(WSPA) – Greenlink is looking to improve public transit in Greenville and beyond in 2023 while it builds the proper funding.
Greenlink said it provided nearly 700,000 rides in 2022 and that it had no plans in place for improvement in 2023.
After several listening sessions, Greenlink took the community’s feedback and now is planning on some major improvements this year. They’re now looking at ways to better bus stops, electronic payments, its live bus tracker app, and more.
“Expanded services, having a bus come by every 30 minutes vs every 60 minutes as it currently operates,” said Greenlink Marketing and Public Affairs Manager Nicole McAden. “Having new bus routes serve new areas, places like Travelers Rest, Greer, Fountain Inn, and just reach more places in Greenville than we are currently able to do.”
McAden said these upgrades, along with new benches, shelters, and solar lights at different stops are in Greenlink’s development plan; they just need additional funding.
“There are discussions about what type of recurring dedicated revenue system could be set up moving forward that could increase that funding to allow for those expansions.” McAden said.
McAden said most of Greenlink’s funding comes from appropriations from the City of Greenville and Greenville County, but a recent grant of federal funding could help speed up these improvements.
“We actually won almost $6 million in grant funding from the federal government last year,” said Greenlink Transit Planning Manager Kayleigh Cleek. “We don’t have that money in hand yet but we’re working towards that.”
“With the customer listening session information we’ll be able to prioritize the stops for upgrades with that funding once we have it in hand,” Cleek explained.
