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COMET presents ridership and service update for Lexington County routes; no county funding request included
Summary
The Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority (The COMET) presented a ridership and service overview for Lexington County routes, showing ridership growth and describing how county revenue supports local service; presentation was informational and no specific county appropriation was requested at the meeting.
Officials from The COMET (Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority) presented a system update to Lexington County Council Wednesday, reviewing recent ridership gains, route-level service in the county and the funding mix that supports transit operations.
COMET representatives summarized systemwide growth since 2012 — additional routes and buses, greater mileage, passenger‑amenity investment (shelters and benches) — and said county services continue to show ridership increases. The presentation included a route‑by‑route breakdown for Lexington County, showing relative revenue‑hour percentages and ridership trends; speakers noted several Lexington‑serving routes posted double‑digit ridership increases year‑over‑year while one route posted a slight decrease that staff said they would target with marketing.
Funding context: COMET staff noted that Richland County sales tax makes up a large share of COMET funding and that Lexington County represents a smaller share of operating support; the presentation listed Lexington County local funding at about 1% in the funding breakdown. COMET officials emphasized federal, state and regional funding for capital purchases and the use of grants for bus procurement and passenger-amenity investments.
Council response and next steps: Council members asked clarifying questions about per‑hour operating cost estimates and how revenue hours were apportioned to Lexington County. COMET said it would provide follow‑up detail from the National Transit Database and from its internal revenue‑hour calculations as requested. No funding motion or action was taken during the meeting; the presentation was informational.
