DeMoura Gets On Board with CARTA

It’s hard to escape all the orange traffic construction barrels across Mount Pleasant. The town’s various traffic projects are causing gridlock during most evening and morning commutes.

So on Wednesday, Town Administrator Eric DeMoura hopped on a CARTA bus in an effort to show the public that mass transit is easy, affordable and that it can ease traffic woes.

“We have more than $150 million in transportation projects ongoing in the Town of Mount Pleasant,” DeMoura said after his bus stopped just outside Town Hall. “Riding CARTA is a way for residents to alleviate some of the congestion.”

DeMoura’s bus arrived on time a few minutes after 9:20 a.m. That’s a bit of a late start for the town’s top full-time executive, but he said the ride was convenient and fast, and he predicted he would use CARTA again.

CARTA ridership on Route 40, the bus line serving communities east of the Cooper River, has been increasing.

As of June, 15,207 individuals used the Route 40 line. That’s an 22-percent increase from fiscal year 2010 when 12,446 passengers used the Mount Pleasant bus line, according to CARTA spokeswoman Michelle Emerson.

CARTA makes seven stops in Mount Pleasant: Wando High School, Mount Pleasant Hospital, Oakland Plantation, Towne Centre, Wando Crossing, Houston Northcutt and Mary Street/Meeting Street.

The buses load and unload passengers 15 times at each stop between 6:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. during weekdays. Weekend schedules vary.