Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority (Palmetto Breeze)
Public transportation for the Lowcountry region ~ Getting you where you need to go. As the transportation authority we will work relentlessly to achieve coordination and pursue customer service satisfaction while providing freedom of mobility and independence to our residents and visitors in an environmentally friendly manner.
Other Information
About This Rendition ~ The Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority (LRTA) has not published a strategic plan with goals and objectives. This composite rendition was compiled from the best information publicly available, from four sources:
(1) the LRTA board page on the Beaufort County website (description, meeting schedule, and County Council oversight): https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov/lowcountry-regional-transportation-authority/index.html
(2) the Palmetto Breeze Mission and Vision page (mission statement): https://www.palmettobreezetransit.com/mission-and-vision
(3) the Palmetto Breeze About Us page (services, service area, history, safety, and staffing): https://palmettobreezetransit.com/about-us
(4) the LRTA's FY2025 funding application to the Town of Hilton Head Island (performance measures, ridership, budget, and funding figures): https://hiltonheadislandsc.gov/budget/FY2025/affiliatedagencies/LowcountryRegionalTransportationAuthority.pdf
Because no goals or objectives have been stated, the Goals in this rendition are inferred from the services and priorities the LRTA describes, and the Performance Indicators are drawn from the measures and figures in the FY2025 funding application. The source of each figure is noted in its Description, and discrepancies in the sources are noted rather than corrected.
For the Transit Implementation Plan the LRTA published in 2020 with the Lowcountry Council of Governments, see: https://stratml.us/docs/PBTIP.xml
History ~ 1978: Beaufort-Jasper Regional Transportation Authority established as the main transit provider for Beaufort and Jasper Counties. 1984: Service extended to Allendale, Colleton, and Hampton Counties and the agency renamed the Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority. 1997: Demand-response service began in Beaufort County. 2001: Three new routes launched with JARC funding. 2003: FAITH volunteer medical transportation program started. 2004: Ashley Plantation Shuttle and Allendale County Scooter (a state pilot project) started. 2006: Bamberg County Handy Ride began (discontinued 2010). 2010: Lowcountry Coordinated Transportation Service began. 2017: Walterboro Works Circular Local Service began. 2018: The Breeze Trolley began on Hilton Head Island. 2020: Commuter and demand-response service continued through the COVID-19 pandemic. 2021: Trolley seasonal routes expanded.
Contact ~ Enid Carranza, Marketing and Communications Manager, ecarranza@palmettobreezetransit.com, (843) 757-5782.
🏢Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority LRTA Operating as Palmetto Breeze, the LRTA provides public transportation in Beaufort, Jasper, Allendale, Colleton, and Hampton counties, with service from 4:30 am to 8:00 pm, Monday through Sunday.
Stakeholders:
Show Hide 5 members | Source & SubmitterSource:https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov/lowcountry-regional-tran... Period: to Published: |
Vision
Our residents and visitors have freedom of mobility and independence in an environmentally friendly manner
Mission
To provide regionally the safest, most innovative, cost efficient, multi-modal public transportation system possible
Goal 1: Commuter Service 🔗
Enhance access to jobs through daily commuter and regular route service
Other Information
Inferred from the commuter and regular routes described on the About Us page (for work, errands, and trips to the coast, with weekly and monthly tickets that save 10 percent) and from the FY2025 application, in which the LRTA assesses its contribution to the local economy in terms of its ability to enhance access to jobs, particularly for commuters who reside outside the immediate area. The application also describes the Bluffton Breeze service and requests a $50,000 contribution toward the local match for the rural commuter program.
Objective 1.1: Jobs Access 🔗
Enhance access to jobs for commuters
Performance Indicators
1.1.1: Commuter Ridership
| Type | Start Date | End Date | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | Remarkably constant | As characterized in the FY2025 application, despite the COVID-19 pandemic; no figures were provided. |
1.1.2: Estimated Economic Benefit of Town of Hilton Head Island Grant
| Type | Start Date | End Date | US Dollars | Basis | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 1,389,210 | 2023 grant of $277,842 times the APTA-standard 5X ratio | FY2025 application estimate. |
Goal 2: Demand Response & Human Services 🔗
Provide demand-response and human service agency transportation
Other Information
Inferred from the About Us page, which describes demand-response (dial-a-ride) service, begun in Beaufort County in 1997, and transportation for human service agencies.
Objective 2.1: Demand Response & Human Services 🔗
Provide demand-response and human service agency transportation
Goal 3: Breeze Trolley 🔗
Support the visitor experience and reduce congestion on Hilton Head Island through the Breeze Trolley
Other Information
Inferred from the About Us page and the FY2025 application. The trolley began in 2018 and added a Mid-Island Route in 2021, alongside the South Island Route. Full seasons in 2021-2023 ran April to September, fare-free. The application also describes a Coligny Beach Parking Shuttle operating weekends from May to September.
Objective 3.1: Ridership & Congestion Relief 🔗
Carry visitors and residents on the Breeze Trolley and reduce congestion
Performance Indicators
3.1.1: Breeze Trolley Passengers
| Type | Start Date | End Date | Passengers | Season | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 2018-07-01 | 2018-10-31 | 5,000 | 2018 ~ Inaugural season (July to October) | |
| Actual | 2019-01-01 | 2019-12-31 | 18,000 | 2019 ~ First full season | |
| Actual | 2020-06-01 | 2020-09-30 | 4,400 | 2020 ~ COVID-shortened (late June to September); fare-free | |
| Actual | 2021-04-01 | 2021-09-30 | 52,000 | 2021 ~ Full season; fare-free; Mid-Island Route added | |
| Actual | 2022-04-01 | 2022-09-30 | 43,000 | 2022 ~ Full season; fare-free | |
| Actual | 2023-04-01 | 2023-09-30 | 34,500 | 2023 ~ Full season; fare-free | An additional 1,300 passengers were carried for the Culture HHI Lantern Parade. |
3.1.2: Cars Kept Off Town Roadways During Peak Season
| Type | Start Date | End Date | Cars | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 2023-04-01 | 2023-09-30 | 12,000 | Approximate; FY2025 application estimate for the 2023 season. |
Objective 3.2: Rider Information 🔗
Inform riders about the Breeze Trolley
Performance Indicators
3.2.1: Rider's Guides Printed and Distributed
| Type | Start Date | End Date | Guides | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 2023-04-01 | 2023-09-30 | 35,000 |
3.2.2: BreezeTrolley.com Web Traffic
| Type | Start Date | End Date | Count | Metric | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 2023-04-01 | 2023-09-30 | 35,796 | Sessions | |
| Actual | 2023-04-01 | 2023-09-30 | 88,799 | Page views |
Goal 4: Safety 🔗
Make safety the top priority
Other Information
Inferred from the mission's commitment to the safest system possible and from the About Us page, which describes safety as the LRTA's top priority and notes SCDOT's recognition of its safety and training program. Safety performance and maintenance achievements are among the internal key performance indicators listed in the FY2025 application; no figures were provided.
Objective 4.1: Safety & Maintenance 🔗
Maintain safety and maintenance performance
4.1.2: Maintenance Achievements
| Type | Start Date | End Date | Description |
|---|
Goal 5: Customer Satisfaction & Public Support 🔗
Satisfy customers and sustain public support
Other Information
Inferred from the mission's commitment to customer service satisfaction and from the internal key performance indicators listed in the FY2025 application; no figures were provided.
Objective 5.1: Customer & Public Support 🔗
Achieve passenger satisfaction, public support, and a positive image
5.1.2: Public Support
| Type | Start Date | End Date | Description |
|---|
5.1.3: Social Media Impact
| Type | Start Date | End Date | Description |
|---|
5.1.4: Overall Image
| Type | Start Date | End Date | Description |
|---|
Goal 6: Workforce 🔗
Recruit and retain skilled staff
Other Information
Inferred from the About Us page's leadership section.
Objective 6.1: Skilled Staff 🔗
Recruit and retain skilled staff
Goal 7: Cost Efficiency 🔗
Operate a cost-efficient system with federal, state, and local funding
Other Information
Inferred from the mission's commitment to a cost-efficient system. Figures are from the FY2025 application to the Town of Hilton Head Island, which requests $203,595 for FY2025 to support public transportation throughout the Hilton Head Island/Bluffton Urbanized Area, plus $50,000 toward the local match for the rural commuter program; the application's Grant Amount Requested field lists their sum, $253,595. Discrepancies noted in the source: the FY2024 operating budget total appears as $5,648,499 on the cover page and $5,648,449 on the budget sheet (the departmental subtotals sum to the latter); the components of the FY2024 Section 5307 project sum to $1,770,372, $5,799 more than the stated total of $1,764,573; and the local share of the Section 5311 project is not stated (the implied remainder is $606,069).
Objective 7.1: Budget & Funding 🔗
Budget and fund operations from federal, state, and local sources
Performance Indicators
7.1.1: FY2024 Operating Budget
| Type | Start Date | End Date | US Dollars | Department | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | 3,057,705 | Operations | |||
| Target | 1,062,918 | Administration | |||
| Target | 706,746 | Maintenance | |||
| Target | 821,080 | Agency Expense | |||
| Target | 5,648,449 | Total | Budget sheet figure; the cover page lists $5,648,499. |
7.1.2: FY2024 Federal Urban (Section 5307) Project
| Type | Start Date | End Date | US Dollars | Funding Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | 1,764,573 | Total | As stated; the components sum to $1,770,372. | ||
| Target | 1,115,337 | Federal | |||
| Target | 81,043 | State Mass Transit Funds | |||
| Target | 573,992 | Local Match |
7.1.3: FY2024 Rural (Section 5311) Project
| Type | Start Date | End Date | US Dollars | Funding Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | 2,600,280 | Total | |||
| Target | 1,666,224 | Federal | |||
| Target | 327,987 | State Mass Transit Funds |
7.1.4: Town of Hilton Head Island Grant Awards
| Type | Start Date | End Date | US Dollars | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | 253,595 | FY2025 Request | $203,595 for urban service plus $50,000 toward the rural commuter program local match. | ||
| Actual | 225,165 | 2021 | |||
| Actual | 282,404 | 2022 | |||
| Actual | 282,404 | 2023 | |||
| Actual | 277,842 | 2024 |
Objective 7.2: Financial Results 🔗
Report financial results
Performance Indicators
7.2.1: Total Operating Revenues
| Type | Start Date | End Date | US Dollars | Fiscal Year | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 938,504 | FY2019 | |||
| Actual | 629,331 | FY2020 |
7.2.2: Total Operating Expenses
| Type | Start Date | End Date | US Dollars | Fiscal Year | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 4,491,778 | FY2019 | |||
| Actual | 5,136,367 | FY2020 |
7.2.3: Federal Grants
| Type | Start Date | End Date | US Dollars | Fiscal Year | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 3,317,776 | FY2019 | |||
| Actual | 3,037,297 | FY2020 |
7.2.4: Net Position, End of Year
| Type | Start Date | End Date | US Dollars | Fiscal Year | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 1,906,842 | FY2019 | |||
| Actual | 1,762,589 | FY2020 |