Johns Island, South Carolina — TriCounty Link Transit, which mostly serves rural towns in the Lowcountry, aims to improve service efficiency, effectiveness, and convenience in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties.
The agency is holding a series of open houses to get public feedback on how it might better serve riders.
Matthew Spath, communications director for the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments, which manages TriCounty Link, stated that the region’s rising population is forcing the transit service to look into new ways to improve rider options while lowering traffic.
“How can we help with not only getting people where they need to go from transit but alleviating the stress on our roads every day?” Spath spoke. “The number of cars on the road is increasing, so we must take all conceivable actions to ease this. Looking at the effectiveness of this service is something we believe is critical at this time.”
TriCounty Link launched a system-wide study in January 2025 with four objectives: linking underserved communities to vital job hubs, developing a dependable and efficient service framework, increasing transit in critical locations, and hearing directly from riders who rely on the service the most.
“We’re looking to see how we can be more efficient, more effective and more convenient,” Spath told me. “As the TriCounty community continues to grow, we’re looking for ways to enhance our services and make them better for everyone.”
Residents are invited to one of three in-person open houses to provide feedback on near-term ideas, such as additional routes and amended working hours. Spath stated that the reforms might be achieved within three to five years.
Long-term ideas, which might take up to a decade, include broadening the service area and introducing new options including Dial-A-Ride Transportation (DART), on-demand service, and volunteer driver programs.
“I think the biggest thing for us is getting to know our riders,” Spath told reporters. “We’re looking at routes that don’t have as much ridership as they could, the ones that do have high ridership and how we can enhance them, and areas where we see opportunities to grow.”
The inaugural open house was held on Monday, November 17, at the Johns Island Library.
The second will take place on Tuesday, November 18 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the St. Stephen American Legion Hut in Berkeley County.
The third will take place on Wednesday, November 19 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Doty Park Depot in Summerville.
“We really need their input,” Spath explained. “This is about making transit easier and more effective for them, and it’s very important.”
A virtual open house is set for Monday, December 6. Registration is required.
Feedback can also be provided via an online survey.
