COMET bus rolls out service changes

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Columbia, SC –The COMET is getting ready to put service enhancements in effect beginning Monday, August 19, 2019.

Transportation officials say the move is an effort to improve on-time performance, and will cause many of the current routes for The COMET to be rescheduled.

What COMET officoals are calling a “new pulse system” will be put in place at COMET Central which is located at the corner of Laurel and Sumter Streets, as well as at SuperStops located throughout Richland and Lexington Counties.

Most routes will leave the COMET Central at :15 and :45 past the hour, every hour. This will give those who want to ride the bus a betterbchance of making transfers for a five minute period, since all of the routes will arrive at the same time.  Officials say it will also reduce travel times for more than 60% of The COMET passengers traveling around the area. Additional changes include:

• The 501 on Two Notch Road will operate every 20 minutes between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and every 30 minutes all other times, including weekends.
• Route 96L is a new route serving only Cayce and West Columbia with connections to Route 91 at Kmart for travel into Columbia or to Springdale every 60 minutes and replaces Route 26.
• Soda Cap Connector Orbit route is a downtown circulator that will travel on Sumter, Blossom, Assembly and Richland Streets, every 30 minutes, seven days a week and its free.
• Route 45 will operate every 30 minutes all day on weekdays and connect with The 401.
• Routes 46 and 47 in the Lower Richland and Eastover area will become flex routes and Route 47 will operate on Saturday, plus serve the Congaree National Park.
• Route 83L will be extended to Dutch Square Center and travel to Midlands Technical College – Harbison via St. Andrews Road, Harbison Boulevard and Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge. All Route 83L trips will become Route 84 at Dutch Square Center to travel to Riverbanks Zoo and Downtown Columbia
• Route 77 is extended to Polo Road and Two Notch Road.
• New SuperStops created at Dutch Square Center, Patterson & Garners Ferry Walmart, Harden & Taylor and West Columbia Kmart.

To find more information about the upcoming changes you can click on the link provided below. www.CatchTheCOMET.org