Staff Report
Published Oct. 13, 2009
A commuter bus route serving Cross, St. Stephen and Bonneau was officially opened on Monday as TriCounty Link celebrated the first year of its Commuter Solutions Program.
Ridership on the original three routes has increased by 37% over the past year and the program received two first place awards at American Public Transportation Association annual convention in Orlando on Oct. 5, TriCounty Link said in a statement.
The route is the fourth opened in Berkeley and Dorchester counties to extend service to rural areas with smaller populations. An event held at the Santee Cooper park-and-ride lot in Moncks Corner featured a visit by “Linky,” the TriCounty Link mascot, and a ribbon cutting for the new commuter route.
TriCounty Link touted the service as helping to cut carbon emissions and saving an average of more than $8,000 a year for commuters who choose the bus service over driving a car to work.
Voicing their support for the Link and its contributions to the Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester communities it serves were: SC State Representative David Umphlett, Michael J. Heitzler, Mayor of Goose Creek; Dan Davis, Berkeley County Supervisor; Dr. Barbara Zia, President of the League of Women Voters of South Carolina; Mary Horres, President, League of Women Voters of the Charleston Area; and Levon Stickland, General Manager, Santee Cooper Cross Generating Station.
“Santee Cooper began promoting the TriCounty Link commuter bus service to our employees a year ago as part of our new commuter benefits program, and we see this partnership as a win-win-win,” said Lonnie Carter, Santee Cooper president and CEO. “The environment wins because when people take a bus instead of driving their personal vehicles, they save on vehicle emissions. The community wins because by partnering with businesses, TriCounty Link is also able to provide public transportation to rural areas that lack transportation options.”
Carter said Santee Cooper employees are able to save on gas costs, vehicle wear-and-tear and the stress of driving.
“For all of these reasons, Santee Cooper is pleased to help bring commuter bus service to the communities around Lake Moultrie,” he said.
The new route will operate Monday through Friday, serving Cross, St.
Stephen, Bonneau and Moncks Corner. In addition to the Santee Cooper lot, park-and-ride lots for the new Cross Route are located at the following locations: Bonneau Town Hall, 422 Municipal Lane; St. Stephen IGA, 3931 Byrnes Drive; and the Cross Generating Station, 553 Cross Station Road in Pineville.
