Have safe and happy holidays!

For more information click: Holiday Service

For additional questions, contact customer service at 843-724-7420

CARTA staff continues to monitor the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and the safety of you — our riders — and our employees is our top priority. Please monitor this page for the latest system-related updates.

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) SERVICE UPDATE 6: May 13, 2020

Effective Thursday May 14, Route 10 and Route Route 102 will be modified to increase service and efficiency.  Route 103 will also begin running on a modified schedule.   These schedules will be in effect until further notice. View Route 10 Rivers Ave., Route 102 special schedule, Route 103 Leeds Ave. schedule.

View all current operating schedules COVID-19 modified schedule 5/14

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE 5: April 9, 2020

Effective Friday, April 10, Route 102 North Neck will operate on a special schedule in order to provide area residents with transportation to essential services such as food and health care. Route 102 will operate from about 8:30 a.m. until about 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday. This schedule will be in effect until further notice. View Route 102 special schedule.

View all current operating schedules COVID-19 modified schedule 4/10

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE 4: April 2, 2020

Effective Monday, April 6, several of the routes operating on modified Sunday schedules will be adjusted to improve efficiency and, in some cases, increase frequency. Routes 10, 11, and 12 will be impacted.

View schedules that go in effect on Monday, April 6.

Trident Tech Loop
On Monday, Route 10 will no longer  travel around the Trident Tech loop and therefore will not serve bus stop No. 24 College Dr./Trident Tech and No. 25 Mabeline Rd./Trident Tech until further notice.  A temporary bus stop has been added to Rivers Avenue across from Trident Tech in front of the Textbook Broker store.

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE 3: March 20, 2020

The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) will run on a Sunday schedule beginning Monday, March 23, in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Exceptions apply on Routes 10, 11, 12, 32 and 33, which will operate on Sunday service plus additional hours of operations. Express routes 1, 2 and 3 will run on a regular schedule. Frequency will be temporarily reduced on the HOP shuttle and DASH Route 211. Express Route 4 will be suspended.

Route 10: First trip leaves Rivers Avenue and Mall Drive at 6:05 a.m. and services the Superstop at 6:16 a.m. Several additional morning trips will be added. Passengers should follow the regular Sunday schedule for the remainder of the day. View the COVID-19 modified schedule.

Route 11: First trip leaves Meeting and Mary streets at 5:54 a.m. First trip leaves Tanger Outlets at 6:38 a.m. Several additional morning trips will be added. Passengers should follow the regular Sunday schedule for the remainder of the day. View the COVID-19 modified schedule.

Route 12: First trip leaves the park-and-ride at 6:20 a.m. First trip leaves the Superstop at 7:45 a.m. Several additional morning trips will be added. Passengers should follow the regular Sunday schedule for the remainder of the day. View the COVID-19 modified schedule.

Route 32: First trip leaves the Superstop at 6 a.m. First trip leaves Citadel Mall at 6:33 a.m. Several additional morning trips will be added. Passengers should follow the regular Sunday schedule for the remainder of the day. View the COVID-19 modified schedule.

Route 33: First trip leaves Ashley River/Bees at 6:01 a.m. First trip leaves Meeting and Mary streets at 7 a.m. Several additional morning trips will be added. Passengers should follow the regular Sunday schedule for the remainder of the day. View the COVID-19 modified schedule.

NOTE: Modified Sunday schedule will operate Monday-Saturday until further notice. Sunday routes will operate on a regular Sunday schedule.

HOP: Half-hourly service between 9 a.m. and 10:26 p.m. First trip leaves the HOP lot at 9 a.m. and the last trip leaves at 10 p.m.

DASH Route 211: Reduced frequency. Service approximately every 20 minutes. First trip departs at Spring Street at 8:16 a.m. Passengers should follow the regular Sunday schedule for the remainder of the day.

Express 1, 2, 3: Will run on regular weekday schedule.

Express 4: Suspended until further notice.

Tel-A-Ride: Service will continue to operate.

CARTA Facility Leeds Ave.: The building will be closed to the public starting Monday.  Tel-A-Ride customers with expired ID’s will be allowed to ride until further notice.

Pass Sale Update Effective March 20

At this time and until further notice, certified mail fee is waived.

Passes can be purchased:

• Online (Passes will be mailed; available unless/until administrative office closes.)
• Piggly Wiggly, Yeamans Hall Road
• Piggly Wiggly, Otranto Road
  • Note: Pass sales at Piggly Wiggly stores will continue unless/until closures due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

“CARTA is a mobility lifeline for many people, including those who work in healthcare facilities, grocery stores and other critical service providers needed at this time,” said CARTA Board of Directors Chairman Mike Seekings. “We want to offer transportation to those individuals as long as we can in a safe manner and in accordance with emergency guidelines. We encourage everyone else who can to stay home as we continue to monitor the situation closely.”

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE 2: March 19, 2020

• Expired ID Cards – Due to the closure of SC Works offices, riders with expired Low Income ID’s will be allowed to ride until further notice.
• Route 203 Suspended service – Due to parking services consolidation that will allow Medical University of South Carolina staff to park closer to facilities, MUSC has requested the suspension of Route 203 Medical Shuttle beginning Saturday, March 21, until further notice.  All other CARTA routes continue to operate as scheduled at this time.  Check here and on CARTA social media channels periodically for further updates.

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE 1: March 16, 2020

At this time, all routes will continue to run as scheduled.  CARTA staff continues to monitor the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and a number of safety measures related to bus sanitation remain in place.  Riders should continue using preventative actions to prevent the spread of the virus and only essential trips are recommended at this time.  Any service changes will be posted via:

• CARTA website (ridecarta.com)
• Most social media platforms (Facebook, twitter) @ridecarta
• Transit App (Available for download at app store and google play)

Riders using the transit app will receive text messages if and when service changes are made.

CARTA staff will continue to monitor the situation closely and post updates when necessary.

**Tricounty Link routes also continuing to run as scheduled.

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19): March 10, 2020

CARTA officials continue to monitor and remain in close communications with federal, state, regional and local officials regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19).  The safety of employees, passengers, and partners are a top priority.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) stated the risk to the public remains low and there is currently no evidence of ongoing transmission in the community at this time.  The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to this virus.  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyday preventative actions  to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses like COVID-19, as well as influenza and the common cold including:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.  If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Cough and sneeze into your elbow, not your hand.  Alternatively, cough or sneeze into a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

CARTA Bus Cleaning

Currently, as part of regular operations, CARTA buses are cleaned on a nightly basis.  Additional preventative measures include:

• Increasing usage of additional disinfectant sprays.
• Focusing on deeply cleaning high touch areas more frequently.

**Disinfectant sprays used in the cleaning process are recognized by the CDC as chemical sprays that kill the Coronavirus as well as many other viruses.

Other measures to help prevent the spreading of the virus include:

• Additional hand sanitizer placed throughout the main operating facility.
• Increased frequency of cleaning/sanitizing public areas

CARTA staff will continue to monitor the situation closely and post updates when necessary.

All CARTA services will be on Sunday schedule Monday, January 20 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Normal operating hours will resume Tuesday, January 21.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (Nov. 11, 2019) — Charleston’s regional transit system recently took an important step to improve access by relocating one of its stops on the lower end of Rivers Avenue near Montague Avenue to a new key location. (more…)

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (Nov. 7, 2019) — All U.S. armed services veterans and current military personnel can ride CARTA and TriCounty Link buses for free on Veterans Day Monday.  (more…)

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (July 30, 2019) – The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG) today received nearly $1.4 million from South Carolinas share of the Volkswagen Settlement Fund that will be used to purchase two all-electric buses and a pair of charging stations.

(more…)

Click Here to See the Proposed Route 104 Change

(more…)

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (July 16, 2019) –  The brand new Rivers Avenue Park and Ride, located on Melnick Drive next to Texas Roadhouse, will open for passenger use Wednesday.  (more…)

CHARLESTON, S.C. (JUNE 12, 2019) –  The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) is encouraging Lowcountry residents to try public transit — at least for one day. Those who do and post about it on social media could win prizes, including a new bike from local shop Affordabike. (more…)

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (May 15, 2019) – Today, the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) Board of Directors approved moving forward with the following items:

• Expansion of Senior Fares ($1 per ride) to all operating hours (previously available between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.)
• Elimination of transfer fees (currently 50 cents)
• Establishment of weekly unlimited regular passes ($15) and Express passes ($25) (currently available on a monthly basis)

CARTA staff will now revise official policies and complete required authorizations to put the changes in place for approval at the July CARTA board meeting.

“The steps taken today will directly benefit a large portion of our ridership by easing strain on wallets and reducing barriers to mobility,” said CARTA Board of Directors Chairman Mike Seekings. “The board is focused on continuing to develop a system that works hard for riders in a convenient and cost-efficient manner, and our work to this point has placed us in a position to make constructive decisions like this.”

The CARTA board noted the involvement of the Charleston Area Justice Ministry in bringing forward the changes for consideration.