COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority (COMET) is bringing an end to one of its routes, citing poor ridership.
COMET said on Friday that, as of July 1 it will be suspending service on Route 97 which provides rural service from West Columbia to Batesburg-Leesville via Lexington. The route operates three trips to West Columbia and two trips to Batesburg-Leesville every Thursday.
It also offered door-to-door assistance to those in need, deviating up to one mile off-route to allow passengers to board the bus between stops for an extra $2.
Launched as a pilot program in January 2020, Route 97 has been funded with money from the Federal Transit Administration through the South Carolina Department of Transportation, and local funds from Lexington County.
“We understand that there is a need for viable transportation services in this area to connect eastern Lexington County with services and opportunities in western Lexington County and Richland County," Derrick Huggins, the interim CEO of COMET, said in a statement. "We will take this time to work with Batesburg-Leesville’s leadership and community to explore what type of service we can develop that will work best for them to meet their transportation needs cost-effectively and efficiently.”