WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Starting Monday, West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority will begin charging for using its Circuit rideshare program in Palm Beach town locations.
Any Circuit ride booked within the Ride Circuit app and initiated or terminating outside the borders of the city of West Palm Beach will incur a fee of $4 plus $1 for each additional passenger.
Revenue from fees will be reinvested back into the program, the agency said.
"The rideshare service has been incredibly popular in moving people in and around downtown, and that popularity has brought longer wait times for passengers," Raphael Clemente, executive director of the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority, said. "Adding these low fees will help us improve the reliability that riders have come to expect from this service."
Locations include The Square, Tri-Rail and Brightline, Worth Avenue, downtown West Palm Beach, and local hotels, shops and restaurants.
The DDA's sponsorship of the rideshare program was launched in October 2021.
The Circuit program has completed more than 250,000 trips, with its highest ridership in September 2023 with 19,111 passengers. That is a 176% increase in ridership over September 2022.
Along with increased ridership, the service has created over 25 local jobs and helps reduce approximately 15 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each month, the agency said.
Rides can be scheduled through the Ride Circuit app available at ridecircuit.com. The service is available 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.seven days a week.
The shuttle runs every 15 minutes. For more information, visit ridewpb.com.
The Circuit shuttle uses 100% electric vehicles.
Gratuities for Circuit drivers are appreciated but never required.
Nationally, there are more than 30 cities served, including Boca Raton and Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens.
