THE COMET RECEIVES GRANT TO REDUCE HUMAN TRAFFICKING
(February 10, 2020) Columbia, SC– Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority (The COMET), has been awarded a $151,776 grant by The Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The grant was awarded as part of the FTA’s Human Trafficking Awareness and Public Safety Initiative to reduce human trafficking across the Midlands of South Carolina.
Officials say the grant will allow The COMET to conduct and establish public safety awareness events across the Midlands. The COMET will aide in the development of pamphlets, posters, and other informative materials to increase rider safety and human trafficking awareness. These methods will be designed to inform riders of the transit system.
"The funding announced today will empower transit agencies and other organizations to develop local solutions to address human trafficking on buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation," said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams. "Our goal is to build awareness among all transit operators and the traveling public to enable them to recognize and report potential instances of human trafficking."
“We are grateful for the opportunity to bring awareness and hopefully diminish instances of this terrifying misfortune. We at The COMET want to inform our riders about the dangers and harmful effects of human trafficking,” said Executive Director/CEO John Andoh. “Human trafficking doesn’t just affect an individual’s life but the community as well. Our job is to help prevent circumstances like this from occurring in our service territory.”
With this grant, The COMET continues to expand its focus on a safe and reliable mode of transportation for residents across the Midlands.
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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, five 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 2.8 million passenger trips a year on a fleet of 84 buses, trolleys and vans. Transit services are provided under contract with Transdev, 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.
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