COLUMBIA — Two public buses collided in downtown Columbia on April 16, injuring one passenger.
At about 11:30 a.m., two COMET buses collided at the corner of Assembly and Richland Streets.
The busses were traveling northbound around the 1600 block of Assembly Street, one directly behind the other. When the first bus slowed to a stop for a traffic signal, the second bus rear-ended it, according to Columbia Police Deputy Chief Melron Kelly.
There were 12 passengers in total on the busses. One person was transported to the hospital with minor injuries. Though pictures shared on social media show one of the buses had a smashed windshield, neither bus required a tow.
The COMET provides countywide public transit service on 34 fixed routes, transporting more than 3.8 million passengers annually. It’s funded through an intergovernmental agreement signed by Richland County, the cities of Columbia and Forest Acres, and Lexington County.