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John Salazar, who runs the University of South Carolina Beaufort's Lowcountry and Resort Islands Tourism Institute, will survey and interview potential riders.
The study is another step toward setting up a major public transportation system in the area, a project organizer said Tuesday.
Finding about $1.5 million, however, is still the highest hurdle to moving the project past the planning stages. The Lowcountry Council of Governments is involved in planning the service, which would be overseen by Palmetto Breeze.
Ginnie Kozak, planning director for the Lowcountry Council of Governments, said demonstrating a demand for the service is key to attracting funds for the project.
"The more convincing the information we have behind us," the easier it will be to get funding, she said. So far, the new bus system has secured only $95,000.
Rep. Bill Herbkersman of Bluffton, a strong advocate of the project, said he's trying to drum up $1 million for the bus service, which he'd like to see used as a pilot program for the rest of the state.
"Mass transit's the way to go with gas prices," he said Tuesday. "We are so behind the curve on this."
Herbkersman said it wouldn't be easy to scrape together state money during a tight budget year.
The buses would serve 23 stops between Interstate 95 and Coligny Plaza, making stops every half hour, starting at 6 or 7 a.m. and ending at 10 or 11 p.m.
A news release said Salazar would conduct extensive interviews with businesses and tourism groups and put out at least one survey, in English and in Spanish, to weigh public demand Kozak said despite the difficulty of finding funding, increases in the price of gas could make a bus system an increasingly attractive option.
"The gas prices aren't going to be a bad thing for us," she said. "People are really getting strapped."
Editor's note: On March 24th, this story was updated to say '$5.7 million' instead of 'about $1.5 million' in the 4th paragraph.
