Due to Hurricane Helene, Best Friend Express Transit Services will resume Thursday, October 3rd.

Transportation & Transit

LSCOG is a recipient of FTA federal funding and encourages certified disadvantaged, minority, or women owned small businesses to participate in transit services procurement opportunities as they are available.  For further information, please visit the LSCOG “Opportunities” website page to review advertised procurement opportunities.

Title VI & Transit

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) helps Lower Savannah Council of Governments fund the Best Friend Express fixed routes and the Dial-a-Ride paratransit system. Because of federal government participation in bringing public transportation to Aiken County, there are Title VI protections for the passengers of these public transit programs:

“No person shall on the basis of race, color, or national origin be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to, discrimination or retaliation under any transit program.”

For more information about a Title VI claim of discrimination, please click on the links below.

Announcement to All Dial-A-Ride (DAR) Passengers - Transfer of DAR Services

Aiken Senior Life Services (ASLS) will assist you with Dial-A-Ride (DAR) reservations, tickets sales, applications, renewals, questions about the Best Friend Express fixed routes, etc. Please reach out to Ms. Trotter at 803-648-5447 - extension 2340 with questions about DAR or the Best Friends Express.

For questions regarding program administration or complaints about our funded transit programs, please contact the Transit Operations Manager at 803-649-7981.

5310 Urban - Transit Program

5310 Urban – Transit Program under the guidelines listed below. 


The 5310 Urban Program is subject to change depending on funding availability.

Transportation Planning

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Access to transportation is a key component of a healthy regional economy. The Lower Savannah Council of Governments (LSCOG) partners with the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) to carry out the rural transportation planning process for a six-county region, including Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties. As part of this transportation planning process, we:

The LSCOG Transportation Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) provides the forum for cooperative decision making in developing regional transportation plans and programs to meet changing needs. The TAC is composed of elected and appointed officials and staff representing local governments or agencies having an interest or responsibility in comprehensive transportation planning. Staff works with a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) which makes project recommendations to the LSCOG Board of Directors, who serves as the Lower Savannah transportation policymaking board.  View the Technical Advisory Committee's bylaws here.

Transportation Planning staff maintain a close working relationship with SCDOT and are responsible for the recommendation of projects to SCDOT for inclusion in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) and for the development and administration of a Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) that outlines projects and priorities for a 25-year period. The LSCOG has also developed a regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) that contains details on projects in the six-county rural region. 

For more information about transportation planning call the Planning Manager at 803.649.7981.

Aging, Disability, and Transportation Resource Center (ADTRC)

Lower Savannah Council of Governments operates South Carolina’s only Aging, Disability and Transportation Resource Center (ADTRC). The Resource Center’s purpose is to inform and assist people in our region about a myriad of topics to support independent, healthy and engaged community living:

  • Aging

  • Disabilities

  • Family care-giving

  • Benefits

  • Resources

  • Transportation options

The center serves Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun and Orangeburg Counties. This center is innovative in that it combines programs relating to public and human service transit with information and assistance to link to other health and human service related resources, benefits and options. ADTRC staff may help people:

  • Answer questions about how to use local public transit systems

  • Negotiate service issues that arise between transit passengers and transit providers in Aiken County

  • Advocate for unmet needs for transportation in underserved areas

  • Answer questions about aging issues, long term care, family care-giving and a number of benefits and resources, including Medicare.

Mobility Management

Activities under the Mobility Management program of LSCOG include:

  • Planning for transit systems and services in the region

  • Work to enhance transit services

  • Initiatives to increase coordination of resources

  • Providing information to individual members of the public on using transit services in the region

  • Providing a mobility manager in Aiken to reserve trips and address questions from the riding public

Local Transit System Development and Management in the Lower Savannah Region

LSCOG is the Direct Recipient of federal and state funds for the operation of the Best Friend Express and Dial-a-Ride transit services in the urbanized portion of Aiken County. LSCOG contracts with a local transit provider for the operation of both services.

LSCOG helped to plan and start up transit service in Allendale, Bamberg, Calhoun, and Orangeburg Counties. Transit services are a combination of fixed routes and demand response service to accommodate seniors, people with a disability and the general public. Fixed routes connect St. Matthews and Orangeburg and serve the downtown area of Orangeburg, including a campus loop which includes service for students at two downtown area Universities.