New Bluffton Breeze and Okatie Breeze schedule aims to help workers

Bus riders in Bluffton will see earlier morning trips and extended afternoon service beginning March 30 under new schedules for the Bluffton Breeze and Okatie Breeze routes operated by Palmetto Breeze.

The schedule changes, announced by the Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority, are designed to better match the work schedules of Bluffton-area commuters.

Under the new timetable, morning service will run until about 11 a.m., followed by a midday pause. Afternoon service will resume at 3 p.m. and continue until approximately 6 p.m.

The Bluffton Breeze operates Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Under the updated schedule, the first trip will depart at 6:32 a.m. from the Palmetto Breeze Transfer Center at 25 Benton Field Road, near MC Riley Elementary School.

Route 511 East will stop at Walmart and Lowe’s before continuing to Marshalls at Tanger Outlets 2.

Route 511 West will depart Marshalls at 7 a.m. and travel toward Buckwalter Place via Bluffton Parkway.

The two routes connect riders with several destinations across Bluffton, including Buckwalter Place, Tanger Outlets, Bluffton Town Hall, Simmonsville Road and Bluffton Road. Stops also provide access to Old Town Bluffton, the Bluffton Library and the Volunteers in Medicine clinic in Plantation Park.

Route 512, known as the Okatie Breeze, operates as a 40-minute loop connecting Buckwalter Place with Walmart in Okatie along the Buckwalter Parkway corridor. Stops include the Technical College of the Lowcountry, the University of South Carolina Beaufort Bluffton campus, Food Lion in Okatie, Legacy Medical offices and nearby residential areas.

The fare for both Bluffton Breeze and Okatie Breeze routes will remain $1 per trip, with free transfers between the two routes. Riders transferring to a commuter route within one hour of boarding will have the Bluffton and Okatie portions of their trip included in the commuter fare.

Palmetto Breeze also operates commuter bus service between Bluffton and Hilton Head Island 362 days a year, with early morning departures from the transfer center and afternoon return trips. The service provides a reliable way for workers to travel between Bluffton and Hilton Head Island while helping ease traffic during peak commuting hours.

“Every trip is important to us because every rider has a different destination, work schedule, and daily need,” said Torither Mitchell, operations director at Palmetto Breeze. “Our dispatch team is always happy to help riders find the stop closest to them and the best time to ride.”

More information about routes and schedules is available by contacting the Palmetto Breeze dispatch center at 843-757-5782, option 1.