By Mary Hladky
Four years after the Boca Raton City Council gave up on having a transit system in the downtown, current council members are pushing to get an on-demand service in place quickly.
City officials will request proposals from interested companies early this month, with the goal of selecting one and awarding a contract in January. Council members added $500,000 to the current fiscal year’s budget to get the ball rolling.
The city previously had free electric vehicle transportation in the downtown — most notably with the Downtowner — but companies were unable to make enough money with advertising on their vehicles to continue service. The City Council would not subsidize it.
This time around, the council is willing to provide funding. But members hope that they can persuade the Town Center mall, Florida Atlantic University and others to help pay the cost. State and federal transportation grant money is another potential funding source.
“I do think this is something we need in the city,” council member Yvette Drucker said this summer.
Brightline train service to the city has made the matter more urgent.
Council members have said repeatedly that they want to give passengers a reason to get off the train and patronize Boca Raton’s restaurants, stores, parks and cultural attractions.
Free or low-cost transportation from the station to these destinations could help that happen.
At Drucker’s invitation, three companies — Freebee, Circuit and Via Transportation— made presentations to the council in July and September. Brightline already uses Circuit to ferry its passengers to Mizner Park at no cost.
All three, which operate in many Florida cities, said they could tailor their services to whatever the city wants. How much they charge will depend on the size of the service area and what the city asks for.
All offer electric vehicles and an app that customers use to book a ride. Some cities provide the service free to their residents, but many charge a fee of about $2 per ride. Boca council members have not yet decided if there will be a charge.
The request for proposals specifies that all trips must begin or end in the downtown area, defined as the boundaries of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency. It would include the Brightline station, Downtown Library, and Wildflower and Silver Palm parks.
The service area would run from Glades Road to the south city limits, and east of Interstate 95 to 5th Avenue/Royal Palm Way.
Destinations might also include the Tri-Rail station west of I-95 and south of Yamato Road, Spanish River Library, FAU, Town Center mall, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center and Red Reef, South Beach, South Inlet, Sugar Sand and Patch Reef parks.
The maximum wait time for a ride would be 10 minutes. Service hours would be 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday.
The companies must provide a customer app that can confirm the ride and estimated wait time. They also will be required to provide data so the city can ascertain the service’s viability and if the service area should be expanded.
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