Transit task force moves to expand bus service

In its first meeting, Oconee’s Transit Advisory Task Force voted to ask County Council to fund a study to implement an expansion of bus passenger service beyond Seneca and the limited un-incorporated areas now served with Clemson Area Transit routes. Last night’s meeting was only minutes old before Chairman Scott Moulder sensed a consensus of task force committee members that expanding bus service to Walhalla, Westminster, and other parts of the county would fill a need. Among questions to be answered are the exact routes the county service would follow. Six members of the task force attending last night’s inaugural meeting heard an outside consultant report that surveys in 2008 and 2013 demonstrated a need and, in some instances, a willingness to pay a rider’s fee. Moulder, the Oconee County administrator, identified task force member Ed Halbig of Seneca as a key to helping the county assimilate what Halbig’s city has already achieved. At the same time, Moulder made clear the county’s effort must take pains to create a service that won’t interfere with Seneca’s quest to establish its city as the only one in the country with an all electric-powered bus service. Walhalla’s David Underwood asked about the possibility of the county acquiring the gas diesel buses that Seneca will replace with electric buses.