CARTA Brings Communities Together with First-Time Service to Summerville

Today, the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) announced a new route bringing service to the Summerville area for the first time.  The route will be known as the Dorchester Road Express Route 3 and will run from Summerville to Downtown Charleston.  The service will begin on Monday, June 25 and will provide a regular and consistent connection to the entire CARTA system for
Summerville residents.

“We have received numerous requests over the years to extend service to Summerville,” said CARTA Executive Director Christine Wilkinson. “We know there is a need to service neighboring communities and we are pleased that we are able to connect the current system to Summerville.  This service was carefully planned and we believe this will be a highly utilized efficient route.”

“In these hard economic times, is it difficult to extend service and continue to grow,” said CARTA Board Chairman Elliott Summey. “CARTA depends on this growth to continue to operate efficient and reliable transportation.  The Board and staff have worked extremely hard to make this route a reality and we are excited that we will be able to serve even more residents in the area.”

The Dorchester Road Express is the newest addition to CARTA’s Express commuter services. Express service is a limited stop service that runs Monday through Friday during peak drive times in the morning and afternoon.  This route will run on Dorchester Road with convenient stops in North Charleston at both Bosch and Boeing. The Express will continue to downtown and make four stops, including:

Meeting Street and Columbus Street
(Piggly Wiggly Store)

Meeting Street and John Street
(Visitor’s Center/ Charleston Museum)

Calhoun Street and St. Philip
(College of Charleston Campus)

Calhoun Street and Jonathan Lucas
(Near MUSC)

 “Bringing CARTA service to Summerville is considered a major win for our community,” said Mayor Bill Collins of Summerville. “Many of our residents either work in Charleston County, or visit frequently.  This mutually benefits both communities with a positive work live lifestyle.”

As a part of continuing to improve service and maximize efficiencies, CARTA has made modifications and additions to several other routes.

  • Route
    2

    – Modification of times to improve consistency and on-time performance.
  • Route
    10

    – Additional equipment will be added to reduce overcrowding and improve on-time
    performance. The Route will also go into the Main Campus of Trident Technical
    College on the southbound trip and make two convenient stops on campus. This
    will improve safely and eliminate the need for passengers to cross the busy
    area of Rivers Avenue.
  • Route
    11

    - Additional equipment will be added to reduce overcrowding and improve on-time
    performance.  This will lessen the wait
    time at several points, increasing frequency to every 40 minutes at times
    during the day. To maximize this efficiency, stops at Tanger Outlet/ Walmart
    will only be made on the northbound trip.
  • Route
    32

    – Route 32 will be combined with Route 302, primarily on Ashley River
    Road.  For service to Bon Secours St.
    Francis Hospital, ride Route 301 for transfer to Route 32 at Citadel Mall.
  • Route
    104

    – Route 104 will be combined with Route 101, still connecting and ending at the
    current Tanger/ Walmart stop.
  • Route
    301

    Route 301 will now serve Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, traveling from the
    downtown area.  This route will also
    serve as a connection between the Downtown Roper Hospital and the West Ashley
    Roper Hospital locations.
  • Combined
    Routes:

̶       
Route 101 will be combined with Route 104

̶       
Route 302 is now combined with Route 32

To learn more about the new Dorchester Express route, visit RideCARTA.com.  Learn more about CARTA bus passes and all other routes at RideCARTA.com.

About CARTA

The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) is a public transportation system dedicated to providing affordable transit to the Charleston community through four services – fixed
routes, Tel-A-Ride, flex/demand service and express routes. CARTA services Charleston and the surrounding areas including West Ashley, North Charleston and Mount Pleasant. For the latest on CARTA, visit www.RideCARTA.com, follow us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @RideCARTA.  CARTA – It
connects us all.

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