A new Entertainment Express shuttle arrived in North Myrtle Beach. Here’s what we know.
Fight the traffic and be safe, here is a way to scoot around North Myrtle Beach this summer to all the top destinations.
An expansion to Horry and Georgetown County’s public transportation has arrived in North Myrtle Beach in the form of an Entertainment Express shuttle. The shuttle started driving around the city May 30.
Similar to Myrtle Beach’s entertainment express shuttle, the new Coast RTA-owned shuttle will transport North Myrtle Beach residents and visitors to attractions, shopping centers and restaurants.
Where will the shuttle go?
Here is the full list of stops:
Coastal North Town Center
Sea Mountain Hwy & Surf Estates Way
Sea Mountain Highway & Duffy Street
S Ocean Blvd & 21st Ave N
S Ocean Blvd & 11th Ave N
S Ocean Blvd & 3rd Ave N
S Ocean Blvd & 1st Ave S
S Ocean Blvd & 6th Ave S
S Ocean Blvd & 9th Ave S
S Ocean Blvd & 15th Ave S
S Ocean Blvd & 17th Ave S
S Ocean Blvd & 21st Ave S
S Ocean Blvd & 27th Ave S
27th Ave S & N Kings Hwy
N Kings Hwy & 33rd Ave S
Barefoot Resort Bridge Rd & Windy Hill Rd
Windy Hill Rd Exit & N Kings Hwy
Here are the top attractions and locations along the way:
Coastal North Town Center, a shopping center with locations like Cha House, Publix and TJ Maxx
The Shack, a restaurant that serves Southern-style cuisine
Boulineau’s IGA Food Plus, a large grocery store.
Fat Harold’s Beach Club, a night club known for Carolina shag dancing
K1 Speed, an indoor go-karting facility
Gator Hole Shopping Plaza, a shopping center with locations like Walmart, Dollar Tree and Chick-fil-a
Shops on Main, a neighborhood of local businesses such as Ōdōri Japanese Steakhouse and Main Street Taphouse
New Wave Watersports, a parasailing and banana boat service
Grand Strand Airport, a small public-use airport
Duplin Winery, a winery and venue with live music
Barefoot Landing, a shopping and entertainment village with the Alabama Theater, House of Blues and a carousel.
How much does the shuttle cost?
It costs $1 per trip to ride the shuttle, which can be paid through contact less payments, including credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Cashapp. Daily fares are capped at $3.50 when using contact less payment. Cash is still being accepted “for the time being,” but will soon be eliminated as an option due to it being too expensive and “inefficient,” says Morris.
The shuttle is costing the city $200,000 for the summer, according to Ryan Fabbri, stand-in public information officer for North Myrtle Beach. Funding from the city was provided to this pilot program in the spring.
Fabbri also said there seemed to be no pushback from the city council when proposing the budget.
Why this new shuttle?
The goal with this new shuttle, says Lauren Morris, public information officer for Coast RTA, is to “get cars off the road” in the North Myrtle Beach area, as well as encourage vacationers to visit establishments in the area.
“There’s a ton of shops and entertainment outlets in North Myrtle Beach,” Morris said, “and we’re just getting people out of the resorts and into the attractions.”
Morris also said just shy of 600,000 people use public transportation in Horry and Georgetown counties.
There are now a total of 25 Coast RTA public transportation routes, including two routes in North Myrtle Beach. Besides the new shuttle, a bus travels between North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach on Route 17, which was only added to the city a couple of years ago, according to Morris.
When will the shuttle run?
The shuttle will run daily through Labor Day between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. While regular or “fixed” bus routes run every 30 to 35 minutes, the entertainment express shuttle will run every 20 to 30 minutes. Passengers must wear shirts, shoes and pants, shorts or skirts to ride.
To track the North Myrtle Beach Entertainment Express Shuttle, visit Coast RTA’s Entertainment Shuttle page on their website or download the app.
