One public transit service eludes Fort Mill, Tega Cay and Lake Wylie. That could change
Fort Mill, Tega Cay and Lake Wylie residents who need to catch a ride could get a new option.
Plans are back on the table to connect those areas with transit services already available to much of the region. Those plans still would require funding and other agreements among municipalities, but there appears to be some level of support.
The Rock Hill-Fort Mill Area Transportation Study convened its policy committee on Friday, which includes Fort Mill and Tega Cay mayors along with a York County Council representative. The policy committee voted to start a pilot transit project process by routing federal money that could be used to support it.
The pilot program doesn’t involve light rail level transit. It would focus on ride programs that seniors could use to get to and from doctor appointments, or workers could use to get to jobs in nearby areas.
Rock Hill has such transit options. York County Access runs through the York County Council on Aging. The city and county each help fund it. With advanced scheduling, riders can get essential service trips 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday for stops at the doctor, pharmacy, grocery store or medical treatment sites like dialysis or chemotherapy. A ride-to-work program operates within Rock Hill city limits. A $2.50 fare each way runs Monday through Friday.
The Lancaster County Council on Aging offers similar service through its Lancaster Area Ride Service. Charlotte has plenty of transit options, including the Charlotte Area Transit System.
Fort Mill, Tega Cay and Lake Wylie are quite literally out of the loop. A Rock Hill rider can schedule a trip to a medical office in Fort Mill and back. A Fort Mill resident can’t schedule a ride. Fort Mill, Tega Cay and Lake Wylie are considered by federal transportation groups as part of the Charlotte metro planning area. Rock Hill and Indian Land are part of the Rock Hill urbanized area.
Historically, that setup hasn’t caused problems with major road funding projects. RFATS often funds road or intersection improvements throughout its membership area, which includes Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Tega Cay, Lake Wylie and Indian Land. Yet for transit service it hasn’t worked smoothly. Historically, for a ride service above the Catawba River it would take a Charlotte transportation group to set up service in South Carolina, in what otherwise is RFATS area.
“We’d like to close that gap,” said David Hooper, RFATS administrator.
The recent push isn’t the first. At least as far back as 2015, Hooper made presentations to the county, Fort Mill and Tega Cay councils on the possibility of a new service. He also worked to change the federal sticking point that traditionally separated the areas north of the Catawba from RFATS transit funding.
Now the path for RFATS to participate is clear. It still would take, as Hooper noted nearly a decade ago, agreements between the municipalities served. Funding amounts weren’t mentioned at the RFATS gathering, but a new service likely would involve some level of funding from Fort Mill, Tega Cay and the county in addition to federal money.
Tom Audette, the York County Council member who sits on the RFATS policy committee, said there is need for this type of service. Especially among the elderly or disabled who haven’t been able to schedule doctor appointments.
“It’s impacted them for years,” Audette said.
RFATS has done some homework on the area. Two main types of transit are possible -- demand response and fixed route. Demand response would allow riders, often older adults, people with disabilities, lower income earners, to schedule specific trips. Fixed route would establish routes to and from concentrated areas of interest, like perhaps Kingsley on S.C. 160.
Population and employment centers could make fixed route an option along S.C. 160 where Kingsley, Baxter and I-77 come together. Largely the pilot program would focus on demand response service.
Discussion Friday centered on a new transit service, with match funding needed from municipalities and a two- or three-year initial operation window. The program likely would take several months to get contracts in place before it could begin.
The new pilot program is part of several larger transit discussions as the area continues to grow. This time a year ago mayors from Rock Hill and Fort Mill pushed to nail down a route for potential mass transit connection into Charlotte. The U.S. 21 corridor has been studied for more than a decade as one likely route.
Several ongoing or newly completed Charlotte-region planning initiatives have identified options there, along U.S. 521 in Indian Land or S.C. 49 in Lake Wylie as viable spots for transit improvement. Light rail was mentioned by many, including Gov. Henry McMaster, as a growing possibility when announcements were made the Carolina Panthers headquarters would relocate to Rock Hill.
