The COMET, officially the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority (CMRTA), is a regional transportation authority formed by Richland County, City of Columbia, and Lexington County on April 24, 2000, by the Central Midlands Council of Governments. The COMET consists of an intergovernmental agreement signed by Richland County, the City of Columbia, the City of Forest Acres, and Lexington County to fund, operate and maintain public transit services and mass transportation in Richland and Lexington counties in the Columbia metropolitan area of South Carolina.

The agency has standard fixed-route services, ReFlex services, and dial-a-ride paratransit within the county. The COMET transports more than 2.8 million passengers annually on a fleet of more than 80 buses, vans, and trolleys. The COMET supports and provides opportunities for additional mobility through partnerships with attractions, neighborhoods, events, Uber, Lyft, and Blue Bike of S.C. All services are operated by RATP Dev USA Inc. of Fort Worth, Texas.

Until 2002, the public transit system in Columbia was operated by the South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G), a successor of a former streetcar system. At the time, the greater Columbia, South Carolina metropolitan area was the last area in the United States where the local private utility company (SCE&G) was the owner and operator of mass transit services. The City of Columbia signed a deal with SCE&G in December 2001 to take over the transit system effective the following year in exchange for a 30-year utility franchise.

The Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority (CMRTA) — referred to hereafter as "The COMET (then CMRTA)" —was established on October 16, 2002, and contracted Connex to operate its bus routes. The local council of governments oversaw the development of a transit authority. The COMET (then CMRTA) was made up of 15 local governments, two counties, and 13 municipalities with an approximately 35-person board. Though operations changed hands, the management did not — Curtis L. Hamilton ran the operations while under SCE&G/SCANA and became the general manager for the Columbia System once The COMET (then CMRTA) was formed. Connex TCT operated the COMET (then CMRTA).. The system ran 43 buses with updated routes.

In January 2003, The COMET (then CMRTA) implemented its first fare increase of $.25 (from $.75 to $1.00). It also implemented the initial system-wide service realignment, adjusting fixed routes to serve the community better. Prior to that, no route changes had been made by SCE&G in many years. Significant, though temporary, funding was secured for The COMET (then CMRTA) towards the end of 2003. Annual financial contributions were set to come in from SCE&G from October 2003 through October 2009. Additionally, in October 2003, the City of Columbia began providing $1 million to The COMET (then CMRTA) to fund the system's operational and capital needs. The CMRTA/City agreement required that the City contribute $90,000 towards offsetting the operating deficit of the trolley services. This agreement between the City and The COMET (then CMRTA) allowed for annual payment until a long-term, dedicated local source of funding was secured.

Those contributions combined with available Federal and State funding were enough to cover operating and capital expenses at the time. In August 2005, The COMET (then CMRTA) implemented system-wide adjustments, including eliminating under-performing routes for a cost savings of approximately $500,000, which was invested in new additional services. Then, in September 2005, it eliminated trolley shuttle services, resulting in a savings of approximately $600,000 annually. As a result of this discontinuation of certain shuttle services, the City of Columbia discontinued payment of the $90,000 annual contribution (per the agreement between the City and The COMET (then CMRTA) to support downtown trolley shuttle services). In order to make up for lost funding, the second fare increase for The COMET (then CMRTA) was implemented in December 2005, increasing $.25 (from $1.00 to $1.25).

In November 2006, Richland County Council voted to temporarily increase the County Road Maintenance Fee to provide interim financing to The COMET (then CMRTA) for services delivered in Richland County only. That same year, County Council funded a comprehensive study of overall transit/transportation and green space needs completed in 2008.

As the end of SCE&G's transitional funding approached in 2009, it became more critical for The COMET (then CMRTA) to secure long-term, dedicated funding. In fall 2008, the City and Richland County formed an Ad-Hoc Interim Transit Funding Committee to work together to formulate a plan for interim funding to support transit operations. However, the 2008 recession caused a delay in the council's plan to put the funding tax up for a vote. Because of fiscal instability, The COMET (then CMRTA) saw a decline in rider use and community confidence. After a $2.5 million funding shortfall and bus service cuts in 2010, The COMET (then CMRTA) Board placed a sales tax on the November ballot to fund transit. Unfortunately, the 1-cent sales tax referendum failed, albeit by a very small margin of approximately 2,200 votes, resulting in The COMET (then CMRTA) once again facing a local funding crisis.