On Sunday, Sept. 30, Palm Tran will introduce its new Route Performance Maximization (RPM) project. The three stated benefits of the program are improved travel times, more direct service and better customer service.
This will be achieved by adjusting some routes to improve their coverage, efficiency and frequency. Routes will be simplified, and service will be more direct in order for the regional bus network to work better at providing more connections to more destinations.
All bus routes will be free from Sunday, Sept. 30 through Wednesday, Oct. 3 to give riders the opportunity to test the new routes.
A new rider’s guide has been printed to help travelers understand the changes, which is available for free on buses and is also available at www.palmtran.org. The bus routes are also linked with Google Transit, allowing customers to use Google Maps to plan their rides and connections.
In addition, free wi-fi will be offered aboard every bus as part of the rollout of RPM. This, coupled with the inclusion of USB chargers on Palm Tran’s new 1700-series buses, is designed to make the service more technologically relevant and broaden its appeal to consumers.
Statistics provided by Palm Tran show that 24 of the new buses with USB chargers are currently operating on routes throughout Palm Beach County.
The transit hub for the western communities is at the Mall at Wellington Green. It is located on Ring Road near the mall’s south entrance adjacent to Macy’s. Palm Tran representatives will be on site at the mall during peak transit hours to assist riders with the changes.
Palm Tran’s Joe Harrington, a Royal Palm Beach resident, told the Town-Crier that he hopes that the RPM program leads to increased ridership.
“Every destination in Palm Beach County is covered by Palm Tran, from the Palm Beach Zoo to the Ball Park of the Palm Beaches,” said Harrington, who noted that there has been a lot of development in western Palm Beach County.
By extending Route 52 west on Southern Blvd. with stops at Palms West Hospital and Palm Beach State College’s Loxahatchee Groves campus, he said that Palm Tran is responding to that.
“We try and work with local governments and developers to meet the needs of commuters in growing communities,” Harrington said.
Mayor Fred Pinto praised the program at the Royal Palm Beach Village Council meeting on Thursday, Sept. 20, following a presentation he was given on RPM. Long known as a transportation advocate, Pinto encouraged all residents to try the program during the free trial period.
Several bus routes serve the western communities and will be experiencing changes as a result of RPM. Each route connects at the Mall at Wellington Green.
The biggest changes include discontinuing express service from the Mall at Wellington Green to the Intermodal Transit Center in downtown West Palm Beach during off peak weekday hours on Route 40 and extending Route 52 west on Southern to stop at Palms West Hospital and the new PBSC campus.
Route 40 connects the Intermodal Transit Center in downtown West Palm Beach with Wellington and the Glades via Southern Blvd. during weekday peak a.m./p.m. trips. During weekend and off-peak weekday hours, the terminus of the route is the mall, where commuters will need to transfer to Route 43. Key locations on this route include West Tech and the Glades Health Center in Belle Glade, Palms West Hospital and the Mall at Wellington Green.
Route 43 connects the Intermodal Transit Center in downtown West Palm Beach with Wellington via Okeechobee Blvd. Key locations on this route include Walmart on Belvedere Road, Vista Center and connections with Route 3 that runs north and south on Military Trail.
Route 46 runs the length of Forest Hill Blvd. from Dixie Highway to the Mall at Wellington Green. Key locations on this route include connections with Route 45 at Florida Mango Road, connections with Route 3 on Military Trail and the River Bridge Center at Jog Road.
Route 52 covers Royal Palm Beach and will be extended westward along Southern to cover Palms West Hospital and the new PBSC campus. Key locations on this route include Walmart on Belvedere Road, the Royal Palm Beach village offices near the corner of Royal Palm Beach and Okeechobee boulevards, and the Mall at Wellington Green.
Route 62 runs east and west on Lake Worth Road from Dixie Highway to the Mall at Wellington Green. Key locations on this route include the Lake Worth Tri-Rail station, the Lake Worth campus of Palm Beach State College, connections to Route 3 at Military Trail and Greenacres Plaza at Jog Road.
For more information about Palm Tran’s new RPM program, and to download a new rider’s guide, visit discover.pbcgov.org/palmtran or www.palmtran.org.
