Public Transportation In The Region Are The People Getting What Governments Are Paying For?

Public transportation is an affordable mobility option for residents of the Pee Dee Region. Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority (PDRTA) provides fare-free transit in many of the counties we serve. We can sustain the fare-free routes due to the additional federal funds received in 2021. Federal support, in conjunction with local partnerships, has expanded funding availability for PDRTA, ensuring our communities can count on us for more frequent and reliable bus service.

PDRTA has worked together for years with area stakeholders to help meet the needs of the citizens across the Pee Dee area. We are fortunate to have amazing local partnerships which have helped countless individuals reach their place of employment, medical appointments, educational institutions, shopping, banks, and other destinations. The partnerships are required in the form of local matching funds to secure the Federal funds needed to provide the service. Once we secure the adequate local funding, the Federal funding can be accessed to provide the service. Roughly 70% of the service expense is covered by Federal funds with the remaining 30% covered by local and state support. PDRTA operates as a non-profit and political subdivision of the state.

At PDRTA, the costs of providing public transportation service fall into two main categories, operating expenses, and capital expenses. Operating expenses include vehicle operation and maintenance, and general administration. Capital expenses are related to the purchase of equipment, such as buses. The federal funds allowed PDRTA, and our riders get back on our feet during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensured our buses continued to run as an essential service during a time it was most needed in our communities. The safety of our staff and passengers is our number one priority at PDRTA. We have established disinfecting protocols, prompted by the pandemic, which have now become a daily mandate. We are proud to have played a vital role in getting essential workers to and from their jobs with no additional safety risk from COVID-19.

Realizing the need for mobility in our rural areas, PDRTA also kicked off our Demand Response services in to get folks to important medical appointments, grocery stores, pay bills and the like.

In May of 2021 PDRTA began the Marion County Demand Response service that covers all of Marion County providing reliable public transportation from the passenger’s home to their destination. Passengers schedule these trips by calling the day before. We have seen approximately 12% growth month over month since inception with a need to add additional service. In December 2021 PDRTA began the Johnsonville-Pamplico-Florence Commuter route that operates Monday-Wednesday- Friday. This route has employees and patients utilizing the service to reach MUSC Health, McLeod Hospital, and other health facilities in Florence. Moving forward, we plan to add Tuesday and Thursday to this service as well as demand response service to reach those passengers who are not within proximity of the fixed route.

We look to the future with plans to expand transportation services in Society-Hill. This will become the Society-Hill/Dovesville/Hartsville/Darlington route and will tie into Darlington and to the Florence commuter. PDRTA has had great conversations with leaders in Pageland and Chesterfield in Chesterfield County. Further development in Chesterfield County is another project on the radar for 2022-2023. Additionally, PDRTA is focused on re-opening our Marion County facility for connectivity in the Marion/Mullins area. We look forward to the continued support from our local business partners across the Pee Dee in helping us make our plans a reality in 2022 as our communities need these services.

Transit can make a difference for people with limited mobility. Transit can also provide local economic stimulus by attracting more people to our community, making it a destination for shoppers and employers. The federal funding for public transportation in the Pee Dee region has been a blessing for increasing our ridership. Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority IS making a significant difference.

PDRTA’s Executive Director Don Strickland says, “We look forward to the continued growth and each new partnership being formed in the Pee Dee Region. New public transit service has a major economic impact on the areas we serve. Every passenger that steps on our bus is either going to earn money or going to spend money at local establishments.”