TriCounty Link top rural transportation provider

When it comes to rural public transportation, TriCounty Link is No. 1, according to the S.C. Department of Transportation.

The department recently named TriCounty Link the Best Rural Public Transportation Provider of 2010 in the state, putting Link ahead of the Pee Dee Regional Transit Authority and the McCormick County Senior Center. Link also won the same award in 2008.

Since its humble beginnings in 1996, the company has come a long way, but improvements still can be made, Executive Director William Hutto said.

Among the three counties last year, Link has had a ridership of more than 166,000, and it expects to top 200,000 after this year, Hutto said.

Link has routes going as far north and east as McClellanville and as far south as Edisto Island, and includes routes rounding Jamestown, St. Stephen, Pineville and Cross. Routes link passengers from more rural towns to major areas, including from McClellanville and Awendaw to Mount Pleasant, Jedburg to Moncks Corner and North Charleston, and North Charleston to Summerville.

DOT also highlighted Link's four commuter routes that give employees in Berkeley and Dorchester counties a more economical way to get to and from work.

However, "There are still areas that are underserved," Hutto said.

Among the three counties, Dorchester is the least served and will be the focus of Link's "slow, methodical growth," he said.

That philosophy of slow expansion probably has contributed to TriCounty Link's success, according to Glennith Johnson, deputy secretary for mass transit. Johnson presented the award to Link in April.

Link's planners are "not looking to expand beyond their means," Johnson said. "With the little funding it has got, (Hutto) has found a way to do a lot with it."

Riders pay a $2.25 one-way fare for all fixed routes. Passengers can buy a weeklong pass for $18 or a monthlong pass for $70. Link-to-Lunch routes, which are available only in Moncks Corner, and other special event shuttle services are free for passengers.

Since partnering with Santee Cooper, TriCounty Link has jump-started its ridership in Berkeley County. Hutto says Link is looking for the same kind of partnership with a business in Dorchester County to help fund routes in the county.

"Public transportation was not well-received prior to 1996, but a lot has changed over the last 10 years," he said. "The public perception of public transportation is changing."

Prior to 1996, people didn't care about commuter buses, but the concept has taken off in the Lowcountry, Hutto said. More people, whether they own a car or not, are taking public transportation for its convenience, to save money or help the environment.

In Charleston County, Hutto points to expanding routes toward Wadmalaw and Kiawah islands along with additional service on Edisto.

In choosing Link as the top rural public transportation provider, DOT also emphasized Link's initiative with CARTA.

Passengers who use TriCounty Link have to pay only one fare if they need to transfer onto a CARTA bus to get to a destination. The system also works the other way if CARTA passengers need to use a Link shuttle. The cooperative agreement with CARTA gives Charleston County residents more transit options than anywhere else in the state, Hutto said.

On Daniel Island, however, Link isn't anywhere to be found.

Karen Elsey, owner of Laura Alberts Tasteful Options on Daniel Island, said she's been waiting for public transportation to be available, not so much for herself, but for her employees.

Her dishwashers, for example, make about $8 an hour. If they work 40 hours a week, she said, there's no way they can afford a car payment and insurance. Previous employees once shared a car, and others caught rides from friends to the nearest bus stop at U.S. Highway 17 near Wando Crossing in Mount Pleasant.

Hutto, however, explained that though the island under the last census was labeled as rural, as soon as the 2010 census is complete, Daniel Island likely will be labeled urban, which would make it CARTA's responsibility.

"I'd love to be able to try something there, but as soon as we start, we would have to stop," Hutto said.

TriCounty Link looked at providing transportation in the area about a year ago for people living in the low-income apartments, but there wasn't enough interest, he said. However, Hutto said he would be willing to work with businesses in providing transportation to employees who can't afford to drive to the island.

Since 1999, Link has been operating self-sufficiently. For its initial three years when it formerly was known as the Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester Rural Transportation Management Authority, each of the three counties funded the transportation system with $30,000.

Until the half-cent sales tax was approved in Charleston County, Link had not received funding from any of the counties in the region since its initial startup.

For more about TriCounty Link's services, visit www.ridetricountylink.com or call 899-4096 or toll-free 800-966-6631.

Jessica Johnson contributed to this report. Reach Almar Flotildes at 937-5719 or aflotildes@postandcourier.com.