CARTA, BCDCOG receiving over $1.2M in grants to increase ridership

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Lowcountry ridership in the post-pandemic world will be reworked following the announcement of a new grant.

Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority and Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester County of Governments will be awarded a total of $1.2 million in federal funding through the 2021 American Rescue Act.

CARTA Board Chairman Mike Seekings said the grant will allow the agency to review transit planning in an “integrated way.” “We have the best transit planners in the region, if not in the country, and now I have this money to look at the efficiency of our service as we come out post-pandemic,” Seekings said.

In particular, CARTA will be given $563,000 to “develop a downtown restoration plan to improve post-pandemic ridership and service quality,” according to a release. BCDCOG will receive $650,000 to research fixed-route and bus rapid transit alternatives for the US-52 Corridor.

Findings from the BRT study will identify the location of stations, alignments, and features to improve access, cost-effectiveness, ridership, safety, engineering, and more.

More information on CARTA can be found here.