CHARLESTON, S.C. (April 12, 2018) – The Hospitality on Peninsula (HOP) Park and Ride Lot and Shuttle is ready for business. Officials with the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA), the City of Charleston, Charleston County and the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau today participated in a ribbon cutting at the parking facility, located at 999 Morrison Drive. Operations begin at 6 a.m. on Sunday, April 15.

“The HOP represents months of collaborative planning and investment, and is a tangible first step toward addressing parking needs on the peninsula and beyond,” said CARTA board of directors chairman Mike Seekings. “We’ve built it, now it’s time for commuters to come, and we expect they will.”

The lot, which sits on City of Charleston and Charleston County property, features approximately 170 spaces, in addition to ticket kiosks, shelters, lighting, bike racks and an attendant booth. CARTA will operate the parking and shuttle services.

“Easing traffic and parking problems is a critical component in improving livability and protecting our citizens’ quality of life,” said Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg. “This new park and ride lot is a small but meaningful step in that direction, and I’d like to thank the County, CARTA and CVB for working so closely with us to make this project a reality.”

The HOP, the first park-and-ride program of its kind on the peninsula, is targeted at workers in the area’s booming hospitality and food-and-beverage industries – though it is open to all commuters – as way to mitigate downtown parking challenges.

“The expansion of safe, reliable, and affordable transportation options will help to revolutionize transit for the hospitality industry,” said Linn Lesesne, Chairman, Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Governors. “The HOP initiative provides our employees who work on the peninsula with a great new option for getting to and from work.”

Key details regarding the lot and shuttle service include:

• Hours of Operation: The shuttle will operate from 6 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily, with bus service every 15 minutes. Parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Cost: The cost to park in the lot is a flat fee of $5 all-day. Once a pass is purchased and displayed on a parked vehicle’s dashboard, commuters can board a HOP shuttle for free.
• Route: The HOP shuttle will exit 999 Morrison Drive, turn left onto Romney Street, left onto Meeting Street, left onto Broad Street and left onto East Bay Street as it returns to the lot. There will be eight HOP-specific stops on the route, each denoted by a white bus stop sign.
• Bus Transportation:CARTA will operate the shuttles and the lot itself. Commuters are encouraged to download the Transit app in order to track buses in real-time.
• Lot Features:
  • Parking attendant on location during all hours of operation
  • Enhanced lighting and security cameras
  • Holy Spokes bike share on site
  • Bike racks available

In addition to the HOP service commuters are also encouraged to explore reduced after-hours fares in City-owned garages and the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Government’s (BCDCOG) recently launched Lowcountry Go commuter services program that offers rideshare matches.

The HOP was brought to fruition via a collaborative partnership between CARTA, the City of Charleston, Charleston County, the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and the BCDCOG.

Press release.

Bridge Run Packet Pickup Transportation Availability April 5th & 6th

CARTA Airport Express/NASH Route 4 Services (Public Transit)

• Airport Express/NASH Rt. 4 will be running normal route service and will be available and accessible for Bridge Runners to travel from Downtown Charleston (Visitor Center Bus Shed) near Ann St. to the Expo in North Charleston to pick up race packets.
• Bridge Runners will be able to ride for free – Bridge run volunteers will be at the bus shed at the Downtown Visitor Center between Ann St. and John St. with further instructions from 12noon – 8pm on Thursday April 5, 2018 and from 8am-8pm on Friday April 6, 2018.
• Passengers will be picked up and dropped off at bus stop#431 on International Blvd. at the Charleston Area Convention Center.
• On Thursday (4/5/18) service will run about every 30 minutes from 12noon until 8pm and on Friday (4/6/18) service will run about every 30 minutes all day from 8am -8pm.
• Last inbound (into downtown) trip is at 7:45pm.
• Last outbound (to North Charleston area) trip is 8:25pm

In order to effectively handle anticipated large volumes of passengers, pedestrians and vehicle traffic; slight detours may occur and additional service may be deployed on Route 4 for Thursday and Friday.  Buses will run about every 30 minutes, as traffic permits.

Route Service Thursday April 5th & Friday April 6th

On Thursday, April 5^th and Friday April 6^th due to Bridge Run traffic combined with the Volvo Car Open and Flowertown festival visitors; expect possible delays due to anticipated high volumes of traffic.

All buses including Express buses will be running on regular schedule but will be affected by the high volumes of traffic.

Any extreme delays may affect the Bus Tracker and Text or Call for Next Bus functions.  Please call customer service for route information if your route is severely delayed at 843-724-7420.

Route Service Day of Bridge Run – Saturday April 7, 2018

On Saturday, April 7, 2018 all routes that travel into the downtown area will be affected by road closures, detours and high volumes of traffic, expect possible delays.

• DASH route 211 will not start until the race is completed.  DASH 210 and 213 will run on a detour.
• Routes 10, 11, 20, 30, 31, 33, 40, and 41 will all have detours.  Click CARTA 2018 Bridge Run Service Impacts to view all detours and stops that will be missed during the detours along with alternate stops to use until service returns to regular service after the streets are reopened.
• Express Route 4 will run regular service, but the drop off point downtown will near Cannon and King St.

Mt. Pleasant Service:

In order to be as efficient as possible to transport our passengers around Mt. Pleasant and to Downtown while the bridge is closed during the Bridge Run, Routes 40 and 41 will run as follows on Saturday morning 4/7/18:

• Rt. 40 has three vehicles dedicated to it.  One bus will circulate only in the Mt. Pleasant area.  Using Towne Center as a transfer point, passengers can transfer to the other two Rt. 40 buses that will travel back and forth to the Downtown area via I526 until the completion of the race.
• Rt. 41 will run only in Mt. Pleasant on a detour until the race is completed.  It will also stop at Towne Center as a transfer point to the Rt. 40 that will be traveling downtown.

Expect some delays on these routes until the bridge has reopened and service returns to normal.

Click CARTA 2018 Bridge Run Service Impacts  to view detours and missing stops for Saturday service

Bus Tracker and Text or Call for Next Bus features:

Saturday morning and early afternoon the Bus Tracker and Text or Call for next bus features will not be working for impacted routes that will be detouring including:

• DASH routes 210,211,213
• Routes 10,11,20,30,31,33, 40,41

The functions should return to normal after routes get back on regular schedule when all streets are reopened at the conclusion of the race.

Transit Transparency is a series of brochures that provide facts and general information about how public transportation operates in Charleston, South Carolina. The goal is to educate the community about our opportunities and challenges for public transportation today and in the future.

Find the answers to how much it costs to operate CARTA, where funding comes from and more by viewing the first brochure here.

Click Cash Clerk position to apply online

Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments has an opening in our North Charleston office for a part-time Cash Clerk. Hours of work are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 8 am to 2 pm.

Essential Functions of the position include:

• Reconcile money received into cash room from multiple bus routes. Verifies accuracy of amounts received.
• Organizes cash and passes. Separates currency for bank deposit.
• Complete cash sheets, deposit summaries and discrepancy reports per agency procedure. Prepares bank deposit. Advises supervisor of any discrepancies.
• Ability to operate and monitor money counting equipment.
• Follows established agency procedures to maintain secure environment in cash room.
• Coordinates work with other staff members as needed to provide the smooth flow and exchange of information. Serves as back up to other staff members as needed.

Minimum Qualifications:

• High School diploma or equivalent and one year of cashier experience preferred.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work well with others. Must be detail orientated and have the ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Clear results on a thorough background check which could include prior employment verification, personal and professional references, criminal history, credit history, motor vehicle records.
• General knowledge of Berkeley Charleston Dorchester Counties.

Qualified applicants please send your resume:

Fax to:

(843) 529-0305

Email to:

starr@bcdcog.com

Mail to:

BCD Council of Governments, Human Resources

Attention: Star Ross

1362 McMillan Avenue, Suite 100

North Charleston, SC 29405

Apply in person at:

CARTA office located at 3664 Leeds Ave., North Charleston

Click Customer Service Supervisor to apply online

General Statement of Job

Under general supervision of the Deputy Director of Operations and Support, the Customer Service Supervisor provides superior customer service and administrative support to customers, internal staff and board members by maintaining a positive attitude.

Essential Functions

Essential Functions: These are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work performed. The omission of specific duties does not exclude them from the position.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Directs the day to day operation of Customer Service Representatives and Cash Clerks to insure the objectives of the agency are met.

Establishes new hire and on-going training program for Customer Service Representatives and Cash Clerks.

Coordinates work with Customer Service Representatives and Cash Clerks to provide smooth flow and exchange of information.? Serve as back up to Customer Service Representatives and Cash Clerks as needed.

Develops schedules for Customer Service Representatives to ensure phones are covered at all times of operation of the department.

Customer Service:

Provide superior customer service to customers in person or by operating the agency multi-line phone, routes calls and takes messages.

Inform customers about routing, scheduling, promotion and ticket information either in person, by phone or via email.

Fulfills requests for route maps and other information upon request.

Greets customers and refers them to the appropriate staff member for further assistance, if needed.

Accepts delivery from outside vendors and delivers to the appropriate staff member.

Strong communication skills with the ability to understand the needs of low income, elderly and disabled people using empathy while maintaining sensitivity.

Customer Related Complaints:

Ability to respond to escalated customer complaints.

Responsible for investigating, resolving and reporting escalated customer related complaints.

Ability to work with a complaint process that requires several steps in the investigation phase.

Coordinates with other staff members and vendors in order to resolve customer complaints.

Acknowledge complaints in a timely manner; address complaints promptly and keep complainant informed throughout the process.

Explain complaint handling process and what the agency can and cannot do, the timeframe for investigating a complaint and when they might expect a response.

Keep personal information about the complainant confidential as possible while investigating the complaint.

Monitor LISTEN entries daily and follow through to resolution with given time period.

Administrative Support:

Provide administrative support to Deputy Director of Operations and Support by drafting, editing, and finalizing correspondence and documents intended for a range of audiences; ensures document accuracy.

Completes daily, weekly and monthly reports; ensures document accuracy.?? Assists in preparing visual and written presentations for use at Board meetings.? May be requested to attend Board Meetings.? Follows up on tasks assigned as a result of the meetings.

Additional Duties:

Performs other duties as required by the Executive Director.

Minimum Qualifications

An Associates degree in Business Administration and four years of relevant job experience or a high school diploma with ten years of relevant experience. Supervisory experience preferred.

Strong verbal and written communication skills, organizational skills, and the ability to work well with others.

General knowledge of Berkeley Charleston Dorchester Counties.

HOP Schedule Update (Sept. 5, 2018):

• Monday – Thursday (Last trip leaves the HOP lot at 1 a.m.)
  • 6 a.m. – 12:15 a.m.: Two buses run (every 15 minutes)
  • Midnight – 1:30 a.m.: One bus runs (every 30 minutes)
• Friday and Saturday (Last trip leaves the HOP lot at 2 a.m.)
  • 6 a.m.-12:15 am.: Two buses run (every 15 minutes)
  • 12:00 a.m.-1:30 a.m.: One bus runs (every 30 minutes)
• Sunday (Last trip leaves the HOP lot at 1 a.m.)
  • 6 a.m.-1:30 a.m.: One bus runs (every 30 minutes)

CHARLESTON, S.C. (March 21, 2018) – The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) Board of Directors today announced that the transit system will launch the Hospitality on Peninsula (HOP) Park and Ride Lot and Shuttle on Sunday, April 15 at 999 Morrison Drive.The park-and-ride program is the first of its kind on the peninsula and was brought to fruition via a collaborative partnership with the City of Charleston, Charleston County, the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments.

The HOP is targeted at workers in the area’s booming hospitality and food-and-beverage industries – though it is open to all commuters – as way to mitigate downtown parking challenges. There will be approximately 170 spaces available in the lot.

“The HOP park-and-ride service is an important way we are addressing an obvious need of workers in downtown Charleston,” said CARTA board chairman and Charleston city councilman Mike Seekings. “This lot and shuttle, essentially a pilot program that has been developed from scratch, is the first step in a regional strategy to tackle a number of pressing transportation issues, namely parking and congestion.”

Key details regarding the lot and shuttle service include:

• Hours of Operation: The shuttle will operate from 6 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily, with bus service every 15 minutes. Parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Cost: The cost to park in the lot is a flat fee of $5 all-day. Once a pass is purchased and displayed on a parked vehicle’s dashboard, commuters can board a HOP shuttle for free.
• Route: The HOP shuttle will exit 999 Morrison Drive, turn left onto Romney Street, left onto Meeting Street, left onto Broad Street and left onto East Bay Street as it returns to the lot. There will be eight HOP-specific stops on the route, each denoted by a white bus stop sign.
• Bus Transportation: CARTA will operate the shuttles and the lot itself. Commuters are encouraged to download the Transit app in order to track buses in real-time.
• Lot Features:
  • Parking attendant on location during all hours of operation
  • Enhanced lighting and security cameras
  • Holy Spokes bike share on site
  • Bike racks available

“We certainly would like to thank the City of Charleston, Charleston County, the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and the BCDCOG for their collaboration on this project,” Seekings said. “We’re confident the service will be well-used and look forward to seeing it expand to other locations.”

In addition to the HOP service, Seekings said commuters are also encouraged to explore reduced after-hours fares in City-owned garages and the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Government’s recently launched Lowcountry Go commuter services program that offers rideshare matches.

ALSO:

• Press Release PDF
• HOP Route Brochure
• HOP Logo

PARKING CHANGE: 
T-Mobile is set to open in the coming weeks and therefore we will have to adjust the parking in the area.  We will continue to park in the parking area next to Velocity Sports – shown on the map in yellow, however, starting on Monday (2/26/18) we will no longer be able to park in what we considered the “overflow area” which was the 2 extra rows beyond the Velocity building.  The new overflow area is shown on the map in purple.  Passengers should also expect heavier traffic flows in this area starting on Monday.

Please view map link below to view the details. 
The parking areas will be marked in advance and we will have staff on site in the mornings over the next few weeks to assist with making sure you know where it is okay to park and where not park.  The areas will be marked and in cases roped off to show where you are allowed to park and where not park.

IMPORTANT: Do not park in any of the areas shown on the map in red.  If you park in any of the areas shown on the map in red, your vehicle could be towed and CARTA will not be responsible.

Again, thank you for your patience.

Click: Park and Ride map-Effective 02/26/18

Public transportation helps to keep seniors active and independent in our communities.  To encourage seniors to learn and use the public transit systems, CARTA and Tricounty Link have several days where seniors are allowed to ride for free.  Seniors are classified as individuals 55 and over and simply show your ID to board on the dates below to ride for free.

• Sunday, February 18, 2018
• Saturday, May 2, 2018 – (National Senior Health and Fitness Day)
• Tuesday, August 21, 2018 – (National Senior Citizen Day)
• Sunday, December 9, 2018

Email us at www.cruze@ridecarta.com if you or a group would like travel training with CARTA or Tricounty Link staff.

*CARTA SYSTEM – If you are approved for TelARide you can ride all regular route service for FREE every day (Excludes Express).

To download a flyer with dates click Senior Ride Free Flyer

CARTA will make the following modifications that will go into effect on February 18, 2018 to increase efficiency on several routes.  Please click the links below to preview the routes and modifications.

• Express 2 – A 6:09pm Eastabound (Outbound) trip leaving Citadel Mall has been added to the schedule.  *When leaving from MUSC or CofC the trip time is approximately 6:30pm.  Click Express 2 to view schedule.
• Route 10 – Slight modifications made to schedule to improve on time performance.  Click Route 10 to view schedule.
• Route 40 – Route will now service East Cooper Hospital 2 times per day/7 days a week.  Click Route 40  to view schedule.
• Route 102 – Frequency increased, bus will now run every 60 minutes and will service the Superstop at the top of the hour.  Click Route 102 to view schedule
• Route 103 – In order to maximize efficiency, this route will now run as a loop.  Route will depart the Superstop at 20 after the hour. Service area will remain the same.  Click Route 103 to view schedule
• Route 203 – Slight modifications made to schedule to improve on-time performance.  Click Route 203 to view schedule

If you have additional questions, please call customer service at 843-724-7420 and choose option 1.

Due to maintenance work at the Charleston Visitor Center parking garage, the bus stop located on Mary Street (No. 52 Mary/Meeting) will be closed starting Monday, Feb. 5. Passengers will be required to use the Transit Mall stop (No. 43) until the area is reopened. The closure is anticipated to last 10 days.