Mainly clear skies. Less humid. Low 69F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..
Mainly clear skies. Less humid. Low 69F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Jerald Eckard exits CARTA's free "Beach Reach" shuttle on the Isle of Palms on Aug. 28, 2021. The shuttle has returned for 2022, running an hourly loop from Towne Centre to the Isle of Palms on weekends through Labor Day. The pickup and drop-off on the island is near the entrance to the county park on 14th Avenue. Brad Nettles/Staff
FREE BEACH BUS ROUTE: The free shuttle was created with the hope that offering weekend service between Isle of Palms and Mount Pleasant would ease parking demands on the island, while also giving people without cars a way to reach the beach. SOURCE: ESRI
Jerald Eckard exits CARTA's free "Beach Reach" shuttle on the Isle of Palms on Aug. 28, 2021. The shuttle has returned for 2022, running an hourly loop from Towne Centre to the Isle of Palms on weekends through Labor Day. The pickup and drop-off on the island is near the entrance to the county park on 14th Avenue. Brad Nettles/Staff
MOUNT PLEASANT — A free shuttle bus that runs between a Mount Pleasant shopping center and the beach on Isle of Palms returned May 28 for a second summer season.
The Beach Reach shuttle runs on weekends through Sept. 4, and on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. Supporters hope this year it will attract more riders.
The special CARTA bus is aimed at making it possible to go to the beach on Isle of Palms without a car, easing pressure on parking and making beach trips possible for those without a vehicle.
The Beach Reach runs hourly, starting at 9:15 a.m. on Saturdays and 9:40 a.m. on Sundays, departing from Market Centre Boulevard, behind the Belk Men's store in the Towne Centre shopping center.
The bus takes riders to the beach access next to Isle of Palms County Park on 14th Avenue, a less than 5-mile ride from the shopping center.
The last bus back to Mount Pleasant departs Isle of Palms at 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 5:55 p.m. on Sundays.
Riders are allowed to bring coolers and small chairs or bodyboards, but no large bulky items such as surfboards or beach umbrellas. There's also a rack on the front of the bus for a small number of bicycles.
FREE BEACH BUS ROUTE: The free shuttle was created with the hope that offering weekend service between Isle of Palms and Mount Pleasant would ease parking demands on the island, while also giving people without cars a way to reach the beach. SOURCE: ESRI
The shuttle service was created in late 2020 during an uproar over public parking on Isle of Palms, amid plans by the city to eliminate free parking. However, the S.C. Department of Transportation intervened to keep free parking widely available on the island, possibly limiting the appeal of taking the bus.
For those without vehicles, the bus offers a connecting service at Town Centre to the Route 40 (Mount Pleasant) and Route 42 (Wando Circulator) CARTA buses.
It costs $24,000 to operate the Beach Reach service. Isle of Palms, Mount Pleasant and CARTA each pay a third, $8,000 each.
In 2021, the bus had about 250 round-trip passengers during the beach season. The Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends accounted for more than one third of all the riders.
That worked out to a cost of nearly $100 per round-trip passenger in 2021, but CARTA hopes to see the number of riders increase this year.
Reach David Slade at 843-937-5552. Follow him on Twitter @DSladeNews.
David Slade is a senior Post and Courier reporter. His work has been honored nationally by Society of Professional Journalists, American Society of Newspaper Editors, Scripps foundation and others. Reach him at 843-937-5552 or dslade@postandcourier.com
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