The Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority (The COMET) is a regional transportation authority formed by Richland County, City of Columbia and Lexington County on April 24, 2000, by the Central Midlands Council of Governments. The COMET consists of an intergovernmental agreement signed by Richland County, City of Columbia, City of Forest Acres and Lexington County to fund, operate and maintain public transit services in the Central Midlands area.
The COMET is also the brand name of the transit services provided. The COMET provides countywide public transit services on 34 fixed routes, five ReFlex services and DART ADA complementary paratransit service throughout Richland and western Lexington Counties. The COMET transports more than 2.8 million passengers annually on a fleet of more than 80 buses, vans and trolleys.
The COMET also supports and provides opportunities for additional mobility through partnerships with attractions, neighborhoods and events, Uber, Lyft and Blue Bike of S.C.
The primary purpose of the board is to administer, manage and operate fixed-route bus service and demand-response paratransit service, in and around the Columbia, South Carolina urbanized area. The COMET functions under the direction of the Board of Directors. This board was established by SC Code 58-25, the Regional Transit Authority Enabling Act.