Charleston Area Regional Transit Authority

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Founded: 1997
Headquarters: 36 John Street, Charleston, SC
Locale: Charleston, South Carolina
Service Area: Charleston & Dorchester Counties
Service Type: Local, Express, Dial-a-Bus,
and Free Shuttles
Routes: 24 (+/-)
Stops: 835 (+/-)
Hubs: 2 (+/-)
Operator: National Express Transit
Avg. Daily Ridership: 13,368 (2013)

Charleston Area Regional Transit Authority, or CARTA, is the transit system serving the cities of Charleston and North Charleston and suburban areas of Mt. Pleasant in South Carolina. The bus and maintenance operations are currently contracted to National Express Transit.

History

CARTA's previous logo, used from its inception in 1997 until July 2023

From its inception, CARTA has been hampered by insufficient funding it claimed it required to operate effectively. The transportation service provider explored many avenues to increase funding over the years but no source provided enough to keep CARTA from making substantial reductions in service. CARTA was forced to cease most of its operations in January 2004 and relied on emergency funding from state and federal funding streams to keep it from being liquidated. In early November 2004, a half-cent sales tax referendum was passed (following one instance where it failed and another overturned), providing CARTA with the revenue to relaunch many of the services that were eliminated or consolidated due to insufficient funding. CARTA even added new routes and services throughout their rebuilding phases, as was the case with the launch of CARTA Express in January 2007. On September 1, 2010, CARTA suffered a budget problem which stranded 22,443 passengers during the day and 40,500 passengers during the night.

Despite budgetary setbacks, CARTA ridership continues to increase and become more popular. In 2013, CARTA reported its busiest year of operations, with nearly five million riders for 2012 and a weekday average of over 15,000 riders. DASH service accounted for nearly 1.2 million rides in 2012. In late 2013, CARTA inaugurated its North Area Shuttle service (NASH) as a free circulator route to serve the North Charleston area, however this service was suspended in June 2014 due to low ridership. In February 2014, the NASH Express service was launched, creating an express route between Charleston International Airport and downtown Charleston.

On Sunday, April 15, 2018, CARTA launched the 'Hospitality On Peninsula' (HOP) Shuttle service. 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. Operating out of a dedicated Park-and-Ride lot, The HOP shuttle will loop around and run along Meeting Street before it returns to the lot. There are eight HOP-specific stops on the route, each denoted by a white bus stop sign. The cost is $5 to park all day, while The HOP itself is free to use. On Saturday, May 8, 2021, CARTA announced that due to limited ridership and the COVID-19 pandemic, the 'Hospitality on Peninsula' (HOP) service is suspended until further notice. As of April 2022, the service is still suspended.

In recent years, CARTA has purchased several zero-emission vehicles as replacements for their aging fleet of New Flyer D35HF buses. On Thursday, November 14, 2019, CARTA unveiled the first of 6 Proterra Catalyst BE40 zero-emission electric buses to the public. The first unit, numbered 4500, entered trails shortly after. The first 3 units (4500-4502) entered service on February 6, 2020. In addition to the first 3 initial Proterra Catalyst BE40s, CARTA has since received 6 additional zero-emission electric buses, 3 of the newer Proterra ZX5 models in mid-2021, and 3 New Flyer XE40 buses in early October 2021.

On July 10th, 2023, CARTA debuted a new brand identity via social media.[1] A prominent feature of the new rebrand is the inclusion of a stylized Eastern Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis), the most common species of Pelican found around the Charleston area, which forms the bottom half of the 'C' logo.

Shortly after the rebrand took place, CARTA awarded their operations and maintenance contract to National Express Transit, replacing the previous operator, Transdev.

Routes

Maps & Schedules
Note: See Holiday Hours to find out if there's bus service running on a route during a holiday.

Local

  • 10 - Rivers Ave.
  • 11 - Dorchester Rd. / Airport
  • 12 - Upper Dorchester / Ashley Phosphate Rd.
  • 13 - Remount Rd.
  • 20 - King St. / Meeting
  • 30 - Savannah Highway
  • 31 - Folly Rd.
  • 32 - North Bridge
  • 33 - St. Andrews / Ashley River Rd.
  • 40 - Mt. Pleasant
  • 41 (Mon-Sat) - Coleman Blvd.
  • 42 - Wando Circulator
  • 102 (Mon-Sat) - North Neck
  • 103 (Mon-Sat) - Leeds Ave.
  • 104 (Mon-Sat) - Montague Ave.
  • 203 (Mon-Fri) - Medical Shuttle
  • 301 (Mon-Sat) - Glenn McConnell Connector

Express

  • XP1 (Mon-Fri) - James Island / North Charleston
  • XP2 (Mon-Fri) - Mt. Pleasant / West Ashley
  • XP3 (Mon-Fri) - Dorchester Rd. / Summerville

DASH Shuttle

  • 210 - College of Charleston / Aquarium
  • 211 - Meeting St. / King St.
  • 213 - Lockwood Blvd. / Calhoun St.

Fares

The One-Way fares for CARTA are as follows:

Fixed Route: $2.00 per ride

Express: $3.50 per ride

Transfers: $0.50

Facilities

Administrative Offices

  • Address: 36 John St., Charleston, SC 29403
  • E-mail: [email protected]
  • Phone: (843) 724-7420

Garage

  • Address: 3664 Leeds Ave., North Charleston, SC 29405

Transit Fleet

Current Roster

Fleet
Number(s) 		Thumbnail Build
Date 		Manufacturer Model Engine Transmission Destination Sign Notes
— 2024 Ford
Hometown Mfg. 		F-53
Villager 		Ford 7.3L
Godzilla V8 		Ford 6R140
6-speed automatic 		Hanover G4 Amber
  • 1 unit, unknown fleet number
  • Used on Beach Reach Shuttle
3000-3006 2016 NFI MD30 Cummins ISB6.7 Allison B300R Hanover G4 Amber
  • Used on the DASH routes
3007-3009 2018 ADL Enviro200 Cummins B6.7 Allison B300R Hanover G4 Amber
  • Used on the Dash Routes
3010-3012 2017 NFI MD30 Cummins ISB6.7 Allison B300R Hanover G4 Amber
  • Originally ordered for use on Rt. 7 - HOP Shuttle
  • Now used on the DASH Routes
3013-3015 2013 ADL Enviro200 Cummins ISB6.7 Allison B300R Luminator Horizon
  • Ex-demonstrators; acquired in 2019.
  • Used on the DASH Routes
3500-3510 2010 NFI D35LFR Cummins ISL ZF 6HP594C Luminator Horizon
  • On-board Wi-Fi
  • Rear-mounted HVAC
3511-3515 2011 NFI D35LFR Cummins ISL9 Allison B400R Luminator Horizon
  • Features updated headlights and turn signal arrangements
  • On-board Wi-Fi
  • Rooftop-mounted HVAC
3516 2019 ADL Enviro200 Cummins ISB6.7 Allison B300R Luminator Horizon
  • Ex-demonstrator; acquired in January 2020.
  • Used on the DASH Routes
3517 2018 ADL Enviro200 Cummins ISB6.7 Allison B300R Luminator Horizon
  • Ex-demonstrator; acquired in October 2020.
  • Used on the DASH Routes
3521-3540 2022 Proterra ZX5 35' UQM HD220 Eaton EEV-7202 Hanover G4 White
  • 2021 models
  • Deliveries through the end of 2022
4000-4001 2014 NFI XDE40 Cummins ISB6.7 Allison H 40 EP
hybrid system 		Luminator Horizon
  • 2013 models
  • On-board Wi-Fi
4002-4004 2015 NFI XD40 Cummins ISL9 ZF 6AP1400B Hanover G4 Amber
  • Suburban configuration
  • On-board Wi-Fi
  • Used on Express Routes 1-3
4005-4020 2018 Gillig Low Floor 40'
(G27D102N4) 		Cummins L9 Allison B400R Hanover G4 White
  • 2018-2019 models
  • Suburban configuration
  • On-board Wi-Fi/USB Ports
  • Used on Express Routes 1-3
  • Replaced 1400-series Flxible Metro Ds
4021-4023 2019 Gillig Low Floor 40'
(G27D102N4) 		Cummins L9 Allison B400R Hanover G4 White
4500-4502 2019 Proterra Catalyst BE40 UQM HD220 Eaton EEV-7202 Hanover G4 White
  • First electric buses operated by CARTA
4503-4505 2021 Proterra ZX5 40' UQM HD250 Eaton EEV-7202 Hanover G4 White
4506-4512 2021 NFI XE40 Siemens ELFA2 XALT Energy 450 kWh
lithium-ion batteries 		Hanover G4 White

On Order

Fleet
Number(s) 		Thumbnail Build
Date 		Manufacturer Model Engine Transmission Notes
11 Units 2022-? Proterra ZX5 40' UQM HD250 Eaton EEV-7202

Retired Roster

Fleet
Number(s) 		Thumbnail Build
Date 		Manufacturer Model Engine Transmission Notes
101-113 1999 Chance AH-28 Trolley Cummins B5.9 Allison AT-545
  • Used on the DASH routes.
  • Phased out upon arrival of New Flyer MD30s
114-124 2000 Chance AH-28 Trolley Cummins B5.9 Allison AT-545
  • Used on the DASH routes.
  • Phased out upon arrival of New Flyer MD30s
1402-1441 1994 Flxible Metro 'D'
(40102-4D) 		Detroit Diesel Series 50 ZF 5HP590
  • Last Flxible buses in revenue service in the US & Canada
  • Ex-Golden Gate Transit, same numbers. Bought in 2007.
  • Used on Express Routes 1-3
  • All units retired by October 2019
  • View the series page for detailed disposition info.
1442-1446 2004 NABI 416.14 Detroit Diesel
Series 50 EGR 		ZF 5HP592C
3400-3435 1996 NFI D35HF Detroit Diesel
Series 50 		Allison B400R
  • Last New Flyer high floor buses in revenue service in the US & Canada
  • All units retired by October 2023
  • View the series page for detailed disposition info.

Low Ridership Fleet

Current Roster

Fleet Number(s) Thumbnail Year Manufacturer Model Engine Transmission Notes
(Unknown Amount) 2018 Ford/Champion Champion LF
E450 		Ford Triton
V10 6.8L 		Ford TorqShift®
5R110W
(4 Units) 2019 Ford/Champion Champion LF
E450 		Ford Triton
V10 6.8L 		Ford TorqShift®
5R110W

Paratransit fleet (Tel-A-Ride)

Current roster

Fleet Number(s) Thumbnail Year Manufacturer Model Engine Transmission Notes
5009-5012 2005 Ford/Goshen E-450/GC II
5018-5020 2016 Ford/Goshen E-450/Impulse

On Order

Fleet Number(s) Thumbnail Year Manufacturer Model Engine Transmission Notes
(1 Unit) 2018 Ford/Starcraft E-450/Allstar Ford Triton
V10 6.8L 		Ford TorqShift®
5R110W
(1 Unit) 2018 Dodge

ElDorado

Grand Caravan

Amerivan

Chrysler Pentastar
V6 3.6L 		Chrysler Ultradrive®
62TE
(2 Units) 2019 Ford/Starcraft E-450/Allstar Ford Triton
V10 6.8L 		Ford TorqShift®
5R110W

Retired roster

Fleet Number(s) Thumbnail Year Manufacturer Model Engine Transmission Notes
333-334 2006 Ford/Goshen E-450/GC II
342, 344, 347-348 2009 Chevrolet G3500 GM Vortec V8 6.0L Unknown fleet numbers.
350, 353-354 2010 Chevrolet G4500 GM Vortec V8 6.0L Unknown fleet numbers.
5000 2005 Ford/Goshen E-450/GC II
  • Retired April 2016.
  • VIN: 1FDXE45PX5HA93935.
  • Listed for auction on GovDeals.ca August 2016.

References

  1. ↑ CARTA 2023 Rebrand (Accessed July 10, 2023)

External Links

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