September 10, 2012, LCT launched the Cleveland Commuter express route from Elyria to Downtown Cleveland, but was later discontinued on August 16, 2013 due to low ridership.

In July 2024, LCT launched "ViaLC", a demand-response microtransit service under partnership with Via Transportation providing service within Elyria and Lorain. ^[3]

On August 16, 2024, LCT supported the city of Oberlin to launch the Oberlin EBus Loop, a fare-free fixed bus route making several stops across the city, with half of the funding provided by the city of Oberlin and operating under contract by Slidr, using electric shuttle buses.

Other services

In addition with the fixed routes, LCT also operates a demand-response dial-a-ride service along with an "Oberlin Connector" service, the latter of is required to have their trips begin and/or end within Oberlin's city limits. LCT also operates demand-response microtransit service under partnership with Via Transportation providing service within Elyria and Lorain.

Fares

Oberlin Connector, ViaLC, and all fixed routes cost $2 for a one-way trip. Dial-A-Ride service outside of Oberlin costs $9 one way. Seniors, children, disabled, and Medicare card holders can receive a discount of $1, while veterans and children 2 and under can ride for free. Transfer tickets to allow riders to transfer to other routes are also free of charge upon request. Monthly and all-day tickets and passes are also available.

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 rsoute costed $6 one-way, with student discounts available at $4. Transfer tickets or monthly passes were not accepted. ^[4] The now-defunct Cleveland Commuter route fare was $4.25 each way.

Routes

The current routes currently operate every 2 hours on weekdays only.

Current routes

Route No.	Destination	Notes
Loop	Downtown Elyria Loop	Some select buses stop at the Port Authority Complex Some buses connect with routes 51 and 52
1	Lorain/Elyria via Washington	Free transfer available to route 51 without ticket required.
2	Lorain/Elyria via Broadway	Free transfer available to route 52 without ticket required.
51	East Elyria/Broad Street Loop	Free transfer available to route 1 without ticket required. Serves Lorain County Community College
52	East Elyria/Abbe Road Loop	Free transfer available to route 2 without ticket required.

Defunct routes ^[5]

Route No.	Route Name	Terminals		Notes
3	Sheffield Lake/Abbe Road	Elyria Transfer Point	Meridian Plaza in Lorain	Formerly provided a transfer point to route 55 Served Lorain County Community College
11	North Ridgeville/Center Ridge Road	Elyria Transfer Point	RTA Connection (Lorain Road & Barton Road)	Provided a stop at the Elyria Shopping Center
21	Oberlin / Wellington	Elyria Transfer Point	Downtown Oberlin (South Pleasant & East College Streets) Downtown Wellington (South Main Street & West Herrick Avenue)	Limited service to Wellington provided on weekdays Operated daily to Oberlin, making several in-demand stops across the city. Some runs formerly terminated at the Discount Drug Mart in Oberlin, which was discontinued sometime in the mid-2000s.
31	Cooper Foster Park Road / North Ridge Road	Elyria Transfer Point	Super Kmart in Lorain	Formerly provided a request deviation to Nord Center in Lorain Stopped at Lorain County Job & Family Services upon request Served Sheffield Center in Lorain
32	Cleveland Clinic, Lorain/Amherst Loop [6]	Elyria Transfer Point	Cleveland Clinic in Lorain	Operated weekdays only Launched in 1992 [7] Transfer to routes 31 & 41 at Super Kmart Westbound direction operated via Cleveland & West Martin Avenues Eastbound direction operated via Cooper Foster Park Road Discontinued sometime in the mid-2000s
33	Cleveland Hopkins Airport Express	Downtown Oberlin (South Pleasant & East College Streets)	Cleveland Hopkins International Airport	Additional stop at the Park & Ride lot in Elyria Formerly provided a limited weekday stop at the "RTA Connection" stop at the Lorain County line in North Olmsted Connection to the RTA Rapid Transit's Red Line Originally named Cleveland Link and formerly Cleveland Connector Direct service buses operated to/from Oberlin and the airport for the college's holiday breaks, special events, and beginnings and ends of semesters. In spring 2009, this supplemental service was provided on 47-55 passenger motorcoaches by Brecksville Road Transit. Discontinued on June 5, 2009
41	Oberlin Avenue	Meridian Plaza in Lorain	Super Kmart in Lorain	Originally named West Lorain Loop [8]
42	West Erie	Meridian Plaza in Lorain	Super Kmart in Lorain	Terminus at the now-defunct Super Kmart Service provided at the Lorain Hospital Originally consolidated with route 41
43	Central / West Lorain Loop	Meridian Plaza in Lorain		Operated hourly on weekdays only
53	West Elyria/West Ridge Road Loop	Transfer Point in Elyria		Operated Monday-Saturday
55 [9]	Avon Lake / Avon Commons	Abbe Road & Lake Road	Avon Commons - Target Lodge at Avenbury Lakes	Operated Monday-Saturday Transfer point to route 3 at Abbe Road & Lake Road Discontinued sometime in the mid-2000s
70	Westlake Express	Transfer Point in Elyria	Westlake Park-N-Ride	6 trips in both directions on weekdays only; 3 morning trips to Westlake and 3 evening trips to Elyria Stopped at the Park & Ride lot in Avon, near the corner of Chester Road & Middle Street (OH-83) Connection to RTA bus routes to Downtown Cleveland LCT proposed to extend this route to downtown Cleveland but did not come to fruition. Discontinued in June 2009
Commuter [10]	Cleveland Commuter	Lorain County Port Authority Complex (limited service) Lorain County Transportation & Community Center	West Side Market (West 25th Street & Lorain Avenue) Public Square (South Roadway & Ontario Street)	Operated weekdays only Express route provided 4 round trips and 2 one-way trips; 2 round trips in the morning and 2 in the evening; 2 inbound trips in the morning and 2 return trips in the evening Also stopped at the county's Board of Elections lot Route launched in late 2012 but later discontinued on August 16, 2013 due to low ridership

See also

• List of bus transit systems in the United States

References

1. "Lorain County Transit bus routes will be eliminated after Dec. 31". Cleveland. December 4, 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
2. "County bus routes cut drastically". Morning Journal. January 12, 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
3. "'We see the need today:' On-demand transit service ViaLC rolls out in Elyria, Lorain". News 5 Cleveland. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
4. "Cleveland Hopkins Airport Express" . Retrieved 25 August 2024.
5. Lorain County Commissioners. "Lorain County Transit" . Retrieved 25 August 2024.{{cite web}}: Check |archive-url= value (help)
6. "LCT - Route 32 - Cleveland Clinic, Lorain/Amherst Loop". Lorain County Transit. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
7. "County Transit bus route incorporates local plaza". Ohio Memory. Amherst News-times. August 26, 1992. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
8. "Oberlin Avenue". Lorain County Transit. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
9. "Route 55 - Avon Lake/Avon Commons". Lorain County Transit. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
10. "Lorain County, OH - Commuter Route". Lorain County. Retrieved 31 July 2025.