Greenlink’s new maintenance and operations facility is officially open on Arcadia Drive.
The 60,000-square-foot facility consolidates the public transportation system’s administration, dispatch and maintenance services under one roof. Construction of the facility began in 2023 and cost more than $50 million to complete.
A ribbon cutting for Greenlink’s new facility at 205 Arcadia Drive was held Dec. 18. James Keel, Greenlink’s director of public transportation, explained maintenance staff moved into the new facility on Monday.
The larger space was built to replace Greenlink’s landlocked maintenance facility in downtown Greenville. The old property at 106 and 154 Augusta St. is currently on the market. The new facility includes seven maintenance bays, two service bays, 10 natural gas fueling stations and 16 electric bus chargers.
Greenlink staff also have access to a fitness center, multiple break areas and a quite room at the new facility. Keel believes the new space and amenities will help with the organization’s workforce recruitment and retention.
With the new facility, Greenlink plans to expand its transit services to meet the growing needs of residents in Greenville County. Amanda Warren, board chair for the Greenville Transit Authority, said there has been an exponential growth in transit ridership across Greenville County since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Greenlink intends to launch 17 new bus routes, implement a Sunday service schedule, increase route frequencies and decrease customer wait times. The expansion plans are outlined in the organization’s transit development plan created in 2018.
“The completion of this maintenance facility successfully removes any capital barriers that would’ve prevented these plans from becoming a reality,” Warren said.
The maintenance and operations facility sits on 26.5 acres of land on Arcadia Drive which once housed the former Washington High School in the New Washington Heights neighborhood. Greenville County donated the property to the Greenville Transit Authority in August 2020.
Federal, state and local dollars were used to fund the new facility. Greenlink received a $11 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration. The city of Greenville also appropriated $1.4 million for the project. Greenville Mayor Knox White said the new facility is one of the great successes for Greenville County in the last 10 years.
“It’s a new day for Greenlink and a new day for Greenville,” White said.
Exponential growth
Across Greenville County, there has been an exponential growth in transit ridership since the COVID-19 pandemic. Amanda Warren, board chair for the Greenville Transit Authority, said that from January 2021 through August 2024:
- Fixed ridership has increased by 34%
- Paratransit ridership has increased by 125%
Expanding operations
James Keel, Greenlink’s director of public transportation, said the new maintenance and operations facility will allow the transit system to grow from operating 17 buses to 43 buses.
