Richland County bus system halts service as Hurricane Florence nears

The COMET, Richland County’s public bus, is suspending all services today.

Buses will stop running after 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13. The suspension of service will continue until further notice, COMET officials say.

“The COMET officials are continuing to work with law enforcement and first responders to monitor changing road conditions and will make any adjustments necessary to ensure the safety of our riders,” said Tiffany James, COMET spokesperson, in a statement.

John Andoh, the COMET director, says if local law enforcement believes road conditions are safe and that running the buses would not have significant impacts on potential rescues, the COMET service could restart.

”We’re concerned that the affects of the hurricane will cause wind and flooding in the Columbia area and we don’t want buses to be stuck and first responders to have to rescue people with the transit system,” Andoh said.

Also, a public meeting concerning COMET services scheduled for Saturday at Cayce and West Columbia library has been canceled until further notice.

Updates on the COMET’s service can be gotten at their Inclement Weather Hotline at 803-255-7118 or at www.catchthecomet.org.

This story was originally published September 13, 2018 at 9:59 AM.