Give Summerville bus route a try

The regional interest in mass transit is apparent in the number of residents who drive to the Super Kmart parking lot in North Charleston to pick up the CARTA Express buses to the peninsula. Riders from Dorchester County should press local officials for participation in the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority.

That's what Summerville resident Reid Melton is doing, and he is actively encouraging his neighbors who use the CARTA Express to contact Town Council and County Council, which so far have declined to participate in regional mass transit.

An article by The Post and Courier's Edward C. Fennell detailed Mr. Melton's efforts as well as the growing level of ridership by residents from Summerville, and elsewhere, who drive to the CARTA Express stop, park their cars at the park-and-ride lot and take the bus into Charleston.

Summerville resident John Scott told Mr. Fennell that using the bus for the last leg of his daily commute simplifies the process and reduces his expense. The high cost of gasoline and the expense of parking downtown were cited as reasons for using the express.

CARTA is prepared to extend service to Summerville by the summer if the needed funds can be found. The bus system has purchased used buses at $14,000 each, to be refurbished for the route, and has leased a park-and-ride lot at Trolley and Dorchester roads.

While Summerville Town Council and Dorchester County Council have yet to contribute to the $430,000 operating cost of an express route, there is still a chance that money may be largely provided by federal and state governments.

The state House of Representatives has endorsed a $43,000 allocation to provide the match to a federal grant that could pay for half of the Express extension. But budget problems could thwart Senate approval. The state Department of Transportation should be willing to use some of its mass transit funds to support the effort. A small portion of the gas tax is committed for DOT mass transit support.

At the least, there should be a concerted effort to support a one-year trial for the Summerville to Charleston route. If times are tight for local governments, they are increasingly difficult for residents, too. With gas prices hitting record highs, this should be the year to put an express bus route from Summerville into service.