BCDCOG Receives $1.4 Million in Volkswagen Settlement Funds

MONEY TO BE USED FOR ELECTRIC CARTA BUSES, CHARGING STATIONS

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (July 30, 2019) – The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG) today received nearly $1.4 million from South Carolina’s share of the Volkswagen Settlement Fund that will be used to purchase two all-electric buses and a pair of charging stations.

“This is another win for public transit in the Lowcountry,” said CARTA Board of Directors Chairman Mike Seekings. “Clean energy public transportation is vital to our region’s future and the arrival of these environmentally-friendly vehicles will mark another step forward in the ongoing modernization of our fleet and services.”

BCDCOG received $1,386,950 for the vehicles and power stations. The total cost of the purchases will be $1.7 million with 20 percent of that cost covered by Charleston County half-cent sales tax revenue. Further revenue from scrappage of discarded vehicles will also leveraged.

The Volkswagen funds were administered by the S.C. Department of Insurance at Gov. Henry McMaster’s direction. SCDOI partially fund three of eight applications statewide.

“Many people played an integral role in this award including BCDCOG staff and the many supporting parties and entities who wrote letters of support on our behalf,” Seekings said. “We would also like to thank the S.C. Department of Insurance for selecting us and Gov. McMaster for the opportunity.” 

ABOUT CARTA
The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) is a public transportation system dedicated to providing affordable transit in the Charleston community through local fixed routes, on-demand paratransit service, and express commuter routes. For the latest on CARTA, visit www.ridecarta.com, like us on Facebook or follow on Twitter at @RideCARTA. All customers are encouraged to plan rides and track buses with the CARTA-endorsed Transit app.