News & Announcements

June 17, 2020 Revised agenda

June 5, 2020

CARTA service in downtown Charleston will be suspended at 9 p.m. on Friday due to a city curfew. The last trip from downtown on Route 10 will depart Meeting and Mary at 9:05 p.m. Route 10 will continue to operate after 9 p.m. north of the Superstop at Cosgrove Avenue in North Charleston. Regular service is expected to resume Saturday, but may be impacted by additional evening curfews. Please check back for updates.

June 1, 2020

All CARTA services will be suspended at 6pm due to area curfews except for Express service. Regular route service final trips will be made in the 5pm hour.  Express services will continue as scheduled with final trips occurring in the 7pm hour.  Service expected to start tomorrow at regular scheduled times.

May 31, 2020

All CARTA services will be suspended at 6pm due to curfew.  Final trips will be made in the 5pm hour.

Per the City of Charleston’s request, CARTA will not provide service to the King Street corridor until further notice.

UPDATE: May 30, 2020 11pm

All CARTA services will be suspended at 11pm on 05.30.2020 due to county-wide curfew.

May 30, 2020 7pm

All downtown service have returned to regular schedules.  Expect some minor delays as services resume regular routes and schedules.

Temporary service disruptions impacting all routes traveling in the downtown area 

Effective May 30, 2020 5pm

At this time all service in the downtown area is being temporarily suspended due to road closures in the area.

• Joseph Floyd Manor will be the final stop going into the downtown area for routes 10, 11, 102, 40 and 41.
• Routes 30, 31 and 33 will continue service in the West Ashley area only.
• All DASH and HOP Route 7 service temporarily suspended.

Updates will be provided when routes can return to regular service.

ALL PASSENGERS REQUIRED TO WEAR FACE COVERINGS BEGINNING MAY 26

CHARLESTON (May 20, 2020) – The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) and TriCounty Link will return to full operations on Tuesday, May 26, with limited exceptions.

All riders will be required to wear masks or face coverings while on board and the agencies will be dispensing masks to those without them, along with hand sanitizer. Riders are also encouraged to maintain as much distance from each other and bus operators as possible.

Route 4 Airport Express and Route 203 Medical Shuttle will not return to service on the 26th, but will be back at a future date. The Route 7 HOP Shuttle will continue to operate on a limited basis for the time being. Full Tel-A-Ride service will resume June 1.

Return to Regular Service

As CARTA service returns to regular levels, staff will continue to closely monitor the ongoing situation related to COVID-19.  The safety of our passengers, employees and community members continues to be our top priority and we will carry forward enhanced protocols aimed at keeping everyone as safe as possible.

All measures put in place are intended to help keep our passengers and staff safe as we continue to move through this pandemic. With that in mind, please note:

• If you feel sick, stay home and do not ride the bus.

• Wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face.

• Cover your mouth with tissue or cough/sneeze into your bent elbow – not into your hands.

Required PPE

• Masks/Face Coverings: All passengers and drivers will be required to wear cloth masks or face coverings when aboard CARTA vehicles. Free masks will be available for riders. Please take only one when needed to ensure we continue to have masks available for all passengers. 
• Refusal to wear a mask or face covering, or acting in an unsafe, manner will result in denial of entry or expulsion from CARTA vehicles.

Social Distancing

• Bus Stops & Shelters: Use social distancing measures when waiting for the bus.
• Boarding: Maintain 3-to-6 feet of spacing between passengers when queuing and boarding. Have fares ready before the bus arrives to allow for a faster process.
• Aboard CARTA Vehicles: Staff is monitoring capacity levels on all vehicles to determine if additional deployment is required to allow for and encourage social distancing. Managing capacity levels is a priority moving forward.
  • Seating: When space is available, please do not sit or stand next to another passenger. Seating near the driver area has been restricted.
  • Partitions: Temporary barriers are in place to separate drivers from passengers. Permanent barriers will soon be installed.

Sanitation

• Buses are cleaned nightly with two hospital-grade disinfectant sprays endorsed by the CDC for their ability to kill Coronavirus and many other viruses. 
• The sprays are dispersed using electrostatic disinfecting, which involves quickly and evenly coating a surface with a disinfecting solution.
• Staff is also wiping down all hard surfaces and high-touch areas when buses are cleaned nightly and managers are visually confirming cleanliness each day.
• We advise riders to try to take special care when riding and use sanitizer or wipes to cleanse any area or item they may come into contact with whenever possible

Please keep in mind that thousands of individuals ride our buses daily. Although it is impossible to keep vehicles completely clean at every moment throughout the day, what we can do is ensure they start out clean, that they are cleaned and disinfected every night and that any safety issues are handled as quickly as possible.

If you see any problems, please inform your driver immediately and/or report it to customer service either through online chat at www.ridecarta.com or by calling (843) 724-7420. Please have the bus number, route and time of day ready when reporting issues and do as quickly as possible to ensure a timely response.

CARTA staff continues to monitor the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and the safety of you — our riders — and our employees is our top priority. Please monitor this page for the latest system-related updates.

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) SERVICE UPDATE 6: May 13, 2020

Effective Thursday May 14, Route 10 and Route Route 102 will be modified to increase service and efficiency.  Route 103 will also begin running on a modified schedule.   These schedules will be in effect until further notice. View Route 10 Rivers Ave., Route 102 special schedule, Route 103 Leeds Ave. schedule.

View all current operating schedules COVID-19 modified schedule 5/14

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE 5: April 9, 2020

Effective Friday, April 10, Route 102 North Neck will operate on a special schedule in order to provide area residents with transportation to essential services such as food and health care. Route 102 will operate from about 8:30 a.m. until about 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday. This schedule will be in effect until further notice. View Route 102 special schedule.

View all current operating schedules COVID-19 modified schedule 4/10

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE 4: April 2, 2020

Effective Monday, April 6, several of the routes operating on modified Sunday schedules will be adjusted to improve efficiency and, in some cases, increase frequency. Routes 10, 11, and 12 will be impacted.

View schedules that go in effect on Monday, April 6.

Trident Tech Loop
On Monday, Route 10 will no longer  travel around the Trident Tech loop and therefore will not serve bus stop No. 24 College Dr./Trident Tech and No. 25 Mabeline Rd./Trident Tech until further notice.  A temporary bus stop has been added to Rivers Avenue across from Trident Tech in front of the Textbook Broker store.

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE 3: March 20, 2020

The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) will run on a Sunday schedule beginning Monday, March 23, in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Exceptions apply on Routes 10, 11, 12, 32 and 33, which will operate on Sunday service plus additional hours of operations. Express routes 1, 2 and 3 will run on a regular schedule. Frequency will be temporarily reduced on the HOP shuttle and DASH Route 211. Express Route 4 will be suspended.

Route 10: First trip leaves Rivers Avenue and Mall Drive at 6:05 a.m. and services the Superstop at 6:16 a.m. Several additional morning trips will be added. Passengers should follow the regular Sunday schedule for the remainder of the day. View the COVID-19 modified schedule.

Route 11: First trip leaves Meeting and Mary streets at 5:54 a.m. First trip leaves Tanger Outlets at 6:38 a.m. Several additional morning trips will be added. Passengers should follow the regular Sunday schedule for the remainder of the day. View the COVID-19 modified schedule.

Route 12: First trip leaves the park-and-ride at 6:20 a.m. First trip leaves the Superstop at 7:45 a.m. Several additional morning trips will be added. Passengers should follow the regular Sunday schedule for the remainder of the day. View the COVID-19 modified schedule.

Route 32: First trip leaves the Superstop at 6 a.m. First trip leaves Citadel Mall at 6:33 a.m. Several additional morning trips will be added. Passengers should follow the regular Sunday schedule for the remainder of the day. View the COVID-19 modified schedule.

Route 33: First trip leaves Ashley River/Bees at 6:01 a.m. First trip leaves Meeting and Mary streets at 7 a.m. Several additional morning trips will be added. Passengers should follow the regular Sunday schedule for the remainder of the day. View the COVID-19 modified schedule.

NOTE: Modified Sunday schedule will operate Monday-Saturday until further notice. Sunday routes will operate on a regular Sunday schedule.

HOP: Half-hourly service between 9 a.m. and 10:26 p.m. First trip leaves the HOP lot at 9 a.m. and the last trip leaves at 10 p.m.

DASH Route 211: Reduced frequency. Service approximately every 20 minutes. First trip departs at Spring Street at 8:16 a.m. Passengers should follow the regular Sunday schedule for the remainder of the day.

Express 1, 2, 3: Will run on regular weekday schedule.

Express 4: Suspended until further notice.

Tel-A-Ride: Service will continue to operate.

CARTA Facility Leeds Ave.: The building will be closed to the public starting Monday.  Tel-A-Ride customers with expired ID’s will be allowed to ride until further notice.

Pass Sale Update Effective March 20

At this time and until further notice, certified mail fee is waived.

Passes can be purchased:

• Online (Passes will be mailed; available unless/until administrative office closes.)
• Piggly Wiggly, Yeamans Hall Road
• Piggly Wiggly, Otranto Road
  • Note: Pass sales at Piggly Wiggly stores will continue unless/until closures due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

“CARTA is a mobility lifeline for many people, including those who work in healthcare facilities, grocery stores and other critical service providers needed at this time,” said CARTA Board of Directors Chairman Mike Seekings. “We want to offer transportation to those individuals as long as we can in a safe manner and in accordance with emergency guidelines. We encourage everyone else who can to stay home as we continue to monitor the situation closely.”

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE 2: March 19, 2020

• Expired ID Cards – Due to the closure of SC Works offices, riders with expired Low Income ID’s will be allowed to ride until further notice.
• Route 203 Suspended service – Due to parking services consolidation that will allow Medical University of South Carolina staff to park closer to facilities, MUSC has requested the suspension of Route 203 Medical Shuttle beginning Saturday, March 21, until further notice.  All other CARTA routes continue to operate as scheduled at this time.  Check here and on CARTA social media channels periodically for further updates.

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE 1: March 16, 2020

At this time, all routes will continue to run as scheduled.  CARTA staff continues to monitor the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and a number of safety measures related to bus sanitation remain in place.  Riders should continue using preventative actions to prevent the spread of the virus and only essential trips are recommended at this time.  Any service changes will be posted via:

• CARTA website (ridecarta.com)
• Most social media platforms (Facebook, twitter) @ridecarta
• Transit App (Available for download at app store and google play)

Riders using the transit app will receive text messages if and when service changes are made.

CARTA staff will continue to monitor the situation closely and post updates when necessary.

**Tricounty Link routes also continuing to run as scheduled.

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19): March 10, 2020

CARTA officials continue to monitor and remain in close communications with federal, state, regional and local officials regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19).  The safety of employees, passengers, and partners are a top priority.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) stated the risk to the public remains low and there is currently no evidence of ongoing transmission in the community at this time.  The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to this virus.  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyday preventative actions  to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses like COVID-19, as well as influenza and the common cold including:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.  If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Cough and sneeze into your elbow, not your hand.  Alternatively, cough or sneeze into a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

CARTA Bus Cleaning

Currently, as part of regular operations, CARTA buses are cleaned on a nightly basis.  Additional preventative measures include:

• Increasing usage of additional disinfectant sprays.
• Focusing on deeply cleaning high touch areas more frequently.

**Disinfectant sprays used in the cleaning process are recognized by the CDC as chemical sprays that kill the Coronavirus as well as many other viruses.

Other measures to help prevent the spreading of the virus include:

• Additional hand sanitizer placed throughout the main operating facility.
• Increased frequency of cleaning/sanitizing public areas

CARTA staff will continue to monitor the situation closely and post updates when necessary.

Tel-A-Ride Paratransit Service Proves Itself Critical During Covid-19

NORTH CHARLESTON (May 12, 2020) –  The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) recently partnered with a local church to deliver much-needed groceries to a host of blind and visually impaired residents in the Charleston area.

Joining with Calvary Lutheran Church in West Ashley, CARTA provided two Tel-A-Ride paratransit vans as delivery vehicles for the Friday afternoon support. (more…)

Local Distillery to Help Keep Public Transit Riders Healthy During Crisis

CHARLESTON (May 11, 2020) – The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) received delivery of a 55-gallon container of hand sanitizer from a downtown Charleston distillery Monday.

Partnering with local spirit maker High Wire Distilling Company, CARTA picked up the drum filled with hand sanitizer, which will be used throughout the CARTA transit system in an effort to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 across the region. (more…)