WATCH: $3 bus rides between West Palm Beach and Port St. Lucie
The first $3 trips between West Palm Beach and Port St. Lucie rolled out Monday in a new pilot program put together by Palm Tran and the Florida Department of Transportation.
The buses are not like your typical Palm Tran bus instead they are coach-style with WiFi, a bathroom, USB charging ports and air conditioning.
"This really came out organically in a way. As we look at traffic and we travel 95 between two great destinations, downtown West Palm and Port St. Lucie, we've seen more and more and more that folks are moving to Port St. Lucie and St Lucie County," said Todd J. Bonlarron, Palm Beach County assistant county administrator. "A lot of our workforce is clustered there. And if you've ever driven during rush hour between those destinations, you realize just how many vehicles are on the road. This is going to be an opportunity one to look at places where some of our more affordable housing has been located over the years, and bring some of that workforce into the central part of West Palm."
Another goal? Get cars off the road.
"It definitely beats driving on 95," said Palm Beach Operations Engineer Edward Caballero.
"This was identified as early as 2019 in our transit development plan, major update, but this was a Palm Tran and Florida Department of Transportation partnered on this to see the need," said Adolfo Covelli, St. Lucie County transit director. "We have a lot of residents that commute south to go to work, so this will help them with affordability."
Covelli said to help get people on the bus, they have extended the hours of their microtransit area. For more information, click here.
The agencies said the pilot program is fully funded for three years, but people need to use it or they might loose the serivice.
You can pay on the bus by using Paradise Pass, Apple Pay, or single-tap credit/debit cards.
Port St. Lucie Express Northbound
Weekday Bus Stop # 602 to Stop #37
WPB Intermodal Transit Center Departure
150 Clearwater Drive
5:20 am --> 6:15 a.m.
5:45 am --> 6:40 a.m.
5:50 pm --> 6:50 p.m.
6:50 pm --> 7:50 p.m.
Port St. Lucie Express Southbound
Weekday Bus Stop # 37 to Stop #602
SW Gatlin Blvd Park & Ride Departure
2198 SW Gatlin Blvd., Port St. Lucie
6:25 a.m. --> 7:25 a.m.
6:50 a.m. --> 7:50 a.m.
7 p.m. --> 7:55 p.m.
8 p.m. --> 8:55 p.m.
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