About CARTA Now & Next
CARTA Now & Next is our agency’s plan for short- and long-term improvements to transit services throughout the greater Charleston area. It will provide CARTA and BCDCOG with updated direction to offer the best service possible for its riders, within the agency’s available resources.
This project will result in two reports that will help guide CARTA service updates moving forward, a Short-Range Transit Development Plan and a Regional Transit Framework Plan:
Short-Range Transit Development Plan: This five-year strategy will identify opportunities to improve the system in the near term, focusing on service reliability, network integration with Lowcountry Rapid Transit (LCRT), and opportunities for on-demand transit service. Key tasks will include:
Identify immediate opportunities to improve service reliability and boost ridership
Identify temporary service and bus stop changes needed during LCRT construction
Propose a five-year transit network for after LCRT is constructed to integrate LCRT service with the CARTA network
Regional Transit Framework Plan Update: This long-range framework considers regional growth and needs over the next 10 to 20 years. It will reevaluate priority corridors for more frequent and reliable transit and provide recommendations according to future demographic, market, and technological advancements. Key tasks will include:
Confirm priority corridors for frequent bus service
Determine potential capital and operational improvements needed to support frequent bus service for each corridor
Assess costs and potential funding sources
Why Update CARTA’s Service Plans?
CARTA’s services provide critical connections across a growing and diversifying metropolitan area, but system performance, reliability, and market alignment have been ongoing challenges. Since the adoption of the last Regional Transit Framework Plan in 2018, major progress has been made, including advancing the LCRT project and conducting key corridor studies. However, shifts in travel behavior following the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid population growth, and evolving land use patterns have created new demands that require CARTA’s network to adapt. A fresh analysis of ridership, demographics, and travel flows is essential to ensure services are meeting today’s needs and can scale effectively into the future. CARTA Now & Next will provide CARTA and BCDCOG with clear direction to provide the best service possible for its riders, within the agency’s available resources.
Documents & Resources
Project documents and resources will be added here as they are available. Stay tuned!
Contact Us
Do you have questions about CARTA Now & Next? Contact the project manager Megan Ross at meganr@bcdcog.com!
This plan will address transit throughout the CARTA service area. The map below shows where CARTA provides service today, including local buses, express buses, and DASH routes on the peninsula. Click on the map to enlarge.
