Students from the University School of the Lowcountry in Mt. Pleasant Address the CARTA Board, Sept. 2011

Thanks to everyone who contributed to our effort to oppose the CARTA Cuts this month.  We had a good visit to yesterday’s board meeting and were encourage to see the attitude of the board moving in a new direction.   More members of the pubic spoke during the public comment period yesterday than at any CARTA board meeting in the past.  While the message got garbled here and there, more people are riding transit in Charleston than ever before and revenues are higher than they have ever been while the cost per rider trip is down.   Not every figure is hitting every projection, but they’re all continuing to get better.  We learned that the system will go from using schedule data to plan bus trips to real time GPS data transmitted from the buses themselves this summer.  You can use Google to plan your trips now on the CARTA website, Google maps, Iphones, Android Devices and Ipads.  This summer you be able to get an estimated arrival time for your bus based on where it actually is and how fast it is moving.

Here is the PDF Continue the Progress Handout distributed at the meeting.

Logo for the Don't X Transit National Effort

We’re also now actively involved in the national effort to improve transit with advocacy on the Federal level, where we’re joining communities across the US.  www.supporttransit.org  Representatives of the national organization attended part of yesterday’s meeting.

Two routes were combined, but it doesn’t appear more route cancellations are ahead.  That could change.  Most of the capacity of those routes will be redeployed to improve performance where buses are now running standing room only.

Here is the report as it appeared on WCBD Channel 2.

There was also a report on WCIV Channel 4 and two articles in the Post and Courier.  http://www2.counton2.com/news/2012/may/16/carta-bus-riders-concerned-about-talk-rate-hike-an-ar-3805290/

The most important thing we’ve done this month is reinforce the CARTA Board’s commitment to building a better system.  They’re under relentless pressure to slash service from people who don’t care about what happens to people who need transit to get to work.  We can’t expect public officials to stand up for this system unless we do.

Our efforts will continue.  Here is what you can do.

• Sign our petition online or in person to oppose further CARTA service cuts.
• Contact your federal, state, county and municipal representatives and ask them to commit to a plan for improved public transit.
• Check our calendar on the Hungryneck Straphangers website (see the menu bar above or our Facebook Page for the dates and locations of their meetings.
• Join our “Cling for CARTA” effort.  Put a “Don’t X Transit” window cling at your home, organization or business and put an image of it on the Hungryneck Straphangers Facebook Page
• Ride the bus.  Talk to your neighbors and other riders about the importance of improving transit with a target of reaching an annual ridership of 7.5 million by 2018.
• Contact us if you have ideas or questions wjhamilton29464@gmail.com or (843) 870-5299.

Transit advocates demonstrate against planned CARTA service cuts on May 1, 2012 in Charleston, SC

Transit riders have made it clear:

1.  Build on the success of increasing ridership (up 15% to 425 thousand in March 2012) and farebox revenue (Up 8%)
2. Stop the cuts
3. Adopt a long term plan for CARTA to build a dependable, basic bus transit system for our region, with night and weekend service, and safe, comfortable and accessible stops.

Please join us at the CARTA Board Meeting on Wednesday, May 16 at 2 pm at the Lonnie Hamilton County Office Building 4045 Bridge View Drive, North Charleston, SC 29405 (Transit directions below) to be heard during the public comment period.  Speakers usually have 2 minutes.  If you can’t be there, sign our online petition now which will be presented to the board members then.  For those riders present at the meeting, we’ll have T-shirts for you to wear to show your support for basic, functional bus transit for the Charleston area.  If you aren’t comfortable speaking in public, you can hand in written comments or just wear a shirt and raise your hand in a show of support.

Unless we act now, together for a better system which serves everyone, we’ll end up fighting each other over pieces of the system this summer, the long term strategy of opponents of public transit where riders lose.

• Sign up to attend the Wed. April 16 Board meeting on Facebook
• Sign the online petition to show your support
• Contact the organizers for more information 870-5299 or wjhamilton29464@gmail.com
• We have signs and window clings available for businesses who want to show their support for public transit.
• Join our facebook group and let your views be known.

Students from the University School of the Lowcountry in Mt. Pleasant Address the CARTA Board

Bus directions to the CARTA Board Meeting

The CARTA #103 runs on Leeds Ave and the nearest stop is 0.3 miles from the Lonnie Hamilton Building.  Some of the possible trips indicated here stop on Rivers Ave., which is a 1.1 mile walk to the Lonnie Hamilton Building.  It is side walked the entire distance.  If you get there early, there are places to rest inside the building.  All persons entering the building will be subject to security scanning.  Auto parking at the Lonnie Hamilton Building, in a lot costing millions of dollars is free.

• East Cooper- Wando High School
• Downtown- Mary Street
• West Ashley- Citadel Mall
• North Charleston- Northwoods Mall

Background Information on the plan and cuts

• Younger Americans are driving less, Taking Transit More- http://www.uspirg.org/reports/usp/transportation-and-new-generation
• Continue the Progress Proposal from East Cooper CARTA Riders https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=10aqryEpXpgNjXKQTVBwQlFtoJrjicHLbiY2hhR2ImlI
• Much misinformation about pay for bus drivers has been circulating.  Starting pay for a CARTA Bus Driver is $9.81 per hour and increases with seniority to $17.86 and hour after over a decade of service.  Many drivers get only one day of vacation and two days of sick leave per year.  Many work “split shifts” driving during the morning, taking a forced 2-4 hour time off the clock and then driving again in the evening.  Others are required to work overtime.  Bus drives must pass tests, have a CDV license and a clean criminal record
• The Low country is a dangerous place for the long walks to bus stops reducing the number of routes would necessitate for riders.  Many bus stops lack safe sidewalks and street lighting to make the trip to and from the bus one a rider can survive.  Planned lack of night transit service for the next five years endangers riders and pedestrians.  Here is a map of the pedestrian fatalities in and around Charleston.  While pedestrian fatalities have been falling across the US, they’ve been rising in SC.  http://www.thestate.com/2011/12/07/2071370/pedestrian-deaths-up-sharply-in.html  WCIV reports two deaths, a motorist hitting a pedestrian and the motorist (who lost his license) being killed on a bicycle on the same road six months later.  http://www.abcnews4.com/story/18310087/ccso-deceased-bicyclist-was-charged-with-felony-after-dui-death
• Proposed CARTA Five Year Plan http://www.ridecarta.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Agenda_Board_2012_0418_Part-3-of-4.pdf
• April 2012 CARTA Ridership and Financial Report http://www.ridecarta.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Agenda_Board_2012_0418_Part-2-of-41.pdf

Transit advocates demonstrate against planned CARTA service cuts on May 1, 2012 in Charleston, SCPublic Transit Advocates from the Hungryneck Straphangers and other groups will conduct a demonstration and public information outreach efforts in May to stop the planned CARTA service cuts.

May is the time to stand up in support of functional public transit in the Charleston area and against the planned 5% cut in CARTA services.  Links are to facebook signups.   You can sign the onlne petition to stop the cuts now.

• Attend the Tuesday, May 8, City of Charleston Council meeting at City Hall at 80 Broad Street at 5 pm to present letters, signed petitions and speak during the public comment period.  Public comment is generally held later in the meeting, so don’t worry about getting there late.  Transit Directions from N. Charleston to Charleston City Hall.
• Listen to Morning Buzz on WTMA AM 1250 at 8 am for discussion segment on Fighting the CARTA cuts.
• Demonstrate at Superstop on Wednesday, May9, hand out information and collect petition signatures at the bus stops around the intersection of Rivers and Cosgrove Avenues in North Charleston, SC from 3 pm to 5:30.  This is the system’s busiest stop and we’re sure to reach hundreds of people.  Transit Directions to Superstop from Downtown for that day and time.
• Plan to attend the Wednesday, May 16 CARTA Board Meeting at 2 pm at the Lonnie Hamilton County Office Building to present petitions and letters and well as to speak during the public comment period.

Full details and links to facebook signups with access to Google Transit Trip Planning for each time and location can be found at www.eastccrider.com or be obtained by calling (843) 870-5299.

This demonstrations are planned to raise community awareness about planned 5% service cuts to the CARTA system, which has achieved record ridership of over 425,895 riders as of March 2012 (an increase of 15.84% over first quarter 2011), reflecting the growing need for functional public transit to serve people working in the region’s hospitality and medical industries where wages are often not high enough to support ownership and operation of an automobile.  A report released in March proposes cutting routes and service to reduce costs.  CARTA is already one of the most efficient transit systems in the US and charges some of the highest fares in the Southeast, recovering on of the nation’s highest percentages of the cost of operation from the farebox. 34.57% .  The system made major cuts in service in 2010 and smaller ones a year later, including loss of night bus service essential to allowing restaurant and medical workers to return home after work.

Information and reports on the first demonstration, held May 1 can be found at http://busec.org/fighting-the-carta-cuts-consolidating-resistance/

“It’s time for the Charleston region to accept the reality that our cost of living, geography and economy require us to have a functional public transit system to serve the needs of workers, students and tourists.  If we have a quarter of a billion dollars for an Expressway on Johns Island, 12 million dollars to renovate a WWII destroyer and 150 million dollars for airport improvements, it is well within our region’s capacity to find the modest amount of funds to provide reliable bus service for those who need it to make the service sector of our local economy work for everyone.”  According to William Hamilton, coordinator of the Hungryneck Straphangers, an independent public transit advocacy group from East of the Cooper.

Background Information & Documents

• Younger Americans are driving less, Taking Transit More- http://www.uspirg.org/reports/usp/transportation-and-new-generation
• Continue the Progress Proposal from East Cooper CARTA Riders https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=10aqryEpXpgNjXKQTVBwQlFtoJrjicHLbiY2hhR2ImlI
• Much misinformation about pay for bus drivers has been circulating.  Starting pay for a CARTA Bus Driver is $9.81 per hour and increases with seniority to $17.86 and hour after over a decade of service.  Many drivers get only one day of vacation and two days of sick leave per year.  Many work “split shifts” driving during the morning, taking a forced 2-4 hour time off the clock and then driving again in the evening.  Others are required to work overtime.  Bus drives must pass tests, have a CDV license and a clean criminal record
• Proposed CARTA Five Year Plan http://www.ridecarta.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Agenda_Board_2012_0418_Part-3-of-4.pdf
• April 2012 CARTA Ridership and Financial Report http://www.ridecarta.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Agenda_Board_2012_0418_Part-2-of-41.pdf

Charleston, SC- 12 Demonstrators from the Hungryneck Straphangers collected over 100 petition signatures and talked to over 200 transit riders on Tuesday,  May 1st.  The demonstration was reported by WCIV TV-4 News, the Post and Courier and the City Paper.  The effort continued on May 2 with outreach at Superstop in N. Charleston.  Future demonstrations are planned a major transit centers around the County.

Materials for the May 1, 2012 Stop the CARTA Cuts Demonstration provided by www.supporttransit.org

CARTA Board Chairman Elliot Summey continued the offical push back, claiming that a 5% cut in service wouldn’t actually be a cut in service, but a consolidation, responding to the protest to the media.  He didn’t say which routes would be targeted for elimination or consolidation, decisions likely to be made this summer after consultants issue reports and at a time when public resistance can’t be organized.

Report on the Demonstration on WCIV TV-4 News. With Video

Article in the Post and Courier

Article in the Charleston City Paper.

More pictures and video.

The fundamental problem is that most decisions about CARTA, including funding, are made by people who drive cars.  To them moving lines on a map which represent combining bus routes is an academic exercise which produces the desired cost cuts.  If an area goes from having three bus routes to two, it still appears has just as much service.  The distances and travel to stop conditions involved aren’t significantly different to someone driving in a warm, dry car at a high rate of speed, safely insulated from the risk of crime.  A mile is two minutes of driving for them.  However to the rider walking over a mile, in the dark on a cold, rainy night in February down a road with no sidewalk on a muddy shoulder, between wet pavement and speeding cars on one side and an open ditch of dirty cold water on the other, the difference is overwhelming.   For such people, every intersection crossing is potentially fatal.  Charleston County already has one of the highest pedestrian fatality rates in the United States.  Riders become an easy mark for criminals.  The long walks too and from the nearest bus stop in the conditions which prevail here range from unpleasant and degrading to dangerous or fatal.

Many political leaders in Charleston are uninterested in this reality, but even for them the functionality of our transit system is important.  Most jobs in Charleston pay less than ten dollars an hour (including the starting wage for our bus drivers).  These rates of pay do not meed a cost of living which is now above the national average..  However our medical, F&B, tourism and hospitality sectors depend on such jobs to function, with long hours which often begin early in the morning or end late at night.  Affordable housing is often far from work.  CARTA is a necessity.

Unless riders, community leaders, employers and their families stand up and remind our leaders what loss of bus service really means to actual people, we can expect round after round of cuts moving towards a skeletal transit system which serves only the truly desperate and tourists on DASH.  Unless we demand an adequate system, more powerful interest groups will continue to see that government funding is used for other purposes, including the massive subsidies paid to support the private automobile and air travel.  We can’t expect members of CARTA’s own board to stand up for the system and riders unless there is public pressure to stop the cuts and build towards an efficient, basic public transit system for our region.  With younger Americans taking 40% more transit trips, our region’s future depends on an adequate transit system.

Our next effort will be to present copies of the petition signatures collected to date to Charleston City Council on May 8.  You can sign the petition online.

Join us that evening at 5 pm at Charleston City Hall on Tuesday, May 8.   There is a public comment period.  Come speak up for transit if you can.  After that, we’ll begin to prepare for the next CARTA board meeting.  You can find the details on our calendar (use the menu bar link above) and sign up for the Speak to Charleston City Council event on Facebook.  Charleston City Hall, at 80 Broad Street is located on the North Beltline, Meeting/King DASH, King Street Citadel and Savannah Highway Bus routes.  You can plan your trip using Google Transit.

We’ll post the time, date and location of the next CARTA Board Meeting as soon as it is confirmed.  Those needing immediate updates may call William Hamilton at (843) 870-5299 or contact him through our feedback form.

For updates on this effort, see our plan for speaking out at the May 16 CARTA Board meeting.

Charleston, SC-  Riders and supporters of Public Transit will collect petition signatures and demonstrate their opposition to further service cuts by CARTA on Tuesday, May 1^st. from 1 to 3 pm at the Mary Street Transit Center in downtown Charleston (80 Mary Street, Charleston, SC, across from Hughes Lumber).  The demonstration will be supported by the Hungryneck Straphangers (Formerly known as the East Cooper CARTA Riders) and will be conducted legally in accordance with city regulations.

Materials for the May 1, 2012 Stop the CARTA Cuts Demonstration provided by www.supporttransit.org

Those wanting updates on the event can check the calendar and website at www.eastccrider.com or call (843) 870-5299.  The Transit center can easily be reached on CARTA.  Trips can be planned online using Google Map’s Transit function.   Here is the Google Transit Link for a Trip from Mount Pleasant.   Here is an Image of demonstration location

If there are sufficient demonstrators, we’ll send teams to spread the message to other transit centers in the region. leaving by bus right from Mary Street.

Last week a five year plan was presented to the CARTA Board to cut transit service in the Charleston area by another five percent.  The plan further suggested cancelling even more routes to increase service on the overburdened #10 route and add an express route serving the Boeing plant.  The plan included no strategies to restore night bus service desperately needed by people working late shifts in the medical and food and beverage sectors.  The plan contained no timeline for advancing towards construction of the long planned regional transit hub near the airport.  It would require eliminating drivers job’s and other skilled positions held by men and women who have worked years serving the public.

The Hungryneck Strap hangers organization feels this plan is inappropriate at a time when CARTA ridership has risen over 13% in a single year to a system record of 425,895 in March.  Transit services are essential to the economic survival of the area’s service workers, who already accept long commutes to work.  East Cooper’s #40 bus route is running standing room only many mornings and evenings.  The CARTA system is also used extensively by tourists, students, veterans and the disabled.  Increasing numbers of riders from Mount Pleasant are using the bus to link to employment as well, recovering time from their commute to catch up on reading and online activities.  The Hungryneck Straphangers is finishing a yearlong effort to increase ridership East of the Cooper which is pushing their new East Cooper Connector Route to its required ridership target and helped raise ridership in their area by over 3500 rides per month, establishing a successful model which could be replicated across the region.

The Plan can be read online on the CARTA website.

Tel A Ride Van in Downtown Charleston

“We understand that CARTA has to adjust service based on economic limits, but this plan fails to include any strategies for retaining the current service level or meeting real needs in the future.  As our economy changes from one based on the automobile and cheap oil to one focused on talent and mobility, the content and scale of CARTA’s funding model must evolve as well to serve our area.  If we depend on service jobs in tourism and medical services, gentrify the city and push affordable housing inland, we have to have a transit system which connects workers to employment opportunities and their other needs.” Said William Hamilton, coordinator of the Hungryneck Straphangers.

You can sign an Online Petition to Further CARTA Service Cuts

The Demonstration will be one of thousands around the world held that day to raise awareness of environmental, economic justice and human rights issues.

You can read our position paper with alternative proposals online in Google Docs Continue the Progress

A facebook event signup has been established for the demonstration at http://tinyurl.com/chsmay1

You can download a printable, PDF Flyer announcing the event to use.

Thanks for your interest in the CARTA #401 East Cooper Connector, which serves the Medical Complex around East Cooper Hospital, the Senior Citizens Center and James B. Edwards Elementary School. We’ll be doing a people to people transit canvass with help from the Moultrie Middle School Beta Club, distributing information on local transit at the Medical complex on Friday, March 30. This page gives you links to the relevant online content and services.

CARTA 401 East Cooper Connector Bus

Online Trip Planning- Trips on this and most other CARTA Routes connecting to locations throughout Charleston County can now be planned using Google Maps Transit which will automatically generate itineraries and maps which can be printed out or emailed to patients, customers, and family.  Here is a sample trip planned using this service from East Cooper Hospital to Downtown Charleston.  It’s easy to generate and print out a trip plan for a patient or costumer who wants to go home on the bus.

Detailed questions about the route can be answered by calling CARTA customer services.  (843) 747-0922 or William Hamilton of East Cooper CARTA Riders (843) 870-5299.  You can also see the main official CARTA Website for regional information, www.ridecarta.com.  

Bus Service to the Medical Complex- The East Cooper Connector #401 bus stops at East Cooper Hospital once an hour between 7:27 am and 7:27 pm on weekdays with stops at the Senior Center, Just north of Hospital drive near the Intersection of Von Kolnitz Rd.  and at the front entrance to the new Hospital. The bus runs 8:27 am to 7:27 pm on Saturdays. It doesn’t run on Sunday.  After stopping at the Hospital, it continues on to Whipple Road, Belle Hall, Long Point Road, Six Mile, Hungryneck Blvd. Town Centre, Trident Tech., Sea Island Shopping Center, Coleman Blvd., Waterfront Park, Wingo Way, Houston Northcutt and Mount Pleasant Town Hall.

After Town Hall it returns to the Medical Center via Coleman Blvd., Rifle Range Road, and Bowman Road. It stops at Mount Pleasant movie theaters, major shopping centers, restaurants and both major hotel clusters.  See our detailed web page on the #401 East Cooper Connector

Connections to Other Routes- The East Cooper Connector Bus connects on both Hungryneck Blvd. near BI-LO and on Houston Northcutt near Harris Teeter with the #40 trans Mount Pleasant bus which runs between Wando High School and Downtown Charleston. It connects to the #402 bus to the beach and the C203 Tri County Links Bus running to McClellenville and Awendaw.  Overview page on all East Cooper Bus Routes

This bus can assist patients and families who need to get to the medical complex or would like to leave the area for a stress free trip to their hotel, shopping, entertainment or downtown.  You can download and print this information card for customers and patients.

Discount bus passes for 3 days or a month, with huge savings for unlimited use of the system can be purchased at Kmart on Bowman Road, Sea Island Piggly Wiggley & the Visitor’s Center at Mount Pleasant Waterfront Memorial Park, all of which are on the #401 route.  Passes are also now available online.

Route Status- CARTA Bus Routes are periodically reviewed for ridership performance. The #401 is currently not meeting targets. If this route does not reach targets, it can be cancelled. If ridership increases. the route can achieve permanent status and qualify for bus stop improvements such as benches and shelters. Improved ridership also creates the opportunity to extend hours or increase frequency.  It has been put up for review by the CARTA route review board.  Action on the route may happen over the summer.

East Cooper Connector Bus Crossing Shem Creek

Thanks to the Moultrie Middle School Beta Club for Assisting East Cooper CARTA Riders in distributing this information at the medical comples.   Transit is a trip we make together.  Efforts like this East of the Cooper have put over 4000 more riders per month on our transit system in the past year, which an increase in ridership on our main #40 route of over 30%.  With your help we can build the #401 East Cooper Connector into a useful and used part of our growing transit system, helping patients, family, friends, and employees get to and from the care and services they need.  Please let your customers and patients know about this important transit service so it will continue to be available to the entire community.

Disclaimer- East Cooper CARTA Riders is an independent rider’s advocacy organization not associated with Charleston Area Regional Transit Authority (CARTA).  We are devoted to improving the quality of public transit services East of the Cooper.  We are independent of and do not represent CARTA and statements made on this website and in our materials  reflect the opinions of our organization.

People East of the Cooper, from the Mayor of Mt. Pleasant to Middle School Students were all working on improving our transit system on March 13.   The process which has pushed ridership on our #40 Trans Mt. Pleasant Bus up 30% and gotten ridership on the #401 East Cooper Connector to 1400 riders per month continues after more than a year’s effort by government, non profits, churches and schools.

Town Leaders take a Ride

Mayor and Members of Mount Pleasant Town Council taking a route tour on the CARTA 401 East Cooper Connector

The Mayor of Mount Pleasant, four members of town council, the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Planning Dpt. and several other Town Government representatives joined Linda Page and CARTA staff on board the #40 & #401 for a ride to and from Mount Pleasant Town Center from Town Hall.  Our #401 circulator bus route, which is still working towards achieving its ridership goals.  The #40 has shown spectacular growth.  The ride was linked to a CARTA promotional effort coordinated with similar promotions throughout the country celebrating the increase in ridership throughout the United States which was moving at a 6% annual rate as of December as increasing employment brings sidelined workers back on to transit while increasing gas prices make transit more competitive.  CARTA has exceeded the national trend with 17% growth over the last 12 months.  Along the route, our elected representatives saw places where upgraded stops were needed and were briefed on upcoming plans to put GPS tracking on the buses.  The ride was covered by local media, including WCIV TV 4′s Report.

Bus to the Beach Promoted to C of C Students

That afternoon, East Cooper CARTA riders renewed outreach efforts on behalf of our transit system at the College of Charleston, taking updated information on the #402 Island Flex Route to the beaches to the Offices of Admissions, Student Government and Student Media.  We had face to face conversations with counselors at admissions, student leaders and reporters about how the beach service worked and how the #40 connected it to downtown, from which students can have a fee round trip to the beach by using their ID as a bus pass.  We had made this trip before, however the new route began running too late for effective outreach last spring.  This time, with warm weather just beginning and memories of last week’s spring break fresh in the student’s minds, we got a very positive response.  About 50 schedules were distributed.  Details on the Free Bus to the Beach for C of C Students are online here.  OUr efforts were rewarded with a tweet send to hundreds of students the following day about the service, with more promotional efforts sure to come as the weather warms.

Preparations for Medical Complex Transit Canvas

In the evening, we got an update on preparations for transit canvass of the East Cooper Medical Complex being planned by the Moultrie Middle School Beta Club on March 30.  The Hospital has assigned staff to guide the students so that the canvas can reach the nursing and public information counters throughout the hospital.  More route schedules for the #401 were ordered from the printer by CARTA.  The students are studying the system, learning how to use Google maps to plan trips and working on outreach to the fellow students at the school as well.

Thanks to efforts like these, we’re making progress based on community engagement, not preparing for a public hearing where most of our routes are being reexamined for possible changes or cancellation as West of the Ashley and James Island were the following day.

See a quick video overview of the East Cooper Transit System at right from Youtube at right.

A year ago, as we prepared to launch these new routes, the common assumption was that people East of the Cooper wouldn’t ride CARTA.  We now know that isn’t true and that face to face outreach and educational efforts work here.  While the automobile will certainly continue to be a major part of our transportation system, the community is clearly moving towards a diversified hybrid system where transit, pedestrian travel along improved sidewalks and cycling along the new bike lanes and paths is becoming a significant part of how people East of the Cooper Move.

An impressive array of display boards at February 28^th. Coleman Blvd. Revitalization drop in meeting at Moultrie Middle school showed years of community effort coming together to create a main street for Mount Pleasant which will be transit enabled, complete with carefully planned bus stop locations.

CARTA #401 Crossing Shem Creek Bridge

The two hour drop in drew dozens of participants and community stakeholders from nearby neighborhoods, the business community and civic sector. Several members of the East Cooper Carta Riders attended to continue their support for a planning process which will shape a community where public transportation can work better, building on the successful effort of the past year which has put thousands of new rides per month on board the community’s new route system.

East Cooper CARTA Riders handed in a written statement with illustrations of existing stops in the area for the Planning Department’s consideration at the hearing.  For more information on East Cooper Public Transit, including the new ability to use Google Transit to plan trips on the CARTA system automatically, see their website at www.eastccrider.com.

An illustrated map of most existing East Cooper Bus Stops https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/albumMap?uname=wjhamilton29464&aid=5595773187925954337#map

Trips nearly everywhere on the CARTA bus system can now be planned automatically using Google Transit.

The text of the handout provided at last night’s meeting is below.

Better Bus Stops on Coleman Blvd.

From              East Cooper CARTA Riders
To                   Town of Mt. Pleasant
Date               February 28, 2012

Coleman Blvd. is an important section of our community’s new CARTA #401 East Cooper Connector Bus Route.   The Coleman Blvd. section of this route is one of the most productive areas for generating ridership.  Appropriate bus stops should be planned as part of the Boulevard improvement project.

This route is working towards reaching its ridership goal of 10 passengers per hour. During its first full month of operation in May 2011, the #40 had 800 Riders.  It reached 1100 in August and 1400 in December.  Elsewhere on the East Cooper CARTA system, huge increases of over 30% have been seen on the #40 Trans Mount Pleasant route, which is connected to the #401 East Cooper Connector.  The walkable sidewalk network extending into the Old Village area helps support ridership generation in this area.  The University School of the Lowcountry has actively supported development of this route, including production of a You Tube Video and door to door distribution of schedule information.

Coleman Blvd. has several nice stops now.  There is a shelter at Sea Island Shopping Center.  The park adjacent to Moultrie Middle School provides an attractive stop with benches, a swing, and its various amenities.  There is a b Read the rest of this entry »

Improved Bus Stop at Wando High School in Mount Pleasant, SC has slab, bench.

After a year of long effort by Linda Page, the Town of Mt. Pleasant and Wando High School, our community’s most important institution has an improved bus stop.  It’s getting plenty of use.  As the Eastern most stop on the CARTA system, it serves both students and people in the area who are often dropped off by family to catch the bus to downtown.  The improved stop has a comfortable bench and  slab to keep everyone out of the dirt, mud weeds and ants.  Seven riders boarded during a stop there yesterday.  The students said the school is actively promoting the use of CARTA.  These students had been able to stay after school for sports, tutoring and club activities instead of immediately boarding the school bus after the last bell for a ride home.

Full information about the #40 Trans Mount Pleasant route, running between Wando HS and the Mary Street Transit Center in Downtown Charleston.  This route connects to the #401 East Cooper Connector for trips to other parts of Mt. Pleasant and the #402 Island Flex for trips to the Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island..

Online Trip Planning Now Functional

Transit trip planning can now be done online, automatically on Google Transit.   This can be accessed through the mapping functions of most Android Phones, I phones, the Ipad mapping and navigation ap, the www.ridecarta.com website and through Google Transit.  Note that the #402 Island Flex bus has not yet been included into the system but that service is still running.  We’ve contacted both CARTA and our board members about that issue.

The system has huge advantages even for experienced riders.  If you have a smart phone or internet access, you really don’t need paper maps and schedules any longer.  they system provides walking directions to the nearest stop and multiple options for your trip.  In areas like North Charleston and Downtown where there are several routes, much faster trips may be possible than someone would plan using paper maps utilizing transfers and connections the rider might not be aware exist.  Even if you have been riding the system for years, you should check out some possible trips.  If you don’t ride the bus, this system can be of great use when friends or family need a ride since you can find a bus trip for them which brings them close to your location, then go pick them up.  In areas where this system has been deployed, ridership has increased by as much as 20%.  In addition to being a sought product online, Google offers transit directions to anywhere located in Google Places as an option.

Middle Schools in Mount Pleasant, SC can compete in January 2012 to see which can put the most riders on the 401 East Cooper Connector CARTA Bus in a promotion called Bus Bowl being presented by East Cooper CARTA Riders (www.eastccrider.com).

Starting On January 7^th and ending February 2^nd , Students and supporters of each Middle School choosing to participate will be able to tell the bus driver which school they’re riding for.  The #401 East Cooper Connector Route stops near five East Cooper public and private Middle Schools Moultrie, the University School of the Lowcountry, Laing, Palmetto Christian Academy and Blessed Sacrament.

Scores and Rankings will be posted here as they become available.

Rides taken in the first week of the competition (January 7 – 14) will receive double points.  There will be an announcement of the weekly winner each Tuesday and a trophy will be awarded to the winning Middle School in February.  Outreach programs to help build Middle School CARTA ridership are planned throughout the month.

Schools can also book group field trips and after school outings for their students on the #401 and other routes on the CARTA system for discounted group rate by calling (843) 724-7420.  The University School of the Lowcountry has been using the #401 for this purpose with great success and even created a YouTube video of one of their trips.

A promotional flyer for the Bus Bowl competition can be downloaded in PDF format

Updates on the competition will be posted on this website as well at the Route’s #CARTA401 Twitter Feed and East Cooper CARTA Rider’s Facebook Page.

The CARTA #401 East Cooper Connector is a wonderful resource for Middle School aged students in the East Cooper Area.  It serves both movie theaters, seven shopping centers, the Coleman Blvd. business district and Old Village, Waterfront Park, and the new Shem Creek park.  It serves over 500 business locations and five major community recreation facilities.  The #401 connects with CARTA services running to the Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island, downtown Charleston and Tri County Link services to Awendaw, McClellenville and Moncks Corner.

Started April 17, 2011, the #401 carried 1301 riders in November.  The new East Cooper route system has attracted over 3000 more riders per month in the past year.  It’s a safe transportation resource for young people and students.  The #401 is perfect for younger riders, running on a circular route once an hour with over 25 stops along the route.  Combined with the new #40 Trans Mount Pleasant  service now running to Wando High School, where a bus stop shelter will soon be constructed, East Cooper students now have safe, reliable public transit access to their entire community.

Efforts to raise community awareness of the #401 will continue in February with a Black History on the #401 Bus event highlighting the historical locations found along the route.

For more information contact William Hamilton through www.eastccrider.com, at wjhamilton29464@gmail.com or by calling (843) 870-5299.