Ride, relax, and enjoy more beach time is the motto for Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority’s Beach Reach service. (WCIV)
Ride, relax, and enjoy more beach time is the motto for Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority’s (CARTA) Beach Reach service.
Ridership for this free initiative hasn’t always been strong and leaders admit it’s a work in progress.
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“This is the third year,” CARTA Chairman Mike Seekings said. “The first year did not have a lot of publicity (because) we did it at the last minute. We had some really bad breaks with the weather and the ridership was slow, but growing at the end of the summer, it was pretty good.”
Isle of Palms (IOP) Mayor Phillip Pounds believes this free ride to and from the beach is something many people need and want.
“The folks that came to the board meeting a year ago were challenged in a couple ways, physically and mentally, and this was the only way they could get to our beach,” Pounds said.
Ride, relax, and enjoy more beach time is the motto for Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority’s Beach Reach service. (WCIV)
CARTA leaders hope a renewed push on social media will help increase ridership. They say if riders can carry their beach gear, such as coolers, chairs, and bags, they can bring it.
“Try to go with rule of reason,” Seekings said. “In your arms and around you is okay. Please don’t fill up rows or areas of the bus,” Seekings says.
CARTA Leaders say the program does away with the stress of traffic and parking. They hope it doesn’t run out of gas.
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“I suspect it’s here to stay,” Seekings said. “CARTA, the Town of Mount Pleasant, the Isle of Palms are all committed to this program.”
The Beach Reach shuttle runs every weekend and holiday Mondays, starting on May 27 until Labor Day weekend on Sept. 4.
