By: Robert S Weinroth
Ready for a FREE RIDE on a Palm Tran bus?
Between now and Wednesday Palm Tran will offer its services without charge as it introduces the new improved schedule offering improved travel times, more direct service, extended hours for select routes and free Wi-Fi onboard.
Route Performance Maximization or RPM for short, has been in the planning stages for over a year.
RPM is intended to rev up its riders’ commute and enable the bus system to better serve the needs of the community.
According to Palm Tran Executive Director, Clinton Forbes, the mission of the agency is to provide Access to Opportunity for Everyone. He acknowledged the hurdle for Palm Tran is to get the commuter to take that first ride on the bus. Once that is accomplished, the second ride will be easier.
Call 561.841.4BUS (4287) with any RPM question or concern or go to www.PalmTran.org
To see the new schedules and maps, go to: http://Discover.PBCGov.org/PalmTran/Pages/RPM.aspx
Major takeaways:
- Palm Tran identified 62,600 hours of service that should have been used more efficiently, resulting in $5 million to reinvest into the system.
- Buses will have free Wi-Fi.
- 19 of the 34 routes will have frequency improvements, improved span of service and more rides on nights and weekends for the public to have better access to work and school. While 62 percent of the routes run only once an hour now, that will decrease to 44 percent with the new system. And while 12 percent run even less than that, the RPM system will change that to 6 percent.
- Four routes are being merged into two. Route 45 (Lake and Parker avenues) is merging with Route 60 (Purdy Lane). Route 47 (Belle Glade/Pahokee) is merging with Route 48 (Canal Point/South Bay).
- One of the routes that hit the Palm Beach International Airport, Route 42, is being eliminated. The route has an average of 8.4 passengers per hour and is the least-used route. The cut will save $250,000 per year. In comparison, the most popular line Palm Tran runs is Route 63 (Lantana Road), with 37.85 riders per hour.
- A pilot program called Palm Tran Connection Flex is planned for Belle Glade, South Bay and Pahokee. Riders could access it at the bus stop or could call and request to be picked up or dropped off. The smaller vehicles would be able to get into hard-to-reach areas. The Florida Department of Transportation is pitching in money for the service, which is expected to start in November.
One of the major changes will impact Route 94 in Boca Raton. The route will now connect the Trl-Rail station (located at I-95 and Yamato Rd) to Florida Atlantic University to Federal Hwy (US Hwy 1) and then south to Camino Real.
Get on the bus and see how easy (and inexpensive) public transportation can be. According to PBC Commissioner Paulette Burdick, an average person commuting to work or school on the bus can expect to save over $10,000 on an annual basis over having to run a private passenger vehicle. Public transportation makes cents!
