Dozens of riders, students and shift workers crowded into the Lorain County Transportation and Community Center in Elyria on Tuesday to make their case for a rideshare service they say they can't live without. Via LC has provided more than 272,000 rides since launching in Lorain and Elyria, and now its future is uncertain as county commissioners weigh whether they can keep paying for it.
The hearing was the first of two scheduled this week, with a second public meeting set for 6 p.m. Wednesday at 40 East Ave. in Elyria, according to News 5 Cleveland. Lorain County Commissioner Jeff Riddell told the outlet that commissioners are fully committed to Via LC, but that the service can't continue without community support. Riddell, who is defending his seat this fall against Democratic challenger Carolyn White, has staked his campaign on fiscal restraint and avoiding deficit spending, a stance Hoodline detailed earlier this month.
A Ride That Costs the County Far More Than Riders Pay
Via LC launched in July 2024 after Lorain County announced in March of that year it would commit more than $2 million from its transportation budget to pilot the on-demand service, per News 5 Cleveland's reporting. Riders pay around $1 to $2 per trip thanks to subsidies, comparable to a standard bus fare, but each ride actually costs the county roughly $20. The United Way of Greater Lorain County documents the fare structure in more detail: a standard ride runs $2, while seniors 65 and older, people with disabilities, Medicare cardholders, students and children ages 3 to 12 pay $1, and military veterans and infants ride free.
The service runs on what Via Transportation calls a corner-to-corner model, using algorithmic routing to send riders to virtual bus stops at nearby corners so the system can group multiple passengers heading the same direction, rather than offering door-to-door pickup, the company's service documentation explains. Riders currently order trips by phone or app on weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., per the same account from News 5 Cleveland. The service has reached roughly 16,000 unique riders and was designed to supplement the county's fixed-route buses, which run only every two hours.
Grants and Local Matches Keep the Wheels Turning, For Now
The program has leaned heavily on outside money to stay afloat. The Lorain County Community Action Agency reported in January that Via LC received a $2.7 million Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement grant backed by the Federal Highway Administration, intended to expand service hours to weekends and widen the geographic reach for shift and retail workers. That followed a one-year, $2.2 million contract extension the Lorain County Board of Commissioners approved with River North Transit LLC, a Via Transportation subsidiary that runs the van fleet and driver scheduling, which the Chronicle-Telegram reported in July 2025 would carry the service through July 31, 2026.
Lorain and Elyria have each kicked in $250,000 under a two-year local match agreement, per News 5 Cleveland, but the county is now asking both cities to double that commitment to $500,000 for the next two-year term. City leaders say the jump caught them off guard. Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley told the outlet his city plans to use grant funding instead to pilot five dedicated bus routes starting in 2027 and expects to step away from Via LC once those routes are running. Elyria Mayor Kevin Brubaker, by contrast, said he planned to meet with the county's transportation director and Commissioner Dave Moore to discuss ways to keep Via LC alive in his city.
Riders Describe a Service They Say They Can't Replace
For many who showed up at the hearing, the stakes are personal. Evan Berrios, a career navigator at Steel City High School, a Lorain charter school, said Via LC helps students and workers get to school, jobs, medical appointments and college. Pamela McAfee, who rides the service regularly, said that without it she would lose work and be unable to afford food. A representative from Ohio Means Jobs said the organization relies on Via LC and wants to see it continue, while another rider asked how they would reach appointments, their children's schools or a doctor if the program disappeared.
Kionna McIntosh-Pharms, a student services navigator at Lorain County Community College, said she appreciated the commitment attendees showed toward keeping the service running. Meeting attendees floated several paths forward, including private-public funding partnerships, a transportation levy, raising fares, or trimming other Lorain County transit services to free up money for Via LC.
A Budget Squeeze With a History of Failed Levies
The funding debate is unfolding against a tight county budget. Lorain County commissioners approved an $84 million temporary tax budget for 2027 while facing a projected $17.5 million gap between requested department spending and expected revenue, the Chronicle-Telegram reported in July. Commissioners have noted that voters previously rejected a 0.25% sales tax increase by a 2-to-1 margin, and the county's 6.5% sales tax rate remains among the lowest in Ohio. Commissioner Dave Moore said the county, cities and schools are all strapped for cash and will need to prioritize their spending.
It's not the first time county transit funding has hit a wall. After voters defeated a transit tax levy years earlier, the county suspended systemwide bus operations at the end of 2009 before resuming a drastically reduced network in January 2010 that consolidated eight fixed routes down to four, according to Via LC's own historical record on Wikipedia. Via LC has also weathered more immediate operational hiccups: a national vehicle recall pulled a portion of its van fleet off Lorain County roads, temporarily cutting into vehicle availability, the Chronicle-Telegram reported.
For now, Moore said the county is acting proactively, hoping to avoid an abrupt cancellation of Via LC at the end of 2027 rather than letting the service lapse without warning. County officials say they plan to continue offering Via LC through 2027 while they keep seeking grants and other funding sources to close the gap. Whether that search succeeds may depend on whether Lorain and Elyria agree to the county's request to double their contributions, and on how November's commissioner race between Riddell and White shapes the county's broader approach to non-mandated spending.
