By Ashley Fletcher Frampton
aframpton@scbiznews.com
Published Aug. 18, 2010

The Downtown Area Shuttle, known as DASH, could become free under a new joint funding plan, Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said Tuesday.

Riley said at Tuesday’s City Council meeting that the city has been in talks with the S.C. State Ports Authority and the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau about a proposal for making DASH free for tourists, residents and workers.

Details of the plan are to be presented at today’s board meeting of the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority, Riley said.

Riley said the State Ports Authority’s interest in the plan is because of its growing cruise business. Cruise ships bring hundreds of tourists to downtown streets during stops in Charleston.

The city would use tourism-related revenue to fund its part, Riley said, though tourists and residents alike would benefit.

Under the proposal, buses would pick up riders every 10 minutes, Riley said.

“We believe that it could become, and would become, a far more utilized system,” Riley said.

As a result, downtown streets could see less vehicle traffic, he said.