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CARTA brings transportation to Express lane
By Lindsay Danzell
Contributing Writer
Howard Chapman, executive director of the Charleston Area Regional Transport Authority, can recite the number of votes the half-cent tax referendum received in 2000 and 2002. Long nights of dwelling on those marginal victories have been stamped permanently into his memory. Without the tax, CARTA’s local funding would dry up and the authority would cease to exist.
“We didn’t know if we were going to be in operation the next day,” Chapman said.
Chapman describes the time between 2003 and 2005 as the “lean years.” As difficult as it was for Chapman and his team during that time, it was harder on the customers, he said.
But the sun kept rising and CARTA remained. Today, Chapman can measure his team’s success in routes.
“We try to make it every day,” said Chapman. “We are moving forward as opposed to moving back.”
Recently, CARTA unveiled a five-year plan and, in January, it began a park-and-ride commuter program called Express and finalized a reciprocal transit agreement with the Rural Transport Management Association.
Also, CARTA purchased 15 40-foot buses from the Golden Gate Transit System of Sonoma, Calif. The buses have an average mileage of 250,000, about half of their expected lifespan. CARTA paid $4,000 for each bus, a small fraction compared to the price tag of a new coach at $350,000.
After arriving in Charleston, the buses received major repair work and new paint jobs, costing $8,300 per bus. CARTA spent a total of $90,000 in spare parts and spent roughly $18,000 on new electronic parts, including five security cameras affixed to each bus.
“I felt strongly that it was an important public transportation service that will benefit many people in our community,” said Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr., a CARTA board member.
The Express launch coincided with CARTA’s most successful year since 2003, after which spending had to be cut drastically. As of January, CARTA’s ridership was up 268% from May 2005. Although CARTA is funded by state and local taxes and advertising, ridership reflects the community’s confidence in the reliability of the service.
Regaining community confidence after scaling service back 75% in 2004 was done through free rides on Fridays and establishing routes and services to fit the needs of the community, Chapman said.
“(The Express service) was the last piece of a comprehensive plan,” said Christine Wilkinson.
“In adding this Express service, this is finally the step forward that we have all wanted for so long,” Wilkinson said.
What does the future hold for CARTA? In the five-year plan proposed in January, CARTA plans to use state and local funds to maintain existing services and save up for lean times. However, new routes and services are still in the works, and CARTA will attempt to fill the need for more transportation opportunities to the Charleston area.
“We’re following the good example of other successful cities,” Riley said. “Successful communities have good public transportation opportunities.”
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