Greenlink routes need updating to meet workers needs

The current system does not include routes to major employers, retail, airport or many parts of Greenville County.

Greenville has changed a lot in the last decade. But bus routes for Greenlink have not.

As residential hotbeds have shifted, new apartments are built, new retail centers go up and zoning and land use see change. But Greenlink’s fixed bus routes are largely the same as they were since at least 2008.

While Greenlink added a Mauldin-Simpsonville route in 2012, a Greenville to Clemson route in 2013 and downtown trolley service in 2014, the transit provider does not serve BMW or Michelin – two of the Greenville area’s largest employers – nor the Greyhound Bus station, parts of busy Pelham and Woodruff roads, the airport, Greer, Travelers Rest, and Fountain Inn.

A study completed two months ago by Piedmont Health Foundation found lack of transportation to be a primary barrier to economic success formany in Greenville County, and that car ownership is not necessarily an indicator of mobility. Some older adults can no longer use their cars because of their health, while lower-income residents frequently can’t afford gas or car repairs, the study said.

Among 3,527 survey respondents, 37 percent said Greenlink’s bus schedule does not meet their needs. Of those, more than 72 percent said Greenlink service is not provided where they need to go.

“We don’t go to places people need to go and times they need to go there,” said Mark Rickards, Greenlink director. “We’re not trying to get people out of their cars. We’re trying to get people without cars to work, school and the store.”

Grant Sparks, Greenlink’s manager of transit planning since April, said he hopes a comprehensive operational analysis of Greenlink’s transit services will be completed by the end of the year.

Right now, Greenlink knows how many people ride each of its 11 fixed routes but does not know specifically where they get on or off, Sparks said. “To adapt routes to the changing area, we need data. If we are going to eliminate a route or change a route, we need the data to back up that decision. If someone approaches us about a new route, we need to have data,” he said.

The data gathered in the analysis will be used to update Greenlink’s master plan.

The analysis will also take a look at the system’s fare structure. While ridership in 2015 increased from the year before, fare revenue dropped by 4 percent. The downtown trolleys are free and less than 5 percent of riders on the Clemson commuter route pay because those with Clemson University ID’s ride free.

Greenlink wants to extend hours from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., but the change is on hold until the analysis is completed. The transit provider also wants to add Sunday and holiday service.

The Piedmont Health Foundation’s study found “infrastructure in Greenville County makes mobility without a car extremely difficult. Many suburban neighborhoods are sparsely developed and don’t have sidewalks, meaning it’s difficult for a fixed route bus to efficiently serve the area or for a rider to access the bus.”

Expanding service even incrementally will require additional funding.

“We’re spending every dollar we get,” Rickards said. “We’re going to need creative funding mechanisms such as our partnerships with Clemson, St. Francis and the Greenville Drive,” he said.

Rickards said Greenlink will try again for a federal transportation TIGER grant, the winning of which would “transform the public transportation system.”

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