To provide safe, reliable, affordable and courteous mass public transportation that enhances the quality of life for residents and supports the growth of tourism.
In July 1983 the vision of three
men, Ivory Wilson, Clarence Watkins, and J. R. Taylor, came to
fruition with bus service for the area being provided by Coastal
Rapid Public Transit Authority (CRPTA).
The dream actually began on July 4, 1980 when Wilson, Watkins and
Taylor began planning to provide Horry and Georgetown counties
transportation for those in need to places of employment, shopping
and medical offices.
The company began with six GM buses on lease from the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. In that first year the new transit company enjoyed an average of 332 boarding's each day. The following year that number grew to 729.
For 16 years the company operated as a private, non-profit organization governed by a three member board, Wilson, Taylor, and George Richardson. In 1999 CRPTA became the public, non-profit Waccamaw Regional Transportation Authority guided by an 11 member board of directors. The RTA has done business as Lymo and now, Coast RTA.
Coast RTA is operated with a dedicated staff that
is quite proud of their accomplishments and contributions to the
community. The company operate vehicles ranging from 18-passenger
to 40-passenger buses and presently services seven fixed routes. In
addition the company provides Paratransit services and limited
contract services.
Coast RTA is fortunate to receive significant local funding from:
These local funds are used to match both Federal Transit Administration and South Carolina Deparment of Transportation/Mass Transit Division allocations.
The future is bright for Coast RTA. Significant steps are taking place to better communicate the company's services through better signage and literature. New bus shelters will soon be placed at significant locations adding to the passengers comfort. As bus acquisition continues, new routes designed for where people want to go will be introduced. An Automatic Vehicle Location system (AVL) is being investigated and an Inter-Agency Transfer Hub is rapidly climbing to the top of Coast RTA's needs list.
With anticipated funding increases and major growth in ridership, Coast RTA is on the verge of truly meeting its Mission Statement. The next 25 years promise to be exciting and fulfilling.
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