The Loop: fast, fun, and free
By John Temple Ligon
Temple@TheColumbiaStar.com

Columbia was going through a wrenching debate over how to run its bus transit in the summer of 1991, especially how to pay for it. One contribution to the effort was The Loop, now back in fashion. For The Loop to work, every downtown bus runs a common clockwise route past a series of six bus stops along Assembly Street and a corresponding six on Sumter Street, all 12 between College Street and Calhoun Street.

In 1991, 32 bus routes came downtown, and now, 34, which means a bus comes into downtown about every two minutes while buses are passing stops on The Loop about every two minutes. The Loop also acts as a systemwide transfer. Since every bus comes by every stop on The Loop, every stop allows a bus transfer.

Where the bus gets on The Loop is also where the bus gets off The Loop. Bus fare is collected from incoming passengers as they get on board, and the fare is collected from outgoing passengers as they get off. To get on the bus or off the bus on The Loop is fast, fun, and free. And it's an efficient downtown shuttle financed by the fare box, fully integrating the bus transit system with the downtown office and university population.

Put The Loop into action, and downtown people can live in one place, work or attend class at another, and even park at a third, but as long as every need and accommodation is on The Loop, everything among the 24 city blocks becomes amazingly close.