beach - Hungryneck Straphangers

Bus to the Beach 2012

July 16, 2012 By William Hamilton Leave a Comment

The Island Flex Bus #402 is a stress free way to get to the beach, with limited scheduled service to the front beach business district of the Isle of Palms and the opportunity to go nearly everywhere on the Isle of Palms or Sullivan’s Island by phoning in a reservation.

CARTA provides service to the Isle of Palms and Sullivans Island with the #402 Island Flex

While the times and prices aren’t exactly right, the Island Flex does now show up on Google Transit. If you call ahead for a reserved pickup, you can often arrange for the bus to meet the #40 and get you out to the beach from downtown in about 45 minutes total. See the next 3 available trips to IOP from Downtown. It can take a little planning and patience, but calling CARTA Tel-A-Ride/Flex Reservations at 843.724.7420 at least two hours prior to your trip saves a lot of time and opens up many more possibilities.

The long trip times reported by Google Transit reflects the unscheduled operation of the Flex Bus between scheduled runs, when the bus serves both IOP, Sullivan’s and part of the mainland based on phoned in reservations.. You’ll usually get out to the beach about 10 minutes after you are picked up Mount Pleasant Town Centre in front of Verizon. If you get a transfer from the #40 the trip to the beach should be only an additional dollar upcharge plus the 30 cent transfer, not the full $3 charge, or a total trip cost from downtown to the beach of $3.05. You can make the full trip in as little as 45 minutes with a phone in reservation.

The Island Flex connects to both the #40 Trans Mount Pleasant and the #401 East Cooper Connector bus lines and is CARTA’s and the areas only public transit service to any local beach. The #40 bus, in turn connects to the entire CARTA route system downtown at the Mary Street Transit Center.

College of Charleston students can even make the trip to the beach for free using their Student ID as a Bus Pass. See our student’s guide to a free trip to the beach.

Once you are on the Isle of Palms, you will find a beautiful, family oriented beach (alchohol free) where both the IOP County Park and City of Isle of Palms have shower and changing facilities available for free to transit riders a short walk from the bus stop. There are plenty of restaurants, bars and business in IOP to meet all your beach needs. You don’t have to ride out in your swim suit and you don’t have to ride home with salt on you.

Sometimes the Island Flex gets caught in the beach traffic snarl like everything else, but it is a lot more pleasant to be able to enjoy the view, read a book and listen to your music than to stare at the bumper in front of you and fret about the bumper behind you for 30 minutes. You can stand up and stretch your legs and enjoy the view as well.

With a called in advance reservation you can go elsewhere on the Isle of Palms (outside Wild Dunes, where it serves a stop at the gate) and all of Sullivan’s Island.

Times for the return trip from the beach to downtown on Google Transit appear to be accurate.

Filed Under: press releases Tagged With: beach, bus, CARTA, charleston, isle of palms, public transit, sullivan's island

Spoleto Sans Auto- Park Pleasantly Play Downtown

May 22, 2012 By William Hamilton Leave a Comment

The Coleman bus (which sometimes runs with a smaller, neighborhood sized vehicle, stopped at the Visitor’s Center Downtown. New in 2013 it provides direct service to many Hotels where you once had to cross a highway to get to a bus stop.

The Spoleto Season is a great opportunity for East Cooper Residents and Visitors to our area to enjoy the massive art festivals downtown, but a bad time to find a parking space. Fortunately, CARTA public transit makes “Spoleto Sans Auto” possible, allowing you to park Pleasantly in Mount Pleasant and ride downtown on two CARTA bus lines. 15 hotels are located within walking distance to the #40 bus line which runs directly to the Charleston Visitor’s center and free DASH bus service to most Spoleto venues. This year, for the first time, you can plan your entire trip, automatically, online using Google transit. Save money, avoid road rage, skip congestion and never see the inside of a dank parking garage while enjoying art, opera, music, theater, dance and creativity of all kinds.

All these ideas function for local festival goers and tourists in other parts of the region. You can adjust these Google Transit trips to work for the area you live or are staying in as well.

New in 2013 Bus Tracker now enhances this by allowing you to know when your bus is actually going to arrive, based on GPS data transmitted from the buses.

Park Pleasantly, For Free

Two CARTA services reach downtown. The #40 Mount Pleasant Bus runs seven days a week making 12 stops between Wando High School and the Charleston Visitor’s Center. The Express Bus runs Monday through Friday making pickups at Park and Ride lots at Super Walmart on North 17 and K mart on Bowman Road before running downtown to the Visitor’s Center, College of Charleston and MUSC. The new 41 Coleman Blvd. Bus serves the South side of Mount Pleasant from Ben Sawyer Blvd., down Colemen Blvd and into the City. The 41 provides service to all the hotels in the area without requiring riders to cross a major highway on foot.

The Basic Fare for the #40 & #41 routes is #1.75. Transfers are thirty cents. The Express charges a premium fare, however they’re only a $1 up charge with a transfer. Children under 6 ride for free. See the CARTA Fare Schedule for discounts for Senior Citizens, Low Income and Disabled Riders. Various CARTA discount unlimited ride Bus Passes can be purchased at the Visitor’s Center Downtown, Piggly Wiggly at the Sea Island Shopping Center, Kmart and the Mount Pleasant Visitor’s Center at Waterfront Memorial Park. The $12 three day pass and $50 Thirty-one day pass are both excellent values.

Google Generated Bus Trip Plans.

You can click the reverse link on the right side of start and stop of your trip to check on the ride home, as well as adjust time and date. Watch a short video on Google Transit on our routes page.

Sea Island Shopping Center to Downtown Charleston. Nice shelter, convenient drop off. The new 41 route now goes directly to the Visitor’s Center in Downtown Charleston reaching the end of the line 200 feet from the main DASH hub.
Moultrie Shopping Plaza/ Moultrie Middle School Lots of parking, Direct trip to Downtown Charleston this year.
Super Walmart on North 17 to Downtown Charleston This trip is for boarding the bus on the highway on the opposite side from Walmart. You can board there and ride around the end of the line at Wando High School and then into Charleston to avoid walking across the highway to the inbound stop indicated here, but you will need to plan to board earlier, at the time listed on the schedule for the Eastbound trip arriving to and departing from this location. Your return trip will bring you directly back to in front of the Walmart.
Town Centre (Market Center Drive) to Downtown Charleston. The bus stop going into Charleston stops diagonally opposite across the intersection from Verizon.
Wando Crossing Shopping Center to Downtown Charleston. This trip begins from the stop across from Wando Crossing on the Highway. An improved stop with a shelter is planned for this location in the future.
Shelmore BI-LO near I’On to Downtown Charleston. Great stop with parking and shade for the inbound trip.
Whole Foods / Harris Teeter / Houston Northcutt to Downtown Charleston. Wait in the shade at Starbucks and watch for your bus on bus tracker. Lots of parking.

At the Visitor’s Center, riders will find an information booth where tickets for Piccilo Spoleto Events can be purchased and convenient bathrooms. You can also pick up a map for the Free DASH bus service which reaches festival locations throughout the city.

Dash Around Downtown Free

CARTA DASH Bus at Meeting St. Piggly Wiggly, Spring St. Stop

CASH Bus at Spring Street Stop, Charleston, SC

The Free DASH buses, all of which stop at the South end of the Visitor’s Center, run within a block or so of the Dock Street Theater, Gaillard Auditorium, Sottile Theater, Memminger Auditorium. See a map of the DASH system. There is no need to hunt for scarce and expensive parking garage spaces, or struggle with traffic downtown. Just step off the air conditioned DASH and make a short walk to your destination. You can use Google Transit to plan your entire trip all the way to your final destination online, then print out a copy or email to friends. You can also access Google Transit Trip planning on your Iphone, Ipad or Android device using the standard mapping application. Here is a trip from Wando High School to the Dock Street Theater. (This trip may sometimes include transfer to a non DASH downtown bus for a faster trip with a transfer which costs 30 cents) You can also take the DASH for free, but it takes slightly longer. Google is obsessive about speed.

Three DASH routes cover downtown. All are free. By using DASH, you never have to backtrack to your car or fight to find a parking garage with empty spaces.

After your performances, you can enjoy sidewalk dining while you watch Valet Parking services charge people to park their cars blocks away beside lots which display “Full” signs to disappointed drivers. Afterwards, CARTA’s buses stopping at the Vistor’s Center will return you to your automobile parked in Mount Pleasant. The last bus back to Mount Pleasant leaves the Mary Street Transit Center at 7:38 pm most days. Sunday service has been increased to once an hour on the 40 since last year. The #41 doesn’t run on Sunday.

Tips for Tourism Visitors

Visitors can try Spoleto Sans Auto as well since the #40 bus stops near Hotels around the IOP Connector & Hungryneck Blvd. and both the #40 & #41 run through the large hotel Cluster at the East end of the Ravenel Bridge. You can enjoy Charleston more without ever taking your car downtown.

Bus stop for 40 on Hungryneck adjacent to BI-LO near Town Centre

Ride the #40 from Town Center Hotels to Downtown Charleston. Note that there is a stop on Hungryneck Blvd., South of the BI-LO with a wooden bench (image at right) There are three hotels here, including the Residence Inn Charleston Mt. Pleasant,

Ride the #40 or #41 from Ravenel Bridge Gateway Hotels to Downtown Charleston. A great opportunity and value. Short 24 minute trip downtown from hotel charges which are half of what they are downtown. Leave your car parked at your hotel in Mt. Pleasant. This plan is for the Red Roof Inn, but over a dozen hotels are located in this area with rates often $100 a night below downtown. Enter your hotel’s address to plan your trip. Also walking distance to Waterfront Memorial Park and Pier; the Ravenel Bridge Pedestrian and Bike Path “Wonders Way,” Patriot’s Point, two major shopping centers and several inexpensive restaurants. Another Hotel in this Area is The Best Western Patriot’s Point

Enjoy the arts without paying to park this year of fighting downtown traffic congestion. Try Spoleto Sans Auto.

Riders needing assistance can call CARTA Customer Service at (843) 724-7420 or Hungryneck Straphangers at (843) 870-5299.

Filed Under: press releases Tagged With: art, beach, bus, CARTA, charleston, isle of palms, mount Pleasant, parking, public transit, Spoleto, sullivan's island, transportation

Free Bus to Beach C of C Student Guide

September 1, 2011 By William Hamilton Leave a Comment

An image of a light house, directly behind a bus stop in historic Charleston, South Carolina.

Sullivan's Island Light House

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

CARTA provides service to the Isle of Palms and Sullivans Island with the #402 Island Flex

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.

An image of the bus stop at the Charleston County Isle of Palms beach front park.

Bus Stop at IOP County Park, actual stop is about 70 feet North out in the sun with no bench, but you'll be able to see the bus coming in time to get there while waiting here.

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.

Filed Under: information Tagged With: beach, bus, CARTA, charleston, charleton, cofc, college of charleston, isle of palms, mount Pleasant, public transit, sullivan's island, tourism