No Thanks: Beaufort County rejects feds bus grant

BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) — Beaufort County is telling the federal government thanks, but no thanks, for a $3 million grant to expand public bus service.

The Beaufort Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/wrT6aS h) the county has decided to pass on the money after a county committee concluded the grant would cost more than it’s worth.

The money could be used to buy new buses or put in bus stops, but can’t be used for day-to-day operations.

The county staff concluded that if the bus service expanded, it would cost an additional $1.5 million to operate.

The cost could have been split between the county, Beaufort Memorial Hospital, the Technical College of the Lowcountry, the University of South Carolina Beaufort and local military bases.

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Information from: The Beaufort Gazette, http://www.beaufortgazette.com