By Staff
Manager of plaza reverses stand
By MIKE VOSS, Contributing Editor
Beginning Monday, a stop at Wal-Mart will become part of the Washington bus service route.
The bus will stop at Wal-Mart’s garden-center door Mondays through Fridays at 10:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 2 p.m.
The week before the bus service began on Nov. 20 of last year, the company that manages the property where Wal-Mart and neighboring businesses are located said it would not permit, for the time being, a bus stop on that property.
Local Wal-Mart representatives and Allen Lewis, the city’s public-works director, tried to convince the company to permit a bus stop at or near Wal-Mart. Their efforts failed.
That’s when Mayor Judy Meier Jennette decided to approach the company. After the mayor made a phone call to a company representative, the company reversed its decision, choosing to allow a bus stop on its property.
The bus stop at Wal-Mart results in a slight change to the bus service’s stops at the end of the route.
New times for bus stops are as follows:
Earlier this week, changes to the bus service took effect.
Several new bus stops were added to the circuit, replacing other bus stops that generated little, if any, passengers for the bus service, which began Nov. 20. Buses do not run on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays.
BCDC oversees the Beaufort Area Transit System, which operates and manages the bus service.
Kiricoples said reducing the time between circuits of the route is a significant change.
Riders didn’t like the long delays between circuits of the route, he said then.
The service is available to anyone, but it has been designed for people who do not require any special assistance. The bus stops have been selected because they are sites of frequently used services or are within easy walking distance of numerous other businesses or residential areas.
People who need individual assistance should make arrangements through BATS’ other specialized transit services by calling 946-5778 at least 24 hours in advance to schedule curb-to-curb services.
BATS Fixed-Route Schedule
The BATS bus leaves the BATS office at 9 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on weekdays. It will make stops at the following locations and approximate times:
Route starts over at 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. It ends for the day at 2:10 p.m.