Low ridership and the high costs of running almost empty buses led PalmTran to suspend service last year on Route 52, which served many people living or working in the Royal Palm Beach area. The good news is that PalmTran established a new BusLink service, both as a pilot project and to provide transit options to those affected by the closure of Route 52. Some of the first results are now in regarding rider experience.
BusLink is a much different experience than standing on a corner and waiting for a 40-passenger bus that might come every hour. BusLink takes advantage of rideshare technology. It’s a partnership between PalmTran and Uber, as well as select local taxi companies.
County residents in need of public transportation in the area formerly served by Route 52 can now register on the PalmTran web site, where they will be invited to download an app similar to Uber. The rider selects pick-up and drop-off points within the designated Route 52 service area boundary. Like Uber, the rider can decide between a private or a rideshare level of service. No matter the cost of the ride, the program only subsidizes riders up to $8 per ride.
The BusLink pilot project is part of a larger countywide effort to do something about traffic congestion. Officials express an inability to “build our way” out of traffic jams by simply adding road lanes. Progress is being made on a countywide transportation plan where state and local governments are collaborating with the county to research future needs, crunch the numbers and come up with innovative and cost-effective options, such as BusLink, rapid transit or even light rail.
Back in November, PalmTran Executive Director Ivan Maldonado appeared before the Royal Palm Beach Village Council to explain the new program.
“The BusLink program offers a solution to the first- and last-mile connectivity issue that is often present in low-populated suburban communities,” he said. “We recommend that customers use the voucher to travel to a fixed-route stop, not for the entire trip.”
The council asked Maldonado to keep the village abreast of the situation. In response, PalmTran Director of Transit Planning Yash Nagal sent early rider survey data to Royal Palm Beach Mayor Jeff Hmara last week, showing numbers that are promising.
The program is deemed an overall success to date with an average rating of 3.9 out of 5. Answers to key questions are as follows:
• How often are you using the BusLink service? Never, 11 percent; Rarely, 17 percent; Sometimes, 11 percent; Often, 33 percent; and Every Day, 22 percent.
• For what purpose do you use BusLink? Work, 56 percent; Health Services, 33 percent; Entertainment, 39 percent; Shopping, 39 percent; School, 22 percent; and Other, 11 percent.
• Are you using BusLink on the weekend? Yes, 61 percent; No, 33 percent.
• What is the nature of the [weekend] trip? Work, 28 percent; Health Services, 6 percent; Entertainment, 33 percent; Shopping, 28 percent; School, 17 percent; and Other, 6 percent.
• Are you using BusLink to connect to a rail service? Yes, 33 percent; No, 61 percent.
In addition, 83 percent of riders reported feeling safe taking BusLink, and 72 percent said that the BusLink driver was courteous. Perhaps more importantly to commuters, the average wait time was less than five minutes.
Hmara has closely followed the pilot project. In his efforts to fight traffic congestion, he has sought transportation leadership roles with the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency and the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council.
“As a colonel working in the Pentagon, my commutes were absolutely miserable,” he said. “I learned firsthand how traffic congestion can impact the quality of life. I consider it an important part of my job to ensure that village residents don’t get stuck in traffic, but have choices.”
Overall, Hmara said he is pleased with the preliminary survey data.
“BusLink’s pilot program is already delivering valuable information,” he noted. “Within just three-plus months, most BusLink riders report wait times of under 5 minutes, with more Royal Palm Beach residents using it compared to the old Route 52. We are committed to ongoing monitoring and collaboration with Palm Tran to optimize transit options for Royal Palm Beach residents. The results of BusLink will also be used as input into the broader countywide transportation master plan for better mobility and less traffic congestion.”
For more information about PalmTran’s BusLink service, visit www.palmtran.org.
