COLUMBIA, S.C. — Passengers in Richland and Lexington counties that depend on The Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority (The COMET) DART (Dial-A-Ride-Transit) paratransit service were left without rides Wednesday morning after drivers did not show up for work due to a contract dispute.
RATP Dev USA is the operations contractor for drivers of the DART subsystem and its subcontractor, Transport Care Services (TCS) actually operates the DART buses.
In a statement from The COMET, by law, The COMET is not allowed to interact with drivers regarding labor issues, it can only urge the parties to come to an agreement to resolve their concerns for the benefit of the passengers and the communities served. Negotiations can only be handled by RATP Dev.
“Passengers affected by the pause in service were contacted immediately so that other accommodations could be made as the parties involved work through the situation to come to an amenable resolution,” said LeRoy DesChamps, Chief Operating Officer of The COMET.
“We expect and need the parties to come together for the sake of the valued population we serve on DART paratransit and prioritize the negotiations so that service may be fully restored quickly.”