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Resident urges city action after long-distance bus routes left Columbia
Summary
A Columbia resident told council that long-distance bus service leaving Columbia has stopped since February, forcing riders to travel 26 miles to Camden; the mayor and staff said they will follow up and noted prior conversations with Amtrak as a potential partner.
At the public input portion of the meeting, resident Christie Fossum urged the council to help restore long-distance bus service from Columbia, saying that since February there has been no long-distance bus travel departing the state capital and that riders must travel 26 miles to Camden to catch a bus. "There has been no long distance bus travel from the capital of our state out of Columbia to anywhere else," Fossum said, describing the situation as a hardship for people with limited resources.
Fossum said private companies consider ridership and profitability, but asked whether the city or other government entities have initiatives to address the gap. Mayor and staff responded that economic development staff had been working to identify appropriate sites and partners, that discussions had occurred with Amtrak in the past about integrated multimodal stops, and that staff would follow up with Fossum.
Council took the comment and asked staff to follow up with the resident about potential next steps and partnerships.
