Does Daniel Island need public transportation?

Daniel Island’s evolution as a modern-day community has not included public transportation. Is it really needed? Some say the time has come to accelerate the idea.

Although it is one of the most remote branches of the City of Charleston, there isn’t a regular public bus route on Daniel Island that takes residents to and from the island. While it’s seen as a very affluent community, the island is home to hundreds of affordable housing units and a sizable elderly population.

Raye Chapman is a resident of Seven Farms Village, an affordable housing complex on Daniel Island Drive for seniors. A separate facility for low-income families, Seven Farms Apartments, is located right next door. Although Chapman drives occasionally, she would like to see a bus on Daniel Island.

“There are so many things that a bus would be an advantage to,” said Chapman, who occasionally picks up food for homebound seniors in her building. “I think it would be great to have a shuttle bus that could take us downtown and spend a few hours down there without having to drive and park.”

There’s no arguing with the environmental benefits and reduced traffic accidents, but for some folks with limited incomes, public transits are quite simply the only way to get around. According to William Hamilton, executive director of public transportation advocacy group Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit, many regular automobile drivers don’t see how important transits like CARTA are to many Charleston residents.

“They drive around in their cars, they have air-conditioning, they don’t get wet, but there are people who wake up every morning knowing their entire life hangs on that bus showing up,” said Hamilton.

“For those who do not have cars, it’s very difficult, especially for our seniors,” said Humanities Foundation President Tracy Doran, whose organization builds and manages affordable housing, including the Seven Farms Apartments and Seven Farms Village complexes on Daniel Island. “We do have a transportation bus that they can use for six or more residents that plan an outing.”

“We have a couple of trips a month that we can go to anywhere within 30 miles of Daniel Island,” added Chapman. “But, that’s restricted. We can’t just use the bus to do whatever we want, whenever we want because other properties have to share the bus.”

The transport that the Humanities Foundation offers runs when scheduled by residents.

“We can’t take every individual to doctors’ appointments,” Doran added. “Sometimes, it’s challenging for those who do not have cars to get to their doctors’ appointments or to the grocery store.”

The reason that CARTA and TriCounty Link shuttles do not have dedicated bus stops on Daniel Island could at least partially be attributed to jurisdictional issues.

“Funding from CARTA comes primarily from Charleston County, and Daniel Island is, of course, located in Berkeley County,” said Berkeley Dorchester Charleston Council of Governments Spokesman Daniel Brock, who also serves as a spokesperson for CARTA and TriCounty Link.

The Humanities Foundation attempted to add a CARTA route when the Seven Farms Apartments facility was built, said Doran, but funding for the project was an issue for the bus service.

Brock provided another important reason for the lack of public transit support on Daniel Island, including the Tel-A-Ride service.

“Past analysis has shown a low demand for public transit service, because it really needs to reach a certain threshold, and it’s been shown in the past, it has not reached that level,” he said. “Also, the low [population and housing] densities on Daniel Island don’t lend themselves to traditional public transit.”

Despite this, Doran believes that Daniel Island would greatly benefit from public transportation.

“It would open up the opportunity for folks that do not live on Daniel Island to work on Daniel Island,” she explained. “The people that live there need it and I think it would also open up Daniel Island to people off island.”

Hamilton believes that island residents are entitled to transport.

“They’ve worked a lifetime, they paid taxes for a lifetime, they’ve raised their kids, they’ve served the United States in the military, they’ve been PTA presidents and scout masters. And they should have a way to get to the beach, to get downtown to go shopping, to see their doctor that doesn’t cost them $20 each way,” said Hamilton.

Paid transport, such as cabs and ride-sharing services, can be costly for those on fixed incomes. For example, the ride-sharing app Uber charges roughly $9 to get to Belle Hall Shopping Center in Mt. Pleasant from Daniel Island, and $16 to get to the Charleston Public Library downtown. These rates also fluctuate frequently, are subject to surcharges, and only account for one trip, not a roundtrip.

Taking a Charleston Cab Company taxi to get to Belle Hall would result in an $11 fare for residents and a $32 fare to get to the Charleston Public Library. Additionally, their rates are subject to adjustment by driver, surcharges may apply, and also only account for one trip.

Hamilton laid out his solution to these problems.

“Daniel Island needs a bus which links North Charleston to Mount Pleasant and stops on Daniel Island. And it could connect with the bus in Mt. Pleasant at Wando Crossing Shopping Center, or better at Town Center,” he said.

CARTA, TriCounty Link and the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG) have recently shown interest in hearing from the Daniel Island community about its public transportation needs. The three entities planned to host a listening session with residents at the Daniel Island Library on Tuesday, July 17, from 1 to 3 p.m., after this issue went to print. Look for coverage of the session in next week’s issue of The Daniel Island News.