Archive for the ‘activities’ Category

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.

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.

“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.

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.

 

Mount Pleasant, SC- East Cooper Residents will join their neighbors for a convenient, CARTA Transit enabled trip downtown on Sunday, October 9th. to enjoy the Second Sunday on King Street Festival, which will include a photo op and online elements for folks making the trip.

Download printable flyer on October Transit improvement events E. of the Cooper

The event will be tweeted with hashcode #CARTA40 online.  There will be a brief get together and photo op at 3:15 pm at King & Wentworth Streets.  King Street will be closed and full of activity, outdoor dining, street entertainers and special sales all afternoon.  Updated information on the planned activities and entertianment can be found at Susan’s Second Sunday on King Blog.

Riders can access the King Street Event (which stresses the downtown traffic and parking system) by using the CARTA #40 bus. Bus fare is $1.75 each way, cheaper with a prepaid pass and free for College of Charleston Students using their ID as a bus pass.

Sunday runs into the City by the #40 include 11:35 and 1:35 starting at Wando HS, with parking available stops at Oakland Market Super Walmart, BI-LO Town Center (on Hungryneck), BI-LO Shelmore & Harris Teeter Houston Northcutt.  The #40 runs every two hours on Sundays.  See the Full Official Schedule for the #40.

Inbound stops to board the #40 for the trip into the City can be found on this Piccassa Photo Map with stop times in the captions which can be accessed by clicking on the image.

Parking in Mount Pleasant and taking the bus downtown avoids the cost and hassle of Parking Garages and Meters and allows everyone to enjoy the spectacular trip over the bridge.  The #40 stops at the visitors center, where a two block walk or Free DASH bus ride will take participants to King St.

For more information see www.eastccrider.com or call W. J. Hamilton (843) 870-5299.  Official CARTA Bus Information can be obtained by calling (843) 747-0922.

CARTA offers an free and simple way for Students at the College of Charleston to get to the Beach at the Isle of Palms or Sullivan’s Island.   The #402 Island Flex Bus is not meeting ridership targets and has been targeted for review by CARTA, so it’s use it or lose it.  Fortunately doing something good for the community and environment on this occasion is a day at the beach.  With your C of C Student ID functioning as a bus pass, it is FREE.

Begin your trip downtown at the Mary Street Transit Center, between King and Meeting Streets, one block North of the Visitor’s Center.  This is an easy walk from the College or you can take the DASH bus there for free.

Please note that while Google Transit can be used to plan bus trips on the CARTA system now, the route to the beach is a Flex service and is not yet included in that system.  To make your trip work, plan a your trip on Google Transit to Mt. Pleasant Town Center and call CARTA Tel-A-Ride & Flex Dispatch  843-724-7420 at least 2 hours ahead to arrange for the Island Flex Bus to meet you after the #40 arrives.  If you call a day ahead, you can usually get an instant connection.  They do this all the time.

Please note that the Island Flex doesn’t show up if you use Google Transit to plan a CARTA trip to the beach, which will report no bus service on IOP or Sullivans.  This is supposed to be corrected soon.  You have to rely on the printed schedule for pickup times at Town Center or Call CARTA to make a reservation.   Here is the official CARTA Schedule for the #402.

Take the #40 Bus to Mount Pleasant Towne Centre

Board the #40 Mt. Pleasant Bus, which leaves Mary Street at 38 minutes after the hour.  This will take you over the Cooper River Bridges, past Trader Joes, Kmart, Wal-Mart/Wando Crossing Shopping Center (All of which have bus stops) to Towne Centre.   Get off the #40 in front of Verizon Cellular at Town Centre.

Take the #402 Island Flex to the Beaches

From here you have two options, the #402 Island Flex bus makes scheduled pickups every two hours at Town Center.  If you want to get to the beach faster, call CARTA at 843-724-7420, ask for Tel-A-Ride dispatch at least two hours in advance and ask for an advanced reservation to pick you and your friends up at Verizon right after the #40 drops you off.  There is no extra charge for this service.

The scheduled pickups will drop you off right at the entrance of Isle of Palms County Park, where you’ll find showers and changing rooms, as well as the shops, bars and beach front restaurants nearby.  The City of IOP also has showers, bathrooms and changing rooms at a facility next to the Hot Dog Stand and Flag poles nearby.  However with an advanced request for a reserved pickup and drop off, the #402 Island Flex Bus will take you to anywhere on the Isle of Palms of Sullivan’s Island you might like to go.  If you do request a drop off somewhere other than the County Park on IOP, make sure you reserve a trip back as well.  Don’t hesitate to check with the driver on the #402 to confirm your trip details while you are on board.  They’re happy to help.

The #40 bus can carry sixty passengers and the #402 can carry twenty-five, so consider bringing a bunch of friends for some real fun.  This gives you a safe ride to the beach without parking hassles, sand in the car or worries about partying too much before you drive.

Getting Extra Value from Your Trip

Your trip home takes you back on the #402 Island Flex Bus to Town Center where you can see a movie or shop, however the #402 can also drop you off at two nearby Grocery Stores, BI-LO on the IOP Connector and Harris Teeter on 17.  From each of those locations, there are nearby stops on the #40 for the trip back to Charleston.

For those who really want a bargain, there is a Goodwill Store at Six Mile that is also in the #402 zone with 50 linear feet of jeans and other bargains with a #40 Bus stop on the Highway nearby.

The #40 Bus stop to return downtown is across from Verizon and Carvel Ice Cream at Town Centre.  See this trip from Town Center to C of C on Google.

Another Bus route in Mt. Pleasant, the #401 East Cooper Connector, also connects with the #40 and #402 at Town Center, providing transportation to Coleman Blvd., the Old Village, Belle Hall and other areas around Mt. Pleasant.

For a quick video tour of the available East Cooper CARTA Services see It’s Gonna Be a Good Day on You Tube.

Use it or Lose It

It’s all available using your student ID as a CARTA bus pass for free.  If the bus reaches it’s ridership goals , it will continue to be available.  CARTA will evaluate the route in summer 2012 for retention, modification or cancellation.

Here’s How to Play

• Ride the Mount Pleasant CARTA routes during the month of August until Labor Day (Monday September 5, 2011)

• Pick up an entry form from the map rack located in the front of the bus.

• Answer the trivia question for your chance to win!  Include your name on your response with your email or phone number.  Each correct answer will be placed in a drawing to win.

As you exit the bus, simply hand your entry to the driver.
You can enter the contest each time you ride, on any Mt. Pleasant route.
Each route will have a winner – so the more you ride, the more chances you can win!

Winners’ names will appear on the CARTA website, Facebook page and Twitter page.

Each week, a new local trivia question will be displayed on each Mt. Pleasant route.

Winners will receive a CARTA goodie bag with some of the “most wanted, must-have” CARTA giveaways.

Additional questions email us at askcarta@ridecarta.com or Call 843-724-7420