The opening of Brightline stations in Boca Raton and Aventura has boosted ridership.
The new stations generated 17,682 rides, representing 24% of Brightline’s ridership since the Boca station opened on Dec. 21 and the Aventura station on Dec. 24, the company’s year-end ridership and financial report said.
The ridership increase “revealed strong latent demand for our service in those communities,” Brightline’s report said.
Brightline President Patrick Goddard, speaking during a ribbon-cutting for the Boca station on Dec. 20, said the company’s website saw record traffic when the station’s opening date was announced on Dec. 15.
During all of December, Brightline carried 183,920 passengers, an 87% increase over December 2021.
The cost to ride also is increasing.
The company hiked the price of a monthly pass by about 15% in November, to $229 or $339 depending on the start point and destination.
It expects to further raise prices “after we evaluate the increased demand expected” as a result of the new stations, the report said.
Brightline has started phasing out introductory one-way $10 tickets announced when the two new stations opened. While they were still offered at the end of January, fewer were available then or in February.
— Mary Hladky
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