Delaware

DART Beach Bus back in service May 20. Plus, where to find more free beach parking

Published

2 years ago

May 20, 2024

DART Beach Bus back in service May 20. Plus, where to find more free beach parking

Whether you frequent the beach during the summer or have a few short trips to visit friends planned, paying for parking can be just as much of a headache as finding it.

While most parking areas at the Delaware beaches require payment or passes to park, some spots are offering limited free parking for whoever gets to it first.

If you want to save some cash this summer, here’s how you can enjoy free parking in Delaware beach towns.

Free parking in Dewey Beach

Dewey offers paid parking on all public streets from May 15 to Sept. 15, but free parking every Monday, excluding federal holidays, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

For those with a handicapped placard or license plate, accessible parking is available for free in any zone. Your placard or plate serves as your permit.

Free parking in Rehoboth Beach

Paid parking by meter or permit in Rehoboth is enforced from May 15 to Sept. 15. Permits are required from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and metered spaces are required from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Free parking is available after these times.

Rehoboth requires those with handicapped permits to pay meter fees or purchase a parking permit during times when parking payment is enforced.

Free parking in Fenwick Island

Parking permits and paid spots are required from May 15 through Sept. 15 between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. in Fenwick. Free parking is available after this time.

Fenwick requires those with handicapped permits to pay meter fees or purchase a parking permit during times when parking payment is enforced.

Beach parking guide: Delaware beaches reinstate meter, permit parking on May 15. How much will it cost?

Free parking in Bethany Beach

Public parking in Bethany requires payment or a permit from May 15 to Sept. 15. Parking rates are enforced from Hollywood Street to First Street from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and on all other streets from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Free parking is available after these times.

Bethany requires those with handicapped permits to pay meter fees or purchase a parking permit during times when parking payment is enforced.

Free parking in Lewes

Lewes enforces paid parking from May 1 to Sept. 30 at the beaches and until Oct. 14 downtown. Hourly parking costs $1.50 at metered spots downtown and $2.50 at metered spots at the beach from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Free parking is available after this time.

Lewes requires those with handicapped permits to pay meter fees or purchase a parking permit during times when parking payment is enforced.

There are several areas where free parking is available for longer periods in lots located at:

Franklin and Schley avenues, which has electric vehicle charging stations
Roosevelt Inlet, at the end of Cedar Avenue near the inlet
Beebe Healthcare, off Market and Fourth streets, on evenings and weekends only
Otis Smith Park, which has electric vehicle charging stations
Lewes Little League, between July and March only
The Lewes Library Trailhead

DART Beach Bus, Park & Ride

For a completely hands off experience, the Delaware Department of Transportation offers the Beach Bus shuttle service through DART, beginning May 20 and lasting through Sept. 8.

DelDOT saw a 16% increase in Beach Bus ridership from 2022 to 2023, with a whopping 242,566 passengers documented last year, the agency said, so if you haven’t tried it for yourself yet, you’re missing out.

The shuttle operates daily with increased frequencies from early morning to late at night. Exact times depend on which line passengers are aboard.

The Rehoboth Park & Ride is on 20055 Shuttle Road off of Delaware Route 1. The Lewes Transit Center is at 17616 Coastal Highway. Parking is free at both Park & Ride lots.

Upon boarding, bus fare costs $2 per trip, $4 for a daily pass, $16 for a seven-day consecutive day pass or $60 for a 30-day consecutive day pass. Student fare is $1 and reduced fare is 80 cents for those 65 years of age and older, or with a certified disability. Blind passengers ride free.

With the service’s family bargain, two adults with two children (46 inches or less) ride round trip to the beach on the 305 Beach Connection (Magenta Line) for $20 with a three-zone daily pass.

Buses stop at the beaches, lots and nearby areas including:

Rehoboth Beach and the Rehoboth Boardwalk
Lewes
Long Neck
Dewey Beach
Bethany Beach
South Bethany Beach
Fenwick Island
Ocean City, Maryland
Millsboro
Georgetown

Stops are also made at the outlets.

If that’s not enticing enough, all buses are air conditioned and equipped with wheelchair lifts.

Passengers can use the free DART Transit app to view bus stops, get real-time bus information and plan their trips. Payment also can be made from your phone with DART Pass mobile payment.

Deauville Beach visitor’s guide: Entry fees, annual passes announced for Deauville Beach, on sale beginning May 15

Bus passes can be purchased at DART First State Transportation stores, sales outlets, or online.

While at the beach, bus passes can be purchased from:

Acme at 18578 Coastal Highway, #13, in Rehoboth Beach. It offers seven-day passes and Paratransit strip tickets.
Big Oaks Campground (seasonal) at 35567 Big Oaks Lane in Rehoboth Beach. It offers seven-day passes.
Cape Henlopen Senior Center at 11 Christian Street in Rehoboth Beach. It offers Paratransit strip tickets.
DART First State — Lewes Transit Center at 17616 Coastal Highway in Lewes. It offers daily, seven-day and 30-day passes.
DART First State Rehoboth Park & Ride (seasonal) at 20055 Shuttle Road in Rehoboth Beach. It offers daily, seven-day and 30-day passes.
Lewes Senior Center at 32083 Janice Road in Lewes. It offers Senior Citizens Affordable Taxi tickets, also known as SCAT.
United Checking Cashing at 662 North DuPont Boulevard in Milford. It offers all passes.

Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys’tal Griffin at kgriffin@delawareonline.com.

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Delaware

Delaware Supreme Court upholds reforms to curb ‘DExit’ concerns

Published

2 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Delaware Supreme Court upholds reforms to curb ‘DExit’ concerns

Karl Baker
| Spotlight Delaware

This story was produced by Spotlight Delaware as part of a partnership with Delaware Online/The News Journal. For more about Spotlight Delaware, visit www.spotlightdelaware.org.

A Delaware law passed last year in the wake of escalating assaults on the state’s corporate brand shielded powerful company leaders from facing certain lawsuits brought by smaller investors.

What it didn’t do was violate the Delaware Constitution, the state Supreme Court ruled on Friday, Feb. 27.

More than three months after hearing arguments, the justices ruled that the corporate law reform – known as Senate Bill 21 – did not strip Delaware’s prominent Court of Chancery of its constitutional authority to decide when a business deal is fair.

“The General Assembly’s enactment of SB 21 falls within the ‘broad and ample sweep’ of its legislative power,” the justices stated.

The ruling ends a bruising fight in Delaware over when the state’s business court should allow small-time investors to interrogate insider deals struck within companies by founders or other business leaders.

The ruling also averts what could have been an embarrassment for the state’s legal and political establishment had the high court overturned the law.

More than a year ago, Tesla CEO Elon Musk — the world’s richest person — was calling on business leaders to move their companies’ legal homes out of Delaware. Musk had launched the campaign, which became known as “DExit,” after a Delaware Chancery Court judge ruled that he could not accept a multibillion-dollar pay package from Tesla.

Just as the campaign appeared to be gaining a foothold, Gov. Matt Meyer, legislative leaders, and Delaware attorneys who represent corporations threw their collective heft behind SB 21.

They argued then that the legislation amounted to a “course correction” that would bring the state’s business courts back into alignment with rulings from a decade ago. Many also said the bill was needed to pacify executives who were considering following Musk’s calls to move their companies’ legal homes out of Delaware.

In response, a cadre of critics — which included national law professors, pension fund attorneys, and a handful of progressives within the Delaware legislature — derided SB 21 as a “billionaires bill.”

Some also argued that the legislation was the latest in a string of recent changes to Delaware corporate law that have shifted the state away from protecting shareholder rights and toward giving greater deference to powerful executives.

Meyer and others SB 21 supporters rejected those characterizations last year. And on Friday, he celebrated the Supreme Court’s ruling.

In a statement, he said the decision affirms that “Delaware is the gold standard locale for global companies to do business.” He also stated that the number of companies that maintain their legal home in Delaware had increased throughout 2025 despite the DExit campaign.

“In short, SB 21 is working, and I’m glad it will continue to be the law,” Meyer said.

The legal arguments for SB 21

When arguing against SB 21 in front of the Supreme Court last fall, one attorney asserted that the new law removed the Chancery Court’s time-honored and constitutional duty to say what is fair – or equitable – in a business dispute.

The attorney, Gregory Varallo, argued that by removing a shareholders’ ability to sue their company, the law reduced what he described as the immutable power of the Court of Chancery to oversee a “complete system of equity.”

During his arguments, Varallo also offered the justices an unusual acknowledgement, stating that he knew that his stance was unpopular — and that he understood “well the pressures on this court.”

The comments were a likely reference to the consensus of big business groups and the state’s political establishment that believed SB 21 was necessary for Delaware to remain the world’s preeminent corporate domicile.

Following Varallo, Washington, D.C.-based attorney Jonathan C. Bond defended SB 21, in part, by characterizing his opponents arguments as unprecedented. If adopted, he said they would imperil several existing Delaware laws that go back decades.

He also argued that changing the rules of corporate law – as SB 21 did – “is the same as wiping out jurisdiction merely because it makes some plaintiff’s claims harder.”

Also arguing in favor of SB 21 during the hearing was William Savitt, an attorney with the Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz – among the most prominent corporate law firms in the country.

Last spring, Meyer hired Savitt’s firm to represent the state in the legal defense of SB 21 for a budget rate of $100,000. By comparison, Wachtell Lipton charged Twitter $90 million in 2022 to ferry that company through its arduous, four-month-long acquisition by Elon Musk.

Wachtell’s client list also includes Mark Zuckerberg and other Meta executives and board members, who last summer settled a seven-year-long, multibillion-dollar shareholder lawsuit in the Delaware Chancery Court.

During his arguments on SB 21, Savitt said equity as determined by judges must follow the statutes created by the legislature, and “not displace the law.”

“No natural reading of the words (of the Delaware Constitution) support plaintiff’s position,” he said.

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Delaware

Police identify victim of Wilmington motorcycle crash

Published

14 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Police identify victim of Wilmington motorcycle crash

State police identified 29-year-old Brian Silva of New Castle as the victim of a fatal motorcycle crash in Wilmington.

Silva was riding a Harley-Davidson northbound on Dupont Highway approaching Millside Drive in Wilmington around 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 when it collided with the rear of a stopped Lexus at that intersection, police said. Silva was ejected from the motorcycle. He was taken to the hospital, where he died.

Delaware State Police are still investigating this incident, and anyone with information is encouraged to reach out to them or to Delaware Crime Stoppers.

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Delaware

When will Delaware warm up? After snow, ice Tuesday, temps will rise

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

When will Delaware warm up? After snow, ice Tuesday, temps will rise

Meteorological winter has ended and we’ve entered spring.

However, there’s still a last winter blast hitting Delaware early this week before a spring warm up hits at the end of the week.

Here’s a look at the Delaware forecast.

Will Delaware see more snow?

After a brisk Monday, March 2 with sunny skies and highs only reaching 35 degrees, there’s a chance of snow after 1 a.m. Tuesday, March 3 with freezing rain after 4 a.m. in New Castle County. Snow and freezing rain are expected before noon Tuesday, March 3. The county may receive less than a half inch of accumulation.

In Kent County and Sussex County, there’s a chance of snow and freezing rain after 1 a.m. Tuesday, March 3.

When will it warm up in Delaware?

It will start feeling like spring as warmer air moves into the First State on Tuesday evening, March 3, but wet weather is coming as well.

Rain is predicted from Tuesday, March 3 through Friday, March 5, but spring-like temperatures will make it bearable. In New Castle County temperatures will range from the mid-50s on Wednesday, March 3 to the 60s on Thursday, March 4 and Friday, March 5. Kent County should see temperatures in the 60s and Sussex County will see 70s during the mid- to later part of the week

What’s the weekend forecast?

Remember when you were daydreaming about warm weather during the polar vortex or blizzard? Well, it is coming next weekend.

The forecast is calling for sunny to partly sunny skies throughout Delaware on Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8. Highs will reach the upper 60s in the north to the low 70s in the south.

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