Lowcountry RTA seeks large county match to expand service north of the Broad River after unexpected federal grant

The Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority briefed Beaufort County Council on a multi-county transit funding package that includes operating and capital components and an unexpectedly available federal grant. The agency said a change in Federal Transit Administration practice — returning unused or older grant funds to intended recipients — produced an "extra" capital grant (about $853,000) that the RTA directed toward North-of-the-Broad vehicle purchases and related capital.

RTA leaders said the county's share of local-match obligations rose substantially because the growth in the county’s urbanized area changes which grants and matches apply. The RTA described a combined county request that represents a multi-hundred-thousand-dollar increase relative to the previous year; the agency said it is seeking roughly $81,016 to close a shortfall from last year’s matches and outlined an overall county ask that would be materially higher than the prior request. RTA representatives warned council that operating matches can be 50% of operating cost for some urban grants and that growth on the northern side of the Broad River will increase local-match requirements if service expands.

The RTA also defended two policy choices: using MCI coach buses on long commuter routes because they are highway-durable and operating a fare-free summer trolley on Hilton Head to reduce congestion and maintain ridership. The agency said charging a fare could reduce ridership materially and undermine the congestion-reduction goal; the free trolley carries about 35,000 passengers and would have recovered $35,000 in fare revenue if a $1 fare were applied.

Council members asked for routes and ridership projections, including numbers of riders traveling from North-of-the-Broad into Hilton Head for work; the RTA said the Northern Beaufort Transit Master Plan contains those projections and that ride-origin data can be produced. Several council members expressed support for the concept but noted the county’s millage-neutral constraint and the need to weigh tradeoffs across county programs.