The COMET in the Community

Thanks to the voters of Richland County, with the support from the Transportation Penny Tax Program, The COMET has worked diligently to build on its positive impact in Richland County. 

The COMET and Crises

The COMET has supported riders in the Midlands in crisis and in calm. During the COVID-19 pandemic, free transportation was provided to people who needed to get their vaccines. Late-night service subsidies were given to Richland County residents through a partnership with Lyft, as well as transportation to people living in food deserts. Additionally, meals were delivered to seniors in the area in collaboration with local social service organization Senior Resources.

The COMET and Education

The future of those in the Midlands is extremely important to The COMET, which is why The COMET has partnered with numerous Richland County-area schools and school districts. Students, staff and faculty from Allen University, Benedict College, Columbia College, Midlands Technical College, as well as school districts Richland 1, Richland 2 and Richland-Lexington 5, can ride for free by just showing their school identification. The COMET also operates USC Transit, which allows students, faculty and staff of the University of South Carolina to ride the campus-wide system free of charge by showing their school identification.

The COMET and Businesses

The COMET also built partnerships with area businesses (McEntire Produce), major hospitals (Lexington Medical Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Prisma Health and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) and Fort Jackson, which allows their employees to ride our system free of charge by showing their work identification.

At The COMET, we are committed to truly serving those around us — and the Richland County Penny Tax helps us meet that commitment.To learn more about the benefits to Richland County made possible through Richland County voters’ approval of the Richland County Penny Tax program, check out richlandpenny.com.