COMET ROLLS OUT NEW SERVICE PLAN AIMED AT IMPROVING ON-TIME PERFORMANCE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pamela Bynoe-Reed
Director of Marketing and Community Affairs/PIO, The COMET
803.255.7139 – o
803.834.1811 - m
Pbynoe-reed@thecometsc.gov
(May 4, 2022) Columbia, SC – The Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority (The COMET) announced the rollout of a service plan aimed at improving on-time performance of its fixed route system.
Beginning Sunday May 8, new schedules and route maps will reflect bus arrivals with updated time points so that riders can better plan their trips. The COMET and its operations contractor, RATP Dev USA have worked in tandem for months to correct glitches in the system which made the service appear less reliable than it should. The COMET is implementing new technology to achieve increased efficiency and deliver enhanced service to its customers. There will be minimal changes to a few routes, but overall service is expected to be more reliable and efficient.
“We really listened to the feedback from our riders through our customer service team and saw that there were many opportunities to improve our overall performance. Reliability was paramount to them,” said Lenny Cooksey, General Manager of RATP Dev USA at The COMET. “Having a more accurate schedule that aligns with designated time points will give our customers more control over planning their travel. They will know where and when to expect their ride.”
Developing the new plan was a major undertaking of an important project aimed to address an issue that has been ongoing for a long time. The COMET/RATP Dev team believes that they have finally come up with a viable resolution.
“The economy of the Central Midlands depends on robust transportation for access to jobs, healthcare and educational resources. As the public transportation provider for Richland and
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Lexington Counties, this is our mandate,” said Derrick Huggins, Interim CEO of The COMET. “I am proud of The COMET/RATP Dev team and how we’ve worked together to make progress in improving our ability to serve the community.”
The updated schedules are available online now at www.CatchTheCOMET.org along with a Trip Planner and “Track My Bus” feature. Paper copies will be available at COMET Central on Friday, May 6.
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About The COMET: The COMET is a service of the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority and provides countywide public transit services on 34 fixed routes, OnDemand/ReFlex services, vanpool service for commuters, subsidy programs with Uber and Lyft and DART for transportation to grocery stores and at night, ADA complementary paratransit service throughout Richland and portions of Lexington Counties and eight Blue Bike bikeshare stations in Downtown Columbia. The COMET transports approximately 2.8 million passenger trips a year on a fleet of more than 80 buses, vans and trolleys. Transit services are provided under contract with RATP Dev USA, Enterprise Holdings, Lyft, Uber and Bewegen. For additional The COMET information, please call (803) 255-7100, TDD/TTY: 711 through the relay service, email: info@catchthecomet.org or visit www.catchthecomet.org.
Catch The COMET…We Will Take You There!
