PDRTA tells Cheraw council ridership is rising and asks for higher municipal support

Don Strickman, speaking for the Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority (PDRTA), told the Cheraw Town Council on Dec. 10 that regional ridership and demand-response services have grown sharply and that the authority needs greater municipal support to sustain and expand services.

"We're averaging roughly about 3,000 trips a month now," Strickman said, and he told council that PDRTA recorded about 41,000 trips systemwide this past month, roughly 25,000 of which were workforce-related. He described expanding fixed routes, a Cheraw-Connect route that has doubled in use over the past year to about 700–750 rides per month, and new medical trips connecting Cheraw residents with McLeod and Florence hospitals for chemotherapy and radiation.

Strickman said demand-response trips — door-to-door services for people who do not live on fixed routes — have grown and that the authority is confronting driver shortages and funding shortfalls. "We found throughout all of our municipalities and towns that we're about 200% underfunded from municipalities," he said, arguing that larger local matches are needed to sustain services and expand demand-response capacity.

He described PDRTA's roughly $10 million annual budget breakdown as about 65% federal and state funds and about $1.9 million in local municipality contributions used to match federal grants. He told council the authority has not come to Cheraw for more money since the sh express route began but asked members to consider increasing Cheraw's contribution for fiscal 2025 to maintain growth.

Strickman also said the PDRTA board is missing its 13th member and asked the council to consider nominating a Cheraw resident to serve on the authority's board; he described meetings as monthly lunchtime sessions. He reviewed driver training (two weeks of initial training plus ongoing refreshers, CPR and first-aid certified) and said some operator qualifications differ from school-bus CDL rules.

Council did not take binding action during the presentation. Several council members asked clarifying questions about funding, driver requirements and ridership makeup; Strickman said more local funding would allow PDRTA to add demand-response trips for dialysis and workforce transportation and to coordinate intercounty services for employer hiring needs.

Next steps: the presentation was received for information. Council members suggested further discussion during the town's 2025 budget process and to follow up on the request for a board nomination.