Bus Be Best Way to Beach

We celebrate the return of our Bus to the Beach Memorial weekend. Last year, in part to our Pirates on the Bus project, ridership increased by 90%. There are still empty seats on nearly every run.

Schedule and route map - can be viewed on the CARTA website.

Right- Bus Pirate Day at the beach, June 2023

Isle of Pirates Day 2024 will be Saturday, July 13. Read the details and sign up on Facebook. 

Service Begins with a Boom- The Beach Reach Shuttle began running Memorial Weekend and carried twice as many passengers as it did on the same weekend a year ago. All available parking on the Isle of Palms was evidently occupied for most of the weekend. Many people drove out to the beach, searched for parking, failed to find any and ended up driving back to the mainland an hour or more later, never having seen the beach. Some found our bus and some, with disappointed children, gave up and returned home. If you have to search for parking the bus will always be faster. Your kids won't be bored in the car. They'll be having the adventure of a trip on the bus. 

#40 Mount Pleasant Bus connects the Beach  Reach Shuttle to the rest of the CARTA system, leaving the Mary Street Transit Center downtown once an hour where it connects to eight other bus routes running to other parts of downtown, North Charleston, West Ashley and James Island. Find a link to maps of this route on the Ride Carta fixed routes page. 

Pirates vs. Barbie/Kenergy- Our pirates will return to the beach this summer, probably on July 4, but this year they'll have rivals, the crowd from Barbieland, ready to beach under the leadership of Ken and the living doll herself. Doing something like this on a major holiday is always a space shot. If you would like to help, let us know. It's pink vs. black, so choose  your clothing to show your sympathies. The pirate crew seems pretty committed, so we'll need the Barbies and the Bros to come of the bench and out to the beach. We'll be burying treasure on the beach, doing some pirate games with the public. Ken and his friends will "beach." Pirates will challenge the Island's rum supply again while the folks from Barbie Land have specialty cocktails of their own. The bartenders of IOP have never failed us yet and the bus assures a safe trip home for everyone. 

We may also have another bus to the  beach party at Container Bar on the #20 Route downtown. Last year's Pirate Party at Container Bar was a blast with sword fights, drama and  an exceptional effort from the food truck and the bar, 

Free Fair, Free Parking, Free Beach- Free parking is available near the stop in Mt. Pleasant Town Center on Market Center drive. However you can also take the #40 Mt. Pleasant bus from the Mary Street Transit Center in downtown Charleston for regular fare. The schedules for the beach reach shuttle and #40 are synchronized so you shouldn't have a wait at Mt. Pleasant Town Center. 

Electronic Wayfinding- The Beach Reach Shuttle is represented on the Transit App which will allow you to track it's location and get ETAs in real time. You can also use the Transit App and Google Maps / Transit to plan your transit trip to the beach from anywhere in the Lowcountry which has transit service, however since the shuttle only works on Summer weekends and holidays these services will report no service to IOP unless you have set the time and date for your trip when the service is running. Here is a Google Maps trip plan for Memorial Day from downtown Charleston to the beach.   You should download the transit app now if you don't already have it on your phone. 

left - Pitching our banner at the entrance to folly beach on Memorial weekend, 2018

Your Tax Dollars at Work- The shuttle is free thanks to contributions from the Tourism Tax funds of the City of Isle of Palms and Town of Mt. Pleasant. We've encouraged the support of IOP by awarding them the Key to the Sea, which resides in a wooden case at IOP City Hall. It's companion key was tossed into the waves last year to open the ocean and celebrate the restart of service on a cold, wet memorial day. 

You Have a Place at the Beach- The shuttle lets you off at the Charleston County Park on the front beach IOP. Since you don't have to pay for parking, use of the park is also free. That includes indoor, flush toilets in their air conditioned building, outdoor showers and changing rooms. 

IOP has City Bathrooms and Showers- In the middle of the commercial strip, the City of the Isle of Palms maintains it's own free shower and toilet facility. It's closer to many locations if you decide to beach west of the pier. 

Veteran Visits- If you are a veteran or active duty military, the VFW Post on the Coast will welcome you to their extraordinary beachfront location. Located next to the Windjammer, up a small walkway you'll find veterans enjoying a wonderful beachfront deck with a bonus view of the adjacent Windjammer stage where there is often music. The Post has toilets, a bar and sometimes food. There are events there throughout the summer. The VFW has been a strong supporter of the Beach Reach Shuttle since their members don't have to look for parking. 

IOP Front Beach Businesses- IOP has a wonderful, small beachfront business district with places to eat and shop. Let them know that you came on the bus since it's their tourism taxes helping pay for it. Here is a list of IOP restaurants. The ones near the bus stop are in the center of the island. 

Image right- A Bus Driver drink concocted by Coconut Joes on IOP as part of our July 2015 March to the Sea to help return Transit to the Atlantic. Has gold rum, red cherry and green lime (they ran out of limes that day) for the colors of the Best Friend train. 

Wonderful Wait- On your way home, the waiting area outside the park where the bus stops is shaded and has plentiful benches. With the sea breeze, it's probably the most comfortable bus stop in the Lowcountry on a hot summer day. 

Stopover on your way home. The #40 bus runs later than the Beach Shuttle so you can stop over on your way home at Mount Pleasant Town Centre. There's a Lowes, a movie theater, over 13 restaurants and many other shops and businesses. If you shower and change at the beach, you'll be OK to enjoy some time there. 

Not finished until we get to Folly. We still want a bus out to Folly Beach, where parking is now over $20 in their downtown area. Folly is a much tougher place to reach, but we were able to push the Folly Road bus further out to Sol Legare road at the Harris Teeter where it's an easy bike ride out to folly or a challenging walk, side walked all the way. Almost  there. We were also able to get frequency of service on the Folly Road bus increased. Bus ride to end of the Folly Road Bus line on Google Maps

The late Mary Smith appearing as Sylphide, our Transit Fairy

Nothing is Easy and even a Free Bus Isn't Free- It took seven long, hard years of grassroots advocacy aimed at both the East Cooper area and Folly Beach to get this shuttle running and we've put a lot of work into getting people to ride. All you need to do to make that effort worthwhile is to ride the shuttle and bring your friends. Several members of the team which fought to get the bus back out to the beach did not live to ride it. Julia Hamilton and Mary Smith (Our transit fairy) included. The struggle for better transit in the Lowcountry has been a long, hard one but we have progress to be proud of. There are hundreds of new shelters standing or planned for our exisiting bus lines. Service has been increase on the Northbridge and Dorchester Road routes. Ridership, though still below what it was before the pandemic is building. The LCRT, though reduced in scope, slowly advances towards construction and CARTA has stuck to it's guns in the controversy over the fairgrounds. There is a massive, now funded project to build affordable housing and walkable communties along and near Rivers Ave. Every inch of this progress was fought for and six of our core advocates have already taken their last ride. 

We hope when you crest across the dunes at IOP and you feel the cool, fresh breeze of the ocean that you will remember our departed friends. You can do that by scratching our symbol, taken from the Best Friend of Charleston into the sand, awaiting the return of the ocean to wipe it away. If you are there on a lucky day, you might be able to dig up some of our pirate treasure. 

Support our Work, More Information - To support the work of Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit you can contribute on Act Blue. For information or assistance contact William Hamilton at wjhamilton29464@gmail.com or 843-870-5299.

Bus to the Beach 2021- Open the Ocean

Bus service to the Beach at the Isle of Palms is now running Weekends and Holidays to Labor Day.

In February 2021, the CARTA board approved establishing weekend bus service connecting the CARTA System (Rt. 40 & 42) with the front beach at the Isle of Palms. Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit, acting with national level support, wants to be sure this important transit equity victory, gets transformed into an enduring transit service that is used and valued and becomes a milepost on our journey to real, regional, rapid transit. 

Beach Service began on Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend (May 29) and will run Saturday, Sunday, Memorial Day, July 4 until it ends on Labor Day. Plans are to run from Market Center Drive adjacent to Mount Pleasant Town Centre in Mt. Pleasant to the front beach district. 

Read the official CARTA announcement.

This beach shuttle will connect to a parking lot and the regular #40 Mount Pleasant and #42 CARTA bus lines. Lines connecting with the #40 bus in downtown Charleston include the #10 Rivers Ave., #11 Dorchester Road and #30 Savannah Highway, among others.

You will be able to plan your trips to and from the beach using the Transit App or Google Maps, however until the service is posted to the system you can get an idea of what your trip is like by planning a trip to the existing CARTA bus stop at Hungryneck Blvd. and Theater Drive, near Mount Pleasant Town Centre'. Just click on this link for a ride from CARTA Superstop in N. Charleston or this link for a Ride from Citadel Mall. The beach service won't appear on Google unless you set your planned trip time for a date and time when it is running. If you check on Friday to plan a trip for Saturday without setting Google for Saturday, the system will return no service available. The beach shuttle should connect to the bus lines that stop there at a time when an immediate transfer is available. Video tutorial on Google Transit, which works for all CARTA and LINK trips.

Upcoming Events- You can view the upcoming events in our effort on Facebook.

Seven years of effort was invested into winning restoration of transit to the Atlantic at Charleston. What is called for now aren't petitions, demonstrations and attending meetings, but "butts on the Bus." We must fill these buses. Fortunately it's summer and we're going to the beach, so it's going to be a lot of fun.  Unfortunately, it's not going to free. Contribute to our support online. 

Keep Us Moving Forward! You can contribute to the support of this effort online on Act Blue at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/best-friends-of-lowcountry-transit--inc--1?fbclid=IwAR2LGKxdmMUqJKvcGZGKYPlZKfC0qfcvvk5SyqC0M1FAzs3556LTDvSSEi0 

This effort is sponsored financially partially by the Amalgamated Transit Union and a number of local unions, including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Project Update Time Line

July - New Island Stop location- CARTA and IOP have moved the bus stop East to the middle of the beach bsuiness district and closer to the county park, where showers and toilets are located. The map at the top of this post shows the new location. 

June 2- Guided Rides Announced

The first guided rides to help Open the Ocean for Kids, June 19 from Remount Road in N. Charleston and June 26 from Summerville are announced. See our upcoming events for a full listing.

June 1- Report from the Route our impression of the first weekend of operations with some pointers for riders. https://bfltransit.blogspot.com/2021/06/reach-beach-bus-gaining-traction-report.html

May 29- Reach the Beach Shuttle begins running. The shuttle connects reliably to the #40 Mt. Pleasant CARTRA bus and parking is still freely available at Mt. Pleasant Town Center. Online tracking of the bus has been spotty, but is improving. We made trial runs for our Open the Ocean for Kids effort with both kids and some volunteers from the assist the homeless effort downtown with good results and the big trips to the beach are now being planned with the first announced for June 19 starting at 9:30 am from Recycled Love Thrift Store on Remount Road. 

May 27- First Open the Ocean for Kids ride announced. We're planning our first Open the Ocean for Kids outing on Saturday. If you want to ride along, we'll be departing from CARTA Superstop on the #11 at 11:57 am, connecting at

Wolf & Meeting Street downtown at 12:30 and arriving at IOP at 1:40 pm. This group consists of people who have worked with our organization and their children and will serve to work out the bugs and learn how to make future trips work better. Of course anyone can ride along on the public bus. We would like to roll in banging full if we can. Here is the trip. https://goo.gl/maps/6Vr6iLqPCxTMNHTz5

May 22- Pink House put on a wonderful party for our bus to the beach effort. We met a lot of old friends and made some new ones.

May 21- Route now Fare Free. After our press release and some advocacy by our friends at the Town of Mt. Pleasant, our bus to the beach is now Fare Free.  IOP agreed to match the Town of Mt. Pleasant's 8 thousand dollar contribution. While the cost of the fare wasn't a major problem, we were concerned that people on board would discover they needed to pay again after trips from N. Charleston or West Ashely and not have change, meaning they would have to interrupt their trip to get change at Town Centre. 

May 19- Official CARTA announcement with rules for what can be taken on the bus.

May 17 & 18- BFLT Staff and volunteers began door to door outreach West of the Ashley. We've reached over 1200 households in areas known to have large concentrations of transit riders in the past four weeks as well as contacting over 10 thousand people at community events. 

May 12- Community Social Justice Partners invited to Pink House Event- Saturday, May 22, from 4 to 7 pm, Pink House and Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit will hold the “Sea Island Luau at the Pink House Playa” West of the Ashley to get the community ready to Open the Ocean when CARTA begins running bus service to the beach in Charleston for the first time in 7 years. Christian King, director of Pink House will be holding this event in the Oak Shaded back yard of Pink House West of the Ashely at 1551 Mulberry St, Charleston, SC 29407.

We’re inviting our community’s peace and justice partners to come table with ideas and activities so we can get to know each other again as we emerge from the Covid shut down. We’ll have food, music and children’s activities. All your organization needs to do is contact us to sign up and bring a table and some chairs. The yard is well shaded so pop up tents, while welcome, are optional.

Come share your plans and celebrate this victory or returning Transit to the Atlantic in our long struggle for social justice and equity in our region which we must continue together.  We have space for your art and music in this event if you like. The event in near the #30 Savannah Bus line. Get off at the stop near Pep Boys and walk back three blocks. Just call William Hamilton at (843) 870-5299 or email wjhamilton29464@gmail.com. Full information on the event can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/3756005741160223?active_tab=about 

May 6 to 10- We reached over 2000 people in four days of intensive outreach throughout the region. ON Thursday we did outreach downtown focusing on the hospitality industry where guests are always looking for ways to reach the beach. Friday a team talked to people working at downtown businesses who often walk to work and don't have cars. On Saturday we had efforts operating on N. Charleston on Remount Road, in Summerville, West of the Ashley at Pink House and out at Folly Beach were we did some sidewalk leafleting. On Sunday we did outreach on the East Side of Charleston, South of Columbus. People are excited and positive. They want better transit to the beach and everywhere. 

Isle of Palms earlier this year

May 2- We did exploratory leafleting on the Isle of Palms which of course is mostly people who drive there now. We got a great reception. Parking at the City and County Park Lots ran out about 1:30 pm. Parking at the County Park is now $15 per day.  Other private lots are still $10. Parking at the City lot is now done with a smart phone application. We used our experience to plan future outreach efforts of this kind. We visted the opening of Coconut Joes new Pina Colada bar, a patio type space between Coconut Joes and the Hot Dog Stand. It was very nice. We also visited the wonderful supporters we have in the front beach business district. 

May 1- Started Latino Outreach Effort- We're working with Diane Salizar to update our exiting Latino/Spanish Language outreach materials. We rode the #23 bus together and planned out outreach effort which will include Latino activities at the May 22, Sea Island Luau at the Pink House Playa event. Also did outreach downtown where a lot of people without cars live, use transit and want to reach the beach later this month.

April 27- Transit Advocacy at Charleston County Council- We attended Charleston County Council with members of CAJM to advocate for better transit and affordable housing. We pointed out that lack of places to live and mobility were driving the region towards a loss of young, capable service workers critical to our medical and tourism sectors. It was a heavy evening, but at least we were able to let everyone present know about the bus to the beach. 

April 16- Downtown Outreach- We began trail outreach downtown targeting younger service workers, hotels and Apartment buildings. We got an incredibly positive response. A lot of people pay high rents to live downtown, near work and have shed their cars. They want to beach and they're ready to ride the bus, for them a short hop on the #4 and the shuttle out to the beach. What we learned will be used for a major downtown outreach effort in the near future.

April 25- Outreach in Mt. P. and N. Chas. Members of Best Friend's of Lowcountry Transit's Corps of Conductors leafleted over 1000 people at the Blessing of the Fleet in Mount Pleasant and visited 300 homes in the "Macon" section of N. Charleston with State Rep. Marvin Pendarvis. 

April 24- Dial's Pizza Begins Promoting Open the Ocean- Located at the Corner of Bogard and St. Phillip's Streets downtown, D'Allisandro's Pizza becomes our first community business partner to begin distribution of information about the Beach Bus Service to the community. We have an event planned for there on May 14.

April 21- Be Like Chloe! video goes online. Our meme about Jack slogging to the beach with a mountain of gear in his SUV and Chloe traveling light on the bus is now a video. View it on Facebook. 

April 21- Earth Day Effort- 300 Transit riders and 200 members of the public were leafleted with information on the new Beach service and the problems with the Rapid Transit plan. Work began   before dawn and covered several bus stops, parts of North Charleston and Downtown and the College of Charleston. Our target is to reach 30 thousand potential riders with the information about the beach service between now and July 17.

April 14- The first outreach effort set for April 25 in support of Open the Ocean has been set for Sunday, April 25 in N. Charleston, 4 to 6:30 pm and will be led by State Representative Marvin Pendarvis in the "Macon" and surrounding areas, operating from our popup tent at the Intersection of Spruill and Reynolds Ave. Volunteers are welcome. Full details on Facebook. This is part of the international Earth Day to May Day observance.

April 14- Windjammer Reopening Ocean Stage for National Acts

The popular IOP venue will be very active this summer bringing music and entertainment to the beach. Read the City Paper article. 

April 10, 2021- Events Updated
We have updates our events listings for the effort. As we work in the community, the events evolve and partners join to elaborate the activity. See the updated listings.

April 7- Key to the Sea presented to the public. The key to the sea was presented to the public at the Lincolnville Town Council meeting. This is the great, iron castle key which will be thrown into the ocean on July 17. The key is 13 inches long and rests in a custom made cherrywood case. After the original key is thrown into the sea, a second key will be placed in the box and it will be presented to the City of Isle of Palms as thanks for opening the ocean.

April 7, 2021- ATU Grant Funding for Open the Ocean Effort- The international Amalgamated Transit Union has made a grant to cover core elements of the Open the Ocean Effort. The union was instrumental in the efforts to help pass the referendum in 2016 sending funding and highly skilled organizers to build up our local effort. We have been partners with them and the Union local here in the fight for better transit since 2012. The Local Transit Operators Union is the oldest union in South Carolina, representing transit workers here since the days when electric streetcars drivers worked around horses on Charleston's streets. Learn more about the ATU

March 30- Fundraising begins. CARTA has failed to support bus service to the beach four times in the last twenty years. This time an empowered community is going to do the leg work for them. We need to raise 3,700 dollars to do this right. Choose the amount and part of the effort you want to support.. $300 has already been raised. You can contribute online trough Act Blue. 

March 29, 2021 - North Charleston, SC- SC State Representative Marvin Pendarvis (D-113, N. Charleston, Ladson, Lincolnville & Summerville) will serve as the honorary Chairman of Open the Ocean for Kids, the effort to bring local children to the beach on public transit this Summer being organized by Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit. Pendarvis will help bring the community together so children, can enjoy a safe, rewarding day at the shore. Read the detailed media release. 

March 27- Open the Ocean for Kids effort. We've published a detailed blog post on our plans to help kids reach the beach this summer on transit, including some local young people who have never seen the ocean. Read the detailed blog post. 

March 27- We've beginning to develop an element of the Open the Ocean effort focused on litter, recycling and a more sustainable beach experience for everyone. Cigarette buts can be collected and recycled along with other plastic trash and we're working out partnership to make sure the beach is clean and sustainable by reach the beach day Contact Claire Beazy with your ideas.

 

March 25- Demand Open Meeting Information- We've begun distributing a legal form written to comply with the SC Open Meetings Law which will allow anyone to demand formal notice of government meetings about public transit in the Lowcountry.  Read the details and download the printable PDF form at https://mailchi.mp/e276593cb227/chs-transit-riders-to-demand-notice-of-previously-secret-planning-meetings-1396845?e=[UNIQID]

March 25- We have received CARTA's response to our FOIA request regarding the Beach Shuttle, once it's scanned to PDF and placed online, we'll schedule a Zoom to discuss the contents. 

March 17- CARTA board failed to deliver schedule and route map at meeting, promises something soon. We are increasing pressure for real, detailed information on how the route connects to the #40 and #42 routes, and through them to the entire CARTA system. 

March 15, 2021- Awendaw Green will welcome us for a free night of music the Wednesday, May 26 before bus service to the beach begins. We may be able to run a bus from Summerville so everyone can be together (in a socially distanced way.) Event listing on Facebook.

March 13, 2021- Be Like Claire-
Download a copy of our new Poster / Meme 
Download the image for posting on Social Media

March 11, 2021- FOIA Request to CARTA & COG Freedom of Information Act Request to CARTA and the Council of Governments

Feb. 2021- The City of IOP has issued an official statement on the new service.  which includes a map of this proposed route. 

All events on the schedule can be found on our list of upcoming Transit Equity Events in the SC Lowcountry  You can also download a printable,  schedule for the effort at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XeHVwcgKBk6GENukMC6PXVcCC4GvmHNx/view?usp=sharing

The major effort will begin on May 4, Right to Ride Day, as part of our annual celebration of Mary Bower's 1867 successful effort to desegregate Charleston's horse drawn streetcars in 1867. Celebration events on River's Avenue on May 15 and at Pink House Neighborhood Resource Center on May 22 will follow. We'll Reach the Beach on Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend and mark the end of the campaign on July 17 when we Open the Ocean at the Isle of Palms. Events for the Hispanic/Latinx community and downtown Charleston are in development. 

Corps of Conductors doing Community Outreach

As part of this effort we'll be organizing rides to the beach for young people in our area who have never seen the ocean with preparatory swimming and safety lessons and appropriate community engagement. The first trips under this program will be held on Reach the Beach day.

We're also going to be handing out Masonite bus cutouts on May 16 for local artists to decorate in the tradition of Jamacian town buses. The painted and decorated cutouts will be returned at the Pink House event to be voted on by the public. The winning artist gets an all expense paid trip to IOP in the bus. 

Community outreach efforts began in Summerville on Feb. 22 at their black history event.  We plan to visit 3000 strategically identified households and contact another 10 thousand people at community events, farmer's markets and other celebrations in Summerville, North Charleston, Charleston, Daniel Island and Mt. Pleasant. Out reach will be conducted under the leadership of our professional Corps of Conductors, reinforced by volunteers and short term staff, including people recruited from our unemployed population and students. We'll be participating in local Juneteenth events in Summerville and other locations during the latter part of the effort. Will be present at Farmer's Markets, Concerts an Community Festivals as possible and appropriate while maintaining social distance. We have heavy duty gear, but it's hard to work with the public while wearing a biohazard hood.

Our Plan - This page will be our information hub for information on the new service and the tools you need to make it work for you. Google Maps, The Transit App and you smart phone are now your friends. However, we'll be doing a lot of proven, old fashion nose to nose (socially distanced) work. 

Children's Build a Lowcountry Transit System activity.

We're going to hold events, visit community festivals and do plane old door to door outreach in communities where we know need for beach access exists. Children who have never been to the beach will see the ocean for the first time. We'll deal with the scourge of bus pirates. In July, Rev. Thomas Dixon, leader of the July 18, 2015 march to the sea will lead us in riding out to the ocean, uniting the waters and then unlocking the ocean by hurling one fo the bronze keys to the ocean kept since 2015 into the sea. Then, of course, we'll have a party. All our upcoming events will be listed on our Facebook Page. 

Together We Go Forward! This effort will launch our next major campaign, to recover a plan for the Rapid Transit line which provides the reliable, high speed transit service from Summerville to downtown Charleston promised to voters before the 2016 Half Penny sales tax referendum, including restoration of service all the way to Downtown Summerville, dedicated transit lanes for the entire route within Charleston County and recovery of the historic rail line into Charleston's urban care for transit service. 

We'll update this page as plans evolve. If you have questions or want to offer input, contact William Hamilton, Executive Director of Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit at wjhamilton29464@gmail.com or call (843) 870-5299

When Honeysuckle and Crepe Myrtle bloom, We will rise!

 When the Honeysuckle and Crepe Myrtles bloom, we will rise! The coming end of the Pandemic and the end of the Trump administration this summer makes it likely that the energy and activity of the Lowcountry's progressive community will increase and an opportunity to recruit new resources and participation will arise.

Lowcountry Unity Flag honoring the late Mary Smith.

The losses of the last year and a half are drastic. We have buried some of our best people. Others have lost their homes or income. Our mental and physical health has declined. Personal relationships have ended and failed. Some of us have been forced into seclusion. Others have pressed on in their activism with little support and incredible levels of stress, confronting opposition (sometimes armed) of incredible aggression. We have lost crucial elections for US Senate and Congress with most of our grass roots organizing capacity siezed up in lockdown. The local progressive effort is more fragmented than ever. 

If we are to renew our struggle, we must refresh our courage and community. Our conservative opposition is deeply entrenched and remains empowered by it's culture of cruelty, perverted religion and vast economic support. 

If we are to retake some of the civic and social space we need to operate and live in, we must gather up the mutual support and joy that gives us power. If we do so, this summer presents the greatest opportunity to regenerate ourselves presented in our lifetimes. 

Starting in May

A series of community events, some already planned, give us the chance to take in the fresh air of hope.

It appears likely that at least a limited Spoleto Festival will take place in late May and early June and the Memorial weekend (marred last year by a Trump boat parade) may be our first real community Holiday in 15 months. Something coordinated with the Piccolo Spoleto Finale in Hampton Park Sat. June 12), a shared picnic would be simple and practical. 

Juneteeth celebrations across the Lowcountry give us an opportunity to bring people together. Several are already planned. We'll need to consciously emphasize the need to include and affirm the people isolated by the pandemic and to celebrate, as oppressed African Americans did in the first Juneteenth celebration, our survival. 

July 3, a major opportunity

Holiday memorial concert for Julia Hamilton, Musician Activist, 1958-2020. 

The Independence Day Weekend provides an important and necessary opportunity to redefine patriotism and America with a celebration which provides an alternative to the jingoistic, militarized and often politically weaponized gatherings most of us find ourselves joining family at. 

We would propose a diverse celebration on July 3 at a relatively secure inland location within Charleston County that combines food, art, dance, music and activism in ways which connect us in the manner we've been unable to enjoy for the last year and a half. This event would begin in late afternoon and conclude shortly after dark. Rather than emphasize speeches and express political and policy oriented activity, this would be a celebration of creativity, relationships, mutual validation and hope. If you can't do it on Zoom, this would be the place to try it. This should be a celebration which engages the hands, the body and the physical presence of each other, which cherishes the reality that we can share each other's space again. 

We're fairly confident that the pandemic will be largely resolved by July, with most of the population having it's second dose of vaccine. The July 3 event would be sponsored by a coalition of local organizations, with coordination being facilitated by Up is Good, Inc. 

If we have a strong, community affirming event on Saturday, July 3, our friends will either be equipped to move through their family celebrations with their Qannon uncle or have support to continue the celebration on July 4 while avoiding them. 

Hopefully other events can follow in July and August, including something celebrating the fact that transit service has been reestablished to the beach here for the first time. However logistical and strategic considerations make the beach an unattractive location for large scale progressive activity in an atmosphere where right wing groups might target the activity. Other groups will have the opportunity to step forward into leadership and the transformation of our remembered pain into love, courage and will. 

Finish with Pride

Food and clothing collection for pandemic victims, Dec. 2020.

The arch of events can wind up with Charleston Pride in the late Summer, an event which has long functioned as a well organized celebration of diversity and an opening for the Fall civic season. Like all local efforts, Pride will be recovering from the stress of the Pandemic and benefit from our organized support. It's parade and festival don't really require any adjustment from their established model to serve as a great finale to this effort. 

We hope to carry through this effort with branding that includes T-shirts, Buttons, Stickers and Flags so our presence can be seen and joined. We would present this to the Lowcountry with a simple, socially distanced press / social event in May. 

Mary Smith, in costume as Sylphide, Charleston Pride, 2017.

Each of these events should build on previous efforts and support the next. As the only major progressive enclave in South Carolina, a robust Summer season is essential to rebuilding the impulse for Equity, Equality and progress on the coast here.

We invite input and discussion about these ideas on the Lowcountry Up is Good Facebook Page.   You can also call William Hamilton at (843) 870-5299 or email him at wjhamilton29464@gmail.com. 

Join us at COG Transit Oriented Development Meetings Dec. 10-12

This page is in development- Please return for updates 

Join members of Best Friends of Low country Transit and our new Dorchester Unit to participate in the Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester Council of Governments public participation session on planning Transit Oriented Development (TOD) along our future rapid transit line.

There will be three meetings, Dec. 10, 11 & 12

Summerville, Lincolnville, Ridgeville & Dorchester

Tues. Dec. 10, 6 to 8 pm Facebook Signup

Alston-Baily Elementary School

820 W 5th N St, Summerville, SC 29483 

Summerville Contact, Linday Saylor- 

6:00 pm– Presentation

6:30 to 8:00 pm Interactive Placemaking and Visioning

Special Note- 8:00 pm– Join our Independent After Discussion and Dutch Treat Dinner Nearby
If you live in these areas and want better transit, contact Linda Saylor, our Dorchester Summerville organizer. 

North Charleston
December 11, 2019
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Facebook signup for this meeting
North Charleston Transit Center
4565 Gaynor Avenue
North Charleston, SC 29405
(Accessible via CARTA routes 10 & 104)
Presentations on LCRT & TOD will start at 6:00 p.m.
with interactive and visioning exercises from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Charleston - Downtown
December 12, 2019
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Facebook Signup for this meeting.
Citadel Alumni Center
69 Hagood Avenue
Charleston, SC 29403
(Accessible via CARTA routes 102 & 213)
Presentations on LCRT & TOD will start at 6:00 p.m.
with interactive and visioning exercises from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

TOD allows communities to plan and build places along a transit line which are walkable and connected by transit so using a car is optional. This opens up options for people who are elderly, disabled, do not or cannot drive a car. It’s important for such communities to be safe and include affordable housing.

Even if you don’t ride transit or live in a TOD community, you benefit from reduced traffic congestion as your neighbors choose a home and lifestyle which reduces their need for car travel.

It’s about choice, particularly for senior citizens and the disabled, who can enjoy independent living without relying on loved ones or expensive ride sharing services to remain independent.

Transit Oriented Planning  in Lincolnville

Background Information on TOD:

• Our overview of Plans for the Bus Rapid Transit line.
• We've been advocating for TOD development around the site of the Old Navy Hospital in N. Charleston for a Year. 
• Tour the Lowcountery's Futureacape- A look at how autocentric planning in the Lowcountry is destroying our communities and culture
• A proposal for Transit Oriented Development at McMillian and Rivers
• Our Opposition to inappropriate and wasteful Gas Station Plan on the Transit Line
• The BCD COG has a web page on the TOD issue. 

Rapid Transit Summerville to Charleston Progress is Possible

The Lowcountry can have real, rapid transit linking Charleston, the Neck, North Charleston, Ladson, Lincolnville, Sangaree and Summerville. 250 million dollars to pay for it has already been raised through the half penny sales tax referendum in Nov. 2016, which Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit helped win. Planning for the system is proceeding now and needs more public input. The current estimated time for the start of operation is 2025, however it will take massive public involvement and pressure for that to hold.

This page is an evolving overview of plans for the Bus Rapid Transit Line from Summerville to Charleston. Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit have worked as advocates for this effort for 8 years and we were instrumental is delivering the margin of victory in the November 2016 referendum. Bus Rapid Transit was proposed for our region because Light Rail would have cost over 2 Billion dollars more.

We do our work through community events and activities- If you want better transit, showing up really matters. You can view our upcoming events on Facebook.

Video- The fastest way to understand how Bus Rapid Transit works is video

• Bus Rapid Transit - The Future of Urban Transit
• Best Bus Rapid Transit in Major World Cities
• Bangladesh - Still think we're world leaders, you need to sit down before you watch this one.

Planning & Issues

Planning a transit connection between Charleston, N. Charleston, Ladson, Lincolnville and Summerville has been in process since the early 1990s. There have been several major proposals including light rail, commuter rail, monorail, and express bus. Currently the #3 express bus line runs from Dorchester Village Shopping Center (a few miles West of Summerville) down Dorchester Road to Charleston. It's also possible to take the #1 Espress to the Otranto Park and ride lot and transfer to complete a trip to Summerville on Tri County Link which will take you all the way to downtown Summerville. Travel time for the CARTA / LINK combined trip from Charleston to Downtown Summerville varies from 90 minutes to 2.75 hours depending on time of day and success at getting to the transfer point on time.

Pink line shows original planned transit corridor for city.

• Our annotated map of the planned rapid transit line with 18 things which need to be done for it to work properly over the long haul. We've distributed 6000 of these locally, most to family groups with a nose to nose transit conversation. 
• A 4.7 Million Dollar Engineering study and planning effort is underway now, being done under contract with Charleston County and the COG by DHR
• I26alt Study, Recommended Alternative- 2015 to 2016, latest in a 20 year, 4 million dollar series of studies of transit between Summerville, Lincolnville, Ladson, Sangaree, N. Charleston, the Neck and Charleston. This study put the cost of light rail to Summerville at over 2 billion dollars and recommended less expensive Bus Rapid Transit. 
• Transit Enable the Lowline- One of the most critical issues confronting the community is the belief by some that it would be acceptable to end the transit line at Mt. Pleasant Street (Near the Longshoreman's Hall( and either put the BRT vehicles in regular traffic or attempt to service the city with a larger shuttle bus system. Here is why that won't really work.
• Summerville, Lincolnville & Ladson could be by bypassed by the rapid transit line. 
• Lowcountry Rapid Transit- web pages by the BCD COG on the project, whcich they're planning.

Mt. Pleasant Declines to Approve CARTA Budget

Update- July 2

Public Discussion about Transit, May 2018

Demand Accountablity in the CARTA Budget Process.

Know what bus service your Town or City will get before the budget is approved.

This July is the time to ask your Mayor and Town or City Council in Charleston County to demand accountability for better bus routes in the CARTA budget process. Ask them not to approve the budget until they've seen a CARTA board approved plan for future bus service in your town or city.

All four members of Mount Pleasant's finance committee declined to approve CARTA's "preliminary budget" as a meeting on Monday, July 2 and referred the matter to the Town's Transportation Committee for review. After public comments by Best Friends of Lowcountry Tranist Executive Director William Hamilton and a presentation by CARTA Director Ron Mitchum, Town Council members on the committee said they needed to see clear proposals for future bus service in the community.

During his comments, Mitchum accused Best Friends of dishonesty and suggested that with friends like Best Friends, CARTA didn't need enemies. The committee asked Mt. Mitchum to move on from that theme to the issue of bus service. Mitchum said no major reduction in the total hours of bus service in Charleston County was planned for the coming year, but indicated changes were possible and that a study was underway by a route advisory committee. There is also some sort of 50 thousand dollar study planned about bus service to hotels as well.  There are at least three other transit related studies going forward or recently finished at the moment, the total cost of which is unknown.

Signing the Citizens Commitment to Transit

We urge transit riders throughout Charleston County to ask their municipal governments to decline to approve next year's CARTA budget until we know how the funding made available through the half penny sales tax will or will not improve bus service next year. 

County Council promised included 600 million dollars for improved, transit, 250 for a BRT line and 350 for improved bus service in a resolution passed by County Council in October 2016, a month before the half penny sales tax referendum vote. Mt. Mitchum denied any specific promise was made about transit funding as part or the referendum. 

Best Friends sent the following letter to Mt. Pleasant Town Council.  It has also filed a Freedom of Information Act Request with CARTA.

Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit, Inc.
32 Sowell St.
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
WWW.BFLTRANSIT.COM

July 2, 2018

Finance Committee
Mount Pleasant Town Council

Dear Mayor and Council,

We believe CARTA’s rushed effort to get their budget approved by the Town of Mount Pleasant is premature in view of their pending plans to reorganize the East Cooper Route System again. We would urge the Finance Committee to Defer any action to approve the budget, which was described at the last CARTA Board Meeting as “preliminary” until the Town and East Cooper area know what sort of bus service the tax papers and transit riders of our area (who pay approximately 40% of the County’s sales taxes) are going to receive for their money.

We would suggest:

• ·         That this matter be referred to the Transportation Committee for their review with the assistance of our CARTA Board Members;
• ·         That we seek the assistance and counsel of the governments of the Isle of Palms & Sullivan’s Island so the entire East Cooper area can consider this matter;
• ·         A public hearing on Bus Service be held during the August Town Council Meeting; and that
• ·         The budget only be approved once the CARTA board has approved plans for our bus routes for the next year.

We’re informed and believe major changes to our existing bus service are planned. We remind council the last round of bus service cuts reversed years of progress increasing ridership. It left us with a dysfunctional, part time #42 route on the North end of town, reduced service, and no provision for connecting service to N. Charleston or the beach. It did not offer the improved service promised in the I26alt study published prior to the half penny sales tax referendum.

We should use the budget process for CARTA for the purposes for which it was created - to assure accountability to the municipalities, taxpayers, and riders the authority is supposed to serve, who now face the prospect of increased taxes for decreased service.

Sincerely,

William J. Hamilton, III
Executive Director
Ph (843) 870-5299

Fancies about Transit to Folly are not Facts

On June 29, 2018 the Post and Courier ran and article entitled, “Park-and-ride lots could help combat high season traffic in SC beach communities.”     

Two years after CARTA, the BCD COG and local elected officials promised better bus service in return for a half penny increase in the Charleston County Sales tax, local transit riders continue to wait on two things to arrive as scheduled, better bus service and the truth. We’re wondering if either is actually on the way. See an excerpt from the I26alt study showing bus routes to both IOP and Folly Beach.

As is becoming increasingly common, CARTA’s contribution to the content can be described, at best, as incomplete and misleading.

The article states, “Daniel Brock, a spokesperson for CARTA, said that the idea couldn't be implemented in the near future. One hurdle is that the transit agency would need to obtain buses with waterproof interiors in case beach-goers, who often leave town sandy and damp, use the bus. “

Possible CARTA Beach Bus Candidate

Mr. Brock drives a large SUV to work where he invents things like this for CARTA in return for payments of tens of thousands of dollars made to his employer. Since he doesn’t ride the bus except for photo ops with local politicians, we’ll extend him the benefit of the doubt about what he may not know.

CARTA ran bus service to the Isle of Palms for over 50 years using regular service buses, some of which are still operating in CARTA’s regular fleet. Regular vehicles were used for the Island Flex Bus which served East of the Cooper until 2013.

Mr. Brock wouldn’t know that when CARTAs regular passengers climb on board in the pouring rain (when he would never be riding) from the hundreds of unsheltered stops still waiting on bus shelters three years after funding for them was given to CARTA that those passengers track water all over the #10, #11 and other buses serving inland routes. Mud and dirt comes on board as well. On some buses, water gushing up through the corroded floor or pouring down through leaks in the roof saturates the interior as well. All regular transit buses are built to survive this treatment and regular transit type buses serve beaches and damp passengers all over the planet and all up and down the East Coast, just like they do when CARTA's passengers step on board after being drenched in the Freezing Rain in February.

Beach bus for CARTA, it's waterproof.

Had the Post and Courier contacted us for comment, or any experience transit rider, we could have pointed that out. We sent the newspaper two press releases last week and dropped off a press package on Sunday’s Folly Freedom Fish Fry, so they know we exist.

The article goes on to say, "While additional service to area beaches may be an eventual possibility, it’s not feasible in the immediate future," Brock wrote in an email. "Financially, there is no available funding in the system budget for that sort of expansion."

Another option for Folly Road.

This statement is utterly untrue. The resolution passed before the 2016 Referendum provided 250 million dollars for construction of a Bus Rapid Transit Line and 350 Million dollars to improve bus service in Charleston County over the next 25 years. That works out to 14 million dollars in additional funding fo bus service each year. Last year an obscure committee, working in secret passed a “pay go” plan which diverted 11 million dollars of bus money to road construction on the fiction that CARTA will get its share of the money 12 years or more later.

More recently they’ve built on that mythology by concocting a nightmare scenario for 12 years from now where money from the first half penny sales tax passed in 2004 runs out and CARTA continues a skeleton operation using the by then greatly diminished in value remaining dollars to continue a skeleton system on a starvation budget.

Ron Mitchum

Mr. Brock works for Rawl Murdy, CARTA's PR firm. Evidently Mike Seeking’s, the board Chairman wasn’t comfortable making these statements to the press since he may be trying to get elected Mayor of Charleston or be seeing reelection to Charleston City Council. CARTA Executive Director Ron Mitchum (pictured right) chose not to go on the record as well.

The simple fact is that communities up and down the East Coast of the United States, outside of South Carolina, which has failed to shake the plantation / segregation legacy of barriers to beach access, run bus service to their beaches. Each of these transit authorities struggles with funding issues. None of them need a special waterproof bus. 

• You can take the bus to Jacksonville Beach from downtown Jacksonville.
• They have a bus from downtown Wilmington, NC to Carolina Beach.
• You can take a bus from Norfork, VA to Virginia beach.
• In Delaware you can take the bus from Georgetown to Rehoboth Beach

Next week, many of the people who control CARTA and our local governments will be enjoying the July 4^th. Holiday at their family’s beach houses, which most of them have enjoyed for generations. When they had African American maids to sweep their floors and cook their meals, they were careful to have bus service running to Sullivan’s Island and the Isle of Palms. That bus service disappeared with the cheap labor which used to wash the sand out of their bathing suits.

Transit outreach on Sol Legare Isalnd, on Folly Road.

The gates which once barred African Americans from our beaches disappeared with segregation, but Charleston’s political leadership perpetuates a view of the world where the quality of life of ordinary people isn’t regarded as significant. The hundreds of help wanted signs now found in nearly every shop and restaurant window indicate that working people understand this and are increasingly finding other places to live. Disasters like the shooting at a downtown Restaurant last summer which hired a dishwasher without a background check, show the high costs of decisions based on these outdated values.

We’ve fought to get public transit back to Charleston area beaches for the last three years not because it is the most important thing, but because of what it means. It tells the community and transit riders that some people shouldn’t have a high quality of life and those people include people who ride our buses. That’s acceptable to some of the people who control our local governments and transit authority, but it’s not acceptable to us.

On July 1 we’ll hold a Freedom Fish Fry at the Island Breeze at Mosquito Beach and on July 14 we’ll invade Folly Beach for Bastille Day at the Beach to begin the transit revolution. We’ll continue the fight for the transit service we were promised for our half penny sales tax money until we have it.