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CARTA Express  passes benefit  employees by Heather Woolwine Public Relations Since the CARTA (Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority) Express Park & Ride Service began several weeks ago, numerous MUSC employees have noticed more money in their wallets and a newfound way to relax on the way to work.   On Feb. 19, the free trial period to try the new Express Service will end, but MUSC employees, students and staff should have no fear.   Given the success of the Express Service, MUSC administration has elected to subsidize the cost of the monthly Express Service Passes and provide MUSC employees with another great benefit.   MUSC employees Sheri Harmon, from left, Donna Cool, Pamela Jackson and Geraldine Singleton ride the North Charleston CARTA Express route with Charlie the RiverDog and with CARTA Express coffee mugs that feature the Express routes. MUSC employees and students can get an express service pass for an administrative fee of $5 per monthly pass, taking $59 off the usual $64 price and resulting in tremendous savings for MUSC staff. CARTA Express Service passes can be purchased in the Office of Parking Management via cash, check or credit card. No more than three passes may be purchased by one customer in a 90-day period, and the 30-day pass period begins the first time the card is swiped on the bus.   MUSC employees, faculty and staff have been able to ride any CARTA bus for free for almost two years now by showing an MUSC badge, but the Express Service offers a slight upgrade in terms of the morning commute. The Express Service picks up people from one location and treks them into downtown Charleston with limited-to-no stopping between designated pick-up locations, offering a great alternative and benefit to employees who choose to use it.   “I really like the idea of letting someone else do the driving,” said Kolette Thomas, Department of Pharmacology administrative coordinator. “I have a standard transmission and I hated driving in the slow traffic, especially during the return commute. It [taking the express service bus] is actually faster for me, because I don’t have to catch the shuttle from Harborview Office Tower to main campus. It usually takes me about one hour to get to work, including taking the shuttle.  Now I can make it in 45 minutes.”   In addition to the decreased commute time, some employees using the system reported their projected monthly savings on their gas bills anywhere from $80 to $160. And that’s not including those that will save on the cost of parking, should they decide to give up their parking spaces.   But aside from the monetary relief and for some, a decreased amount of time in transit, the reduction in daily stress levels is the biggest bonus. Sylvia Strickland, Human Resources IT/Operations/Records, said, “There is no morning or afternoon stress on my part, just the bus driver’s. I’ve also enjoyed the fellowship and meeting other people from around campus or just reading or resting while someone else does the driving. Even my husband tells me that it seems that I am less stressed out.”     Some may be reluctant to try the new Express Service system despite the allure of saving money, gas and time. What will these riders do when they need to go to the doctor, pick up a sick child from school, have an emergency or need to run an errand during a lunch break? Most admit that they will have to rely on the good nature of friends, family or coworkers to provide an emergency or otherwise needed ride. Others suggest that any other CARTA bus can get them where they need to go. Some said that with the money they save on gas, the occasional splurge on a taxi fare won’t hurt the pocketbook. Some employees may take the express route, but will hold onto parking spaces just in case.   “It’s great that they are keeping the price down for MUSC employees. I think this is a great idea and wish that they’d started this a long time ago,” Thomas said.   Information regarding routes and schedules can be found at http://www.ridecarta.com, and specifically for the Express Routes at http://www.whydrive.net. Also visit Parking Garage II or call 792-3665. MUSC's commitment to employees “Bringing CARTA Express to our employees represents a major investment in improving the quality of the work experience at MUSC,” said John Runyon, director of Business Services. “During the last year, after CARTA announced there would be a Park & Ride System, we have heard loud and clear from our employees that this is something they would embrace. To facilitate that commitment, the university leadership made the resources available to subsidize the cost of the service. The retail rate for CARTA Express is $64 per monthly pass, but university administration decided to pay $59 of that price and only charge MUSC employees a $5 administrative fee. The university is already committed to providing MUSC staff and students access to the CARTA Transit System, and after careful consideration of the cost benefit to MUSC and our employees, the decision was reached to go the extra mile and make the out-of-pocket cost to benefit MUSC staff and students who desire to use the Express Service.” A very happy CARTA Express rider by Sheri Harmon Department of Surgery The reasons I have hung up my keys are simple:  the ride to and from work is stress free; I have a chance to meet new people; a free newspaper in the mornings; and I am saving money on gas, plus the wear and tear on my car. I can actually read with no interruptions. I love it!   I live on the Knightsville side of Summerville so it took me around an hour to an hour and half leaving my house, at or around 6:30 a.m. Now, I leave my house around 6:45 a.m. to drive to North Charleston and catch the bus. I arrive at work around 7:50 a.m.  It’s about the same time, but the savings for me are too hard to pass up.   My favorite thing about the express shuttle is meeting new people. I love to network. You never know when you will need a favor from another department. It’s great to have met someone who can help you out from a relationship you built on the bus.     Friday, Feb. 16, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.