Bus services hold their own

We can't say things are rosy for local bus service, but we can say that current mass-transit trends here are more encouraging than in many other places around the country. Both CARTA and TriCounty Link are to be commended for making the best of bad economic times.

Other areas are not doing so well. Seattle's bus system is cutting as many as one million service hours per year — about 20 percent of its workload.

In Denver, some bus routes were almost eliminated because of budget cuts. Instead, they will maintain routes, though on a reduced schedule.

Chicago is considering eliminating 81 of 154 bus routes.

Yet despite significant budget trimming by Charleston County, neither the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority nor TriCounty Link will cut services. It is no surprise that they won't be able to expand at this point, but it is noteworthy that they are holding their own while providing affordable transportation that helps alleviate traffic congestion and air pollution.

Executive director Howard Chapman says that though CARTA stands to lose about $401,000 in county money this year, it expects to receive a boost in federal money because ridership has increased. CARTA's bottom line also will benefit from fare increases and a major decline in fuel prices over the last six months.

TriCounty Link, which serves the area's rural residents and is in line to lose about $24,000 in Charleston County funding, also will be able to maintain existing routes. TriCounty Link executive director Will Hutto had hoped to add Saturday service on Johns Island and more frequent service to Edisto-area residents. That apparently won't happen this year.

CARTA had plans to build more bus shelters, buy more buses and radios and improve a maintenance facility. Those improvements evidently will have to wait, too. But there is a chance that some of the $41 million in transit money coming to South Carolina from the federal economic stimulus package could revive some of those stalled initiatives.

Hopefully, CARTA and TriCounty Link will continue to cope despite funding reductions.

Maintaining services for the short term should be welcome news, because over the long term, a major expansion of mass transit is a necessary task for our growing community.