By Mary Hladky
Brightline soon will “reintroduce” a commuter pass after it discontinued one in June, a move that angered South Floridians who used that monthly pass to get reduced fares.
In a Jan. 10 announcement, the rail service said it expects to launch the new pass in March, but offered no cost specifics, saying only that it is “designed for the frequent traveler” and is “expected to save daily commuters money.”
Brightline, which has a station in Boca Raton, said that more information would be posted to its website, but did not say when that would happen.
The company eliminated three types of passes in June, including one aimed at commuters that offered 40 trips per month for $399, which worked out to $10 for a one-way trip and $20 for a round-trip.
Instead, it offered passengers a new 10-ride pass for $350 at the regular Smart fare or $550 at the Premium fare. So, the cost of a Smart fare one-way trip went up to $35, or $55 for Premium.
The announcement came after Brightline was awarded a $33.8 million Federal Railroad Administration Restoration and Enhancement grant that will allow it to increase the number of coaches on each train from five to seven to carry more passengers.
In canceling the initial commuter pass, Brightline de-prioritized riders who use the train as a commuter service in South Florida in favor of those making long-haul, and more profitable, trips to Orlando.
Once it has more coaches, Brightline will be able to accommodate at least some more commuters.
Brightline characterized its new commuter pass as a way to bridge the gap until a true commuter service can be offered on the Florida East Coast Railway tracks. Efforts to create such a service have been underway for many years but remain a distant dream.
Brightline’s long-haul ridership to and from Orlando has set records, but short-haul riders dropped from 112,423 for the month of November 2023 to 90,624 last November.
During the first 11 months of 2023, 1.6 million short-haul riders used Brightline, but that dropped to 1 million in the first 11 months of 2024, according to a Brightline passenger report.
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