Mt. Pleasant, SC - June 1, 2021
Shuttle Stop on Isle of Palms
Members of Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit rode the
new Reach the Beach Shuttle on all three days of its initial weekend of
operation, spoke to other riders and checked online input. While there were a
few bumps, people like the service and planned to return with friends and
family in the weekends ahead. We think CARTA is going to need a bigger bus.
General,
updated information on the Reach the Beach Shuttle
Most importantly, despite apparently incomplete driver
preparation, the three bus routes connected reliably with the #40 bus route
connecting directly with the Reach the Beach Shuttle all three times we were on
board as intended. You use the #40 bus to connect with downtown Charleston at
the Mary Street Transit center and the rest of the CARTA system. The #42, when it
is running, connects with North Mt. Pleasant. Not all the drivers working understood
what was intended, but they had figured the necessary connections out and made
sure it was working by Sunday. Once you are on board the #40 to Mt. Pleasant,
your chances of reaching the beach are good.
Weirdly, you’ll have a short wait on the mainland at
Town Center when traffic to the beach isn’t backed up since the route is timed
for congested conditions. On Saturday, our Beach Shuttle took off immediately
after the #40 Mt. Pleasant Bus and #42 Wando Connector bus reached Town Center,
but on Sunday when it was overcast and traffic was light, we had about a 15 minute
wait. Standing time on the Isle of Palms is always very short on this route.
There were nagging problems with GPS tracking, internet
wayfinding and getting ETAs using Google Transit and the Transit App on
Saturday. There were times the Reach the Beach shuttle didn’t display on the
Transit app at all and other times where it was showing as scheduled, without
live updates. This had improved a lot by Monday. We saw most people on the
shuttle using the app, so making online bus tracking and ETA’s reliable is becoming
critical to the success of this transit system. New riders are coming to
transit with a smart phone in their hand and rely on it to sustain the
confidence needed to ride. 
Shuttle Stop at Mt. Pleasant Town Centre
Something seems wrong with the online version of the shuttle schedule for Sunday, which shows a half hour wait at Town Center where there shouldn't be one. The shuttle schedule should be shifted to connect directly with the #40, which runs a different schedule on Sundays and Holidays from Saturday.
The Midi medium sized bus chosen for the service was
very clean and fully up to date with on board screens displaying ride progress,
but it did lack a bike rack which was desired by some riders. Hopefully as
ridership grows a full sized electric Proterra bus with a bike rack will be
provided.
Report from the Route
We ran three test rides with other passengers over the
weekend. On Monday and Sunday, we took some of the young people who have worked
with us over the years to the beach. They had a great time and were working on
recruiting their neighbors to join them next weekend from where they lives
along the #10 bus route in N. Charleston. On Sunday we took two volunteers with
the feeding the homeless effort out to IOP. Neither of them had been to the
beach in years and they both had a great time. On our way back, other
passengers started singing wheels on the bus, which we managed to get a second round
of recorded. One of the other passengers was astounded by the view from the
elevated seats at the back of the bus. He had driven out to the beach many
times, but spent those trips fixated on the bumper in front of him. The bus
provided an opportunity to look out at the waterway, marches, creeks and sounds
which are visible from the connector. 
Chris Jackson boarding in Mt. Pleasant
We’re planning Reach the Beach Trips from other
locations on the CARTA system with paid fare, drinks and lunch for those who ask
for assistance. We’ll be making a special Open
the Ocean for Kids effort to get groups and families to the beach whose
children may not have been to the beach before. Trips from the Recycled
Love Thrift Store on Remount Road in N. Charleston on June 19 and a mammoth
ride
from Summerville on June 26 are already scheduled. A ride from West of the
Ashely and the Pink House Neighborhood resource center is in planning. All
rides can be joined along the way in Downtown Charleston and at other locations
along the routes used.
Monday, we learned that a lady we leafleted earlier in
the weekend went out to the beach for the first time in 35 years. She had
stopped going when her husband died back in the 1980s. On Monday she took her
grandchild with her for his first visit to the ocean.
A lot of people took the shuttle out to the beach for
only one hour, checking it out for family visits in the future. Most of these
people were parking at Mt. Pleasant Town Centre.
Public Response and Plans for the Future
We’ve followed public reaction to the service online. Most people are enthusiastic about
the service. They recognize that no matter how much parking is opened up near
our beaches, a Metro area with 830 thousand people headed towards a million
with the arrival of a bus load of new residents every day can’t manage to
provide a way for everyone who wants to to drive to the beach. 
Pathway to Beach from IOP Stop
A lot of people
were on CARTA for the first time and had a positive experience. Everyone on
board agreed it was far less stressful than fighting the traffic on the
connector. They arrive at the beach happier and had less to dread on their trip
home. There are still people bitterly angry that not everyone choses to go to
the beach the way they do, with hundreds of pounds of gear. They apparently don’t
understand that when we decide to “Be Like Chloe (Video)” travel light and ride the
bus that we’re conserving parking spaces for them. Many people in our area have
a massive emotional investment in their vehicles and the power they provide. They’re not interested in the freedom and happiness
of others if a change diminishes their relative power.
The stop at the beach does need some shade and seating, however it is not as bad as it looks. In the afternoon, the adjacent house throws its shadow across the path and nearly everyone has a chair with them. Unfortunately, this shaded location doesn’t provide a clear view of the direction from which the bus arrives.
Folly Beach
We’ve had a lot of people ask about Folly beach. Best
Friends of Lowcountry Transit did conduct a Spring and Summer long campaign to
bring transit to Folly Beach in 2018 which helped get the Folly Road bus line
extended miles closer to the actual beach and to a new stop on Sol Legare
Island at the Harris Teeter. We continue to leaflet people at Folly to raise
awareness and build support. We haven’t given up, but getting to Folly won’t
happen unless the shuttle to IOP gets strong support.
We believe that as the Summer heats up, usage of the
Reach the Beach Shuttle will increase through June, July and early August
before the rainy weather begins. It’s a great way to reach the beach, reliable
and stress free. Parking at Town Centre should be sufficient and it looks like
most people will use it as a park and ride service to the beach, however the real
payoff for the community is Opening the Ocean for everyone with access to the
CARTA bus route.
We look forward to that success and celebrating the
Opening of the Ocean at 11 am on the Isle of Palms on July 17 when Thomas Dixon
hurls the key to the sea into the ocean. We’re looking for someone with a Kayak
and kiteboard to help carry the key all the way out into the deep, so it stays
there as we hope our new Reach the Beach Shuttle stays to bring thousands of
people to the beach in this and future summers.
If you have comments or input, you can email Best
Friends of Lowcountry Transit Executive Director William Hamilton at wjhamilton29464@gmail.com or call
him at (843) 870-5299. You can support our efforts by donating online through Act
Blue at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/best-friends-of-lowcountry-transit--inc--1?fbclid=IwAR2LGKxdmMUqJKvcGZGKYPlZKfC0qfcvvk5SyqC0M1FAzs3556LTDvSSEi0
