Public Transit Ridership Reaches Record Levels East of the Cooper
October 16, 2014
MOUNT PLEASANT, SC – Public Transit Ridership East of the Cooper reached a historic peak in August 2014, before taking a slight dip due to 8 September rain days. All routes are up over a year earlier.
The 40 Mount Pleasant Bus had the first best month in its history in August, peaking to 16,126 riders. It posted a 15.2% increase over a year earlier in September despite rain, declining slightly from it’s August peak to a September 2014 total of 15,320. Ridership on this route was only 9,704 in July 2007.
The newer #41 Coleman Blvd. Route continues to show increasing ridership, carrying 2,967 riders, an increase of 522 over a year earlier. The #41 also peaked in August with ridership at 3,447.
The #2 Express moved 10,920 passengers in September, up from August 756 riders over a year previous. About half of Express riders are traveling to or from Mount Pleasant. Total Transit ridership in our community, including Tri County Link Routes and Tel-A-Ride transportation for the disabled exceeded 25 thousand riders last month.
Sustaining this growth requires sheltered bus stops to mitigate the adverse impact of bad weather, more transit awareness outreach within the community and a more functional Ravanel bridge ice shutdown detour plan which is known to the community with a heated waiting space for the expected cold, wet winter ahead.
Hungryneck Straphangers will help move East Cooper’s Transit forward on Saturday, Nov. 8 when they conduct a citizen’s transit education effort in selected communities along Highway 17, North of Highway 41.
Volunteers will deliver transit information to areas in North Mount Pleasant which have unrealized transit utilization potential by delivering doorknob hanger bags with schedules and access information to approximately 800 residences and 100 businesses on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014, starting at 10 am. We’ll utilize four teams of four youth service volunteers, each with one supervisor and a support team consisting of Hungryneck Straphangers members and youth volunteers who will work on packet preparation. Packets for each area will be optimized with a flyer focused on their bus stops and routes. Activity will be coordinated with CARTA and the Town of Mount Pleasant, including the Police Dpt.
The purpose of this effort is to sustain the ridership growth on our East Cooper Routes seen in the past year and provide quality of life enhancing options for new area residents who face long daily commutes in their cars who might enjoy the comfort of a bus ride instead, reducing congestion on North 17. The Straphangers will be working in parts of Carolina Park, Ivy Hall, Charleston National, Gregory Landing Apartments and Charleston National. At this time, Hungryneck Straphangers needs additional volunteers and a location for the operations center near a stop on the #40 bus route. Snacks and beverages for volunteers would also be appreciated. Community service certificates will be issued to participating volunteers. Call (843) 870-5299 to help.
The Town of Mount Pleasant has installed two new bus stop benches. One is found on New Parsonage way on the North End of the #41 Coleman Blvd. Bus Route, next to the Goodyear Tire store on Ben Sawyer Blvd. This is an ideal “kiss rider” pickup and drop off location for people transporting family members to or from Rifle Range Road. Sullivan’s Island and the part of the Old Village near Center Street. A kiss rider is a transit rider who is often kissed goodby when a family member drops them off at a stop to wait for a bus.
Another bus stop bench has been installed on the #40 route, Eastbound side, near Anna Knapp Blvd. in front of the Chick-fil-A to served riders headed into the City from Queesboro Townhouses, workers in the Publix Shopping Plaza, communities nearby on Mathis Ferry Road and Greenhill.
Four shelters bus stops will be constructed by developers as part of plan requiresments, two near Town Centre on the #40 route and two on Harry Hallman Blvd. on the #40 route to serve the new Bridgeside Hotel and Apartment complex. The Hallman Blvd. stops will also serve Patriot’s Point, the College of Charleston Athletic Complex and area hotels.
Mayor Page and Town Council are considering public suggestions for future needed stop improvements along Coleman Blvd. as part of the ongoing streetscape project there and in other locations. Submitting your ideas in writing which should, if possible include a map of the area referenced, are best submitted to the Mayor’s office in writing so they can shared with council and staff.
Mount Pleasant now leads the region with the area’s fastest growing transit routes. The community’s pioneering work in making transit popular is being used to model new efforts in North Charleston, James Island and in Columbia, SC.
For more information on the work of Hungryneck Staphangers and pointers on how to make transit work for your family, civic group, church or business see www.busec.org or call (843) 870-5299.
