A planned shuttle service for the peninsula’s food and beverage workers seems to be moving along without a hitch, with a possible West Ashley location already being discussed.
The city is polishing up 200 parking spaces on Morrison Drive, according to the Post and Courier. The report also states that CARTA, Charleston’s public transportation authority funded by federal, state, and county agencies, has bought three buses for the route in an effort to help alleviate parking congestion in downtown Charleston.
“January seems ambitious, but we’ve been working on this for a long time,” said CARTA board chairman and City Council member Mike Seekings.
Seekings says many of the city’s 7,700 food and beverage employees have demanded this for a while. A College of Charleston study released this year by the Post and Courier found that a little over 38 percent of hospitality workers had been issued a parking citation in the past year, and close to 30 percent of workers spent over $100 a month in parking.
Seekings expects park-and-ride options to spread to places like North Charleston and Mt. Pleasant, and even to other population sectors in the future.
“I got a call from a property owner in West Ashley that is interested in getting in touch with the city,” Seeking said. ““Ultimately, I think this is a service that will be good to all workers and visitors. (Food and beverage) was a natural place to start,” Seekings said.
The CofC study found that 40 percent of the employees surveyed lived in West Ashley.
A way to determine who can qualify for the service, and what it will cost, has yet to be determined.
“We’re gonna sit down and partner up with people in the industry interested in using this service and come up with a method of identification, which has not been drafted or identified,” Seekings added.
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