Threat diminished, it’s time to work on improving bus service

If you’ve ever depended on public transit to get to the doctor’s office, arrive at your job on time, go shopping or to do just about anything you wanted to do, you know how critical it is for the Midlands bus system to remain healthy and strong.

So you can imagine the relief that bus riders and supporters felt when Circuit Judge Thomas Cooper made it clear that the S.C. Department of Revenue does not have the authority to withhold penny transportation sales tax revenue from Richland County.

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Judge to order penny tax funds released to Richland County

Editorial: Don’t let Richland penny-tax scandal taint Midlands bus system

Is county spending road money legally? Wisely? The jury’s still out

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When people start meddling with the bus system and its funding source, we riders get antsy. And for good reason: It was just a few years ago that what’s now known as the COMET was a mere shell of a bus system. The bus system, which was woefully inadequate from the start, had been crippled by a 45 percent reduction in service; key weekend routes and other pivotal services were lost.

But the passage of the Richland County penny transportation tax in 2012 brought new hope and new life to the system. The sales tax program includes dedicated funding for the COMET, which has restored lost service, introduced new routes and made other improvements to enhance riders’ experience. Ridership has increased 150 percent.

The COMET is not simply stable; it’s growing. And it isn’t growing just to serve poor citizens or people without cars; it’s there to support the Midlands economy. As our community grows, it’s critical to have an efficient way to move people about, including getting them to jobs that help drive the economy.

All of that was threatened by the Revenue Department’s attempt to strip Richland County of its ability to administer the penny sales tax. While much emphasis was placed on the impact this could have on road construction, few recognized that the bus system could be threatened as well.

The main reason to approve the sales tax was to provide a permanent funding stream to help support and modernize the public bus system. The sales tax is projected to generate more than $1 billion over about 20 years, with $300 million of that designated for the COMET.

As the COMET has improved services, and much more needs to be done, the grassroots Midlands Transit Riders’ Association has helped to make sure riders’ voices are heard. In addition to our general advocacy for riders, we’ve helped explore new routes and made recommendations about other service adjustments. We are excited about what the future holds.

We’ve been there before: cut back, scaled down and reduced. None of that was good for riders. While we are grateful for Judge Cooper’s ruling, we will continue our efforts to look out for riders and ensure their rights are preserved and services are protected. We’re keeping our eyes and ears open.