About CARTA

 

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Charleston’s Public Transit Site

We’re glad you’re here! This section provides information about CARTA’s history, business opportunities, current operations, and future plans. Thanks to strong community support, CARTA continues to grow and expand its services.

CARTA operates Charleston’s public transportation system, serving the metro area with one of the largest and most respected transit networks in the Southeast. With over 4 million annual riders, CARTA is South Carolina’s largest public transit provider.

Funding comes from multiple sources, including the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT), local farebox revenue, and Charleston County’s ½-cent sales tax. CARTA operates in compliance with regulations from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), FTA, SCDOT, and other federal, state, and local authorities.

Mission Statement

"The mission of the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority is to deliver quality, affordable transit services that link people, jobs and communities in the most efficient manner possible."

We deliver quality, affordable transit services that link people, jobs and communities.

Our Commitments

  • Setting clear goals, standards and priorities.

  • Communicating openly with customers and employees.

  • Helping all of our employees develop to their fullest potential through enhanced training and education.

  • Being accountable to fellow employees and customers.

  • Supporting employees so that they can serve customers.

  • Engaging employees in decisions that affect them and their work and creating a stronger sense of ownership among our employees.

Our Values

Courteous
Creating a pleasant environment for ourselves and our customers.
Innovative
Seeking out and encouraging employees who initiate change, improvement, learning and advancement of our goals.
Motivated
Striving to meet each task with spirit, enthusiasm and a sense of pride to be second to none.
Professional
Provide transit service with the highest standards of quality and safety for our customers and ourselves.
Reliable
Dependable, maintaining the highest standard of trust for our customers and fellow employees.
Results-Oriented
Focus on getting the job done and derive personal satisfaction from the service we provide.
Recent Public Meeting

Agenda and notes from our most recent public meeting. →

Media Inquiries

Policy and guidelines information for CARTA to effectively and quickly handle any media requests. →

Reports & Notices Archive

An archive of notes from CARTA-sponsored public meetings and events for the past 3 years. →

Employment Opportunities

View positions for which CARTA is currently accepting applications. (Operated by National Express). →

Intermodal Facility Project

Amtrak, CARTA, and Southeastern Stages will be centralized in this multimodal transportation hub in North Charleston. →

Bus Rapid Transit Project

A transit alternative designed to improve transit service and enhance regional mobility along the 22-mile I-26 corridor. →

Plan Your Trip
Transit App

Download “Transit” and travel like a true Charlestonian.

Available in the App Store and on Google Play, “Transit” offers numerous features to help you easily navigate around Charleston.

Bus Route: See vehicle locations in real time, find nearby stops, and receive stop announcements.

Service Alerts: Keep on top of schedule changes, stop relocations and other unexpected surprises.

Favorites: Always take the same bus? Move it to the top of the list by adding it to your favorites.

Timetables: View the full schedule for a route and set alarms to remind you to leave.

Countdowns: Get real-time predictions based on data from the transit agency.

“Go”: Get step-by-step transit directions and notifications about when to leave for your trip and when to get off the bus.

Plan a trip!: Compare trips side by side with your preferred transport modes selected.

View Transit 101

Download TransitApp from Google Play Store
Download TransitApp from Apple Store
TransitApp