The COMET Names Jackie Bowers, Director of Operations
(August 3, 2022) Columbia, SC - Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority (The COMET) is pleased to announce the promotion of Jackie Bowers to Director of Operations.
In this position, Bowers will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the prime contractor to ensure service is being delivered every day and she will continue to direct the customer experience department. She will report to LeRoy DesChamps, Chief Operating Officer.
In her previous role at The COMET as Customer Experience and Contract Compliance Manager, Bowers was responsible for providing oversight to the customer service call center along with activities at COMET Central and monitoring contracted transit operations acting as a liaison between The COMET and the customer facing contracts held by the organization to identify actions needed to improve overall service quality.
“Ms. Bowers brings much value and experience to the work we do at The COMET,” said Interim CEO/Executive Director, Derrick Huggins. “This position is key for establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with other transit agencies, municipalities, and the public to help promote and maintain an effective and efficient public transit system for the people of the Midlands. I am pleased to have Ms. Bowers fulfilling this role as a new director on our team”.
Bowers brings more than 20 years of transportation, operations, and customer service experience. She worked at The COMET for 12 years under Transdev Services, Inc., a prime contractor, as the operations manager and assistant general manager. Her responsibilities included managing the bus operators, supervisors, and dispatchers, preparing route changes and run assignments, and assisting with the negotiation of union contracts. Bowers is a 1987 Graduate of the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.
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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 eastern Lexington Counties and eight Blue Bike bikeshare stations in Downtown Columbia. The COMET transports approximately 2.4 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 COMET information, please call (803) 255-7100, TDD/TTY: 711 through the relay service, email: info@catchthecomet.org or visit www.catchthecometsc.gov.
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