Regional transit director reports rising ridership and new shelters; asks for local hires

Don Strickland, executive director of the Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority, briefed the council on service improvements and ridership growth in Hartsville and requested local support for staffing needs.

"Right now we're averaging about in the city of Hartsville about 130 trips a day," Strickland said, which amounts to roughly 3,200 trips a month. He said an internal week‑long survey showed approximately 1,900 of those monthly trips are work‑related, about 700 are medical, and roughly 600 are essential‑purpose trips such as grocery shopping.

Strickland described route revisions that removed a low‑ridership segment and rotated service to place stops on the nearer side of the street to improve passenger safety and convenience. He also described a shelter project, completed in partnership with local foundations and Care First Carolina, that installed five shelters and plans five more in the next 60 days; shelters are ADA accessible, have solar lighting, and include USB charging.

PDRTA operates with local support that unlocks federal and state grant dollars, Strickland said; the local budget for PDRTA service in Hartsville is roughly $600,000 per year. He asked the council and the community to help recruit drivers, mechanics, and dispatchers to meet service needs and noted the organization is structured as a political subdivision of the state (operationally similar to a 501(c)(3) for funding purposes).

Council members asked for clarifications about specific shelter locations (noting opposition from one property manager at a Myrtle Street apartment), monthly passenger totals, and details of the route changes. Strickland said the changes increased safety by reducing pedestrian crossings and repositioning stops nearer riders. No action or vote was taken on transit funding at the meeting.