NEWBERRY COUNTY — Newberry County Council heard from John Andoh, executive director of The COMET, about the upcoming pilot program that will bring a bus route back to Newberry.
“The route is due to start on Tuesday, May 29, and it is going to restore public transit service from Downtown Columbia to Newberry, via Harbison, Ballentine, Chapin, Little Mountain, then Newberry,” said Andoh. “There will be one round trip in the morning and one round trip in the evening. In essence, commuters from Newberry can go to jobs in Columbia, and residents in Columbia can go to jobs in Newberry.”
Andoh revealed that they will be working with the major employers to have stops at some of the manufacturing plants, such as Samsung. They will also be servicing Piedmont Technical College.
“Hopefully we can build ridership in the reverse commute direction. Same thing will occur in the p.m. hours,” he said.
The route will run Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays, the route will be in service roughly 251 days out of the year. The COMET will also bring several amenities with the route and include an emergency ride home program for those who need to be home prior to the end of the day.
“They may need to go home earlier than the bus can bring that person home. They will be able to use this program four times a year, The COMET will reimburse them through the use of Uber, Lyft, Taxi or other means so the person can go back home during the day,” Andoh said.
To start, the route will utilize a 25 foot bus, a small cutaway bus, Andoh said. This will seat 22 passengers. However, if they see growth, he said they will expand to a 35 foot bus, possibly even a 40 foot bus. The buses are also handicap accessible.
Passes to ride can be purchased multiple ways, including through the mail, on the bus itself, on the website (catchthecomet.org) or via the app (Catch the Comet).
The buses will also have features such as Wi-Fi, charging ports, bicycle racks and more, they also come equipped with security cameras.
To help fund the route, The COMET is using two federal government grants, as well as making a split on the local match between Richland and Lexington Counties. The cost to ride the route will also help with costs.
“We also submitted a request asking if Newberry County would be willing to contribute seed money to help with the local match contribution,” he said.
If this one year pilot is successful, The COMET Board of Directors will determine extending it to become permanent.
The fares will be, four dollars one way, six dollars for a day pass (unlimited rides on The COMET system), seven day pass at $28, and a 31 day pass for $80. Anyone who purchases a one way fare will receive a free transfer for 60 minutes.
“Looking for 10 passages per trip for the service to be determined successful, if it meets that performance objective the Board will be presented with a recommendation to continue the route at the one year period,” Andoh said.
There will also be a survey at the six month period to see if the route is meeting the residents needs, and seek opportunity for improvement.
Other business
• The following Newberry County employees were recognized for their years of service to Newberry County: Ervin West, Facilities Maintenance – five years, Andrew Stout, Sheriff’s Office – 15 years, Ashley Worthy, Sheriff’s Office – 15 years, Tony Moore, Sheriff’s Office -15 years, Daniel Floyd, Sheriff’s Office – 20 years.
• Council approved a first reading of an ordinance that amends the Newberry County Code of Ordinances relating to flood damage prevention. FEMA has developed new flood maps for the lake shore at Lake Greenwood in Newberry, Laurens and Greenwood counties. The major change is that the Base Flood Elevation has been dropped two feet, from 442’ above Mean Sea Level to 440’ above mean sea level.
• Council approved a bid from Goodlett Equipment, for $36,393, for an asphalt roller for Public Works. There were no other bids.
• Council approved a bid from MAR Construction, for $49,700, for Animal Shelter drain lines. The other bid received was from Shady Grove Construction for $51,240.
