Palm Tran

Palm Tran is the public transit bus system run by the Palm Beach County Government, serving Palm Beach County, Florida. During fiscal year 2015, Palm Tran provided 10,773,132 one-way passenger trips and 889,056 paratransit trips to Palm Beach County. Palm Tran also serves a portion of Broward County, Florida where it overlaps with Broward County Transit. Palm Tran has four main facilities (North Campus in West Palm Beach, South Campus in Delray Beach, Palm Tran Connection/Military Trail and the Belle Glade Facility) with its main headquarters in West Palm Beach on Electronics Way. The current Executive Director is Clinton B. Forbes.

Palm Tran
ParentPalm Beach County
Founded1971 as (CoTran) later renamed as Palm Tran
HeadquartersWest Palm Beach, Florida
Service typeBus, paratransit
AllianceBroward County Transit, Tri-Rail, Amtrak, Martin County Transit
Routes32
Stops3,200
DestinationsWest Palm Beach Intermodal, VA Medical Center, Boca Town Center Mall, Wellington Mall, Tri-Rail
Fleet192
Daily ridership36,546 (average weekday 2015)
Annual ridership10,177,132 (FY 2015)
Fuel typeDiesel, diesel-electric hybrid,
OperatorPalm Tran Inc.
Chief executiveClinton Forbes
Websitepalmtran.org

History

In 1971, Florida Transit Management, Inc. began service with 20 buses on seven routes. In 1980, this service was expanded to over 60 buses in 22 routes, then renamed CoTran, short for "County Transportation". Finally, in 1996, CoTran was completely restructured to over 150 buses in over 30 routes, then renamed Palm Tran, its fleet repainted to the present white and teal design scheme, and has been that way since. At that time the basic design of the livery of the buses was changed from white and orange to white and teal, some of which are screen-wrapped to the logos and design of the company that sponsors those particular buses, but preserve their Palm Tran logos and bus numbers, the latter of which are assigned a four-digit number according to the year and order in which they were acquired. Also at that time, Florida Transit Management was replaced with Palm Tran Inc., a nonprofit. Palm Tran will introduce USB charging stations on its newest fleet in early 2017.

On September 30, 2018, Palm Tran implemented the first overhaul to the entire network since 1996. In addition, free Wi-Fi was added on all busses.[1]

Future

On April 23, 2019, The Palm Tran broke ground on an expansion project on its South County Facility in Delray Beach, Florida.[2]The current 3,800 Square foot space will be converted into a three-story 34,000 square foot facility.[2]The project is set to cost 25 million, 90 percent of which is federally funded.[2]The facility will feature charging stations for their fleet of fully electric buses; along with service stations for 20 additional buses.[2]The building will feature art by Palm Beach County's Art in Public Places Program.[2]

Fare

Plexiglass shields on the driver's side are in place, to reduce interaction.

The standard adult one-way fare is $2. People eligible for the reduced fare, such as students, disabled, and senior citizens, pay $1. $5 buys an unlimited 24-hour pass ($3.50 for reduced fare). Daily and 31-day unlimited ride passes are also available for purchase at Palm Tran Connection. There are 31-day unlimited passes that are available reduced or regular costing $55 and $70 respectively. Kids below 9 ride free with fare-paying rider, limit is 3.[3]

Bus technology

All Palm Tran buses have bicycle racks on the front, capable of holding two bikes. They are also equipped GPS and video surveillance cameras which record activity on the bus and the outer side facing the bus stops.[4] Recently Palm Tran has equipped all fixed-route buses with Automatic Vehicle Location technology that enables passengers to track buses and bus arrivals in real time. Palm Tran also offers real-time bus arrival information on its website or through its MyStop Mobile app, as well as on-demand through SMS. In October 2018, all 159 fixed route buses started to offer free Wi-Fi to its riders.

The Palm Tran announced plans to incorporate new payment methods in addition to cash.[5]The new upgrades will allow the service to accept credit cards and smartphone payments.[5]The upgrade is set to cost between 5 million and 6 million dollars.[5]

Palm Tran Connection

Palm Tran Connection is a shared ride, door to door, paratransit service that provides transportation for residents and visitors in Palm Beach County under six programs:

  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Program
  • Transportation Disadvantaged (TD) Program
  • Division of Senior Services (DOSS) Program
  • Board of County Commissioner (BCC) Program
  • County Senior Transportation (CSTS) Program
  • Medicaid

Palm Tran Connection is operated by private transport companies and oversight is provided through Palm Tran. They travel to every destination in Palm Beach County - from Jupiter to Boca Raton and from Palm Beach to South Bay. Palm Tran Connection schedules all trips, prepares vehicle manifests, handles customer concerns & commendations, determines eligibility, and monitors the performance of the Transportation Providers.

Route list

A PalmTran bus at Florida Atlantic University

Routes are divided into four regions within the county.[6]

Main Corridor

Main Corridor routes traverse the primary north–south surface roads of the county from Boca Raton in the south to Riviera Beach in the north.

Route Terminals Primary streets traveled Service notes
1[6] Palm Beach Gardens
The Gardens Mall
Boca Raton
Camino Real
US 1
2[6] West Palm Beach
Intermodal Transit Center
Boca Raton
Town Center Mall
Congress Avenue
3[6] Palm Beach Gardens
The Gardens Mall
Military Trail
4[6] West Palm Beach
Military Crossing
Riviera Beach
VA Medical Center
Haverhill Road

North County

North County routes mainly serve Palm Beach Gardens, Riviera Beach, and Jupiter.

Route Terminals Primary streets traveled Service notes
10[6] Palm Beach Gardens
The Gardens Mall
Jupiter
Jupiter Town Hall
Indiantown Road, Military Trail No Sunday service
20[6] West Palm Beach
Intermodal Transit Center
Northlake Boulevard, Congress Avenue
21[6] Mangonia Park
Tri-Rail Station
US 1, Old Dixie Highway No Sunday service
30[6] Riviera Beach
VA Medical Center
Singer Island
Lake Drive
Blue Heron Boulevard
31[6] West Palm Beach
Intermodal Transit Center
45th Street, Tamarind Avenue
33[6] Palm Beach Gardens
The Gardens Mall
West Palm Beach
Cross County Plaza
Australian Avenue, Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard

Central County

Central County routes serve West Palm Beach, Wellington, Lake Worth, and Belle Glade.

Route Terminals Primary streets traveled Service notes
40[6] Belle Glade
West Tech Education Center
Wellington
Mall at Wellington Green
Southern Boulevard
West Palm Beach
Intermodal Transit Center
Southern Boulevard, Australian Avenue Rush hour service only
41[6] Palm Beach
Palm Beach Inlet
North County Road No Sunday service
43[6] Wellington
Mall at Wellington Green
Okeechobee Boulevard
44[6] West Palm Beach
Vista Center
Belvedere Road, Cherry Road
46[6] Wellington
Mall at Wellington Green
West Palm Beach
Palm Coast Plaza
Forest Hill Boulevard
47[6] Canal Point
Community Center
South Bay
Second Street
SR 15, SR 715
49[6] West Palm Beach
Executive Center Drive
West Palm Beach
Intermodal Transit Center
Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard
52[6] Wellington
Mall at Wellington Green
Loxahatchee Groves
Palm Beach State College
SR 7, Royal Palm Beach Boulevard No Sunday service
60[6] Greenacres
River Bridge Centre
West Palm Beach
Intermodal Transit Center
Purdy Lane, Summit Boulevard, Parker Avenue No Sunday service
61[6] Lake Worth
Palm Beach State College
Cresthaven Boulevard, 10th Avenue North
62[6] Wellington
Mall at Wellington Green
Lake Worth
Lake Worth Beach
Lake Worth Road
63[6] West Palm Beach
Vista Center
Lantana
Hypoluxo Road & US 1
Jog Road, Lantana Road
64[6] Greenacres
WIC Center
Lantana
County Public Health
Melaleuca Lane, 6th Avenue South No Sunday service

South County

South County routes mainly serve the cities of Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and Boca Raton.

Route Terminals Primary streets traveled Service notes
70[6] Lantana
County Public Health
Delray Beach
Tri-Rail Station
Seacrest Boulevard
71[6] Boynton Beach
Lantana Road & Military Trail
Boynton Beach
Boynton Beach Mall
Lawrence Road No Sunday service
73[6] Boynton Beach
Bethesda Hospital West
Boynton Beach
Tri-Rail Station
Boynton Beach Boulevard No Sunday service
Boynton Beach
Military Trail
Sunday service
80[6] Delray Beach
Delray Square
Delray Beach
Plaza at Delary
Lake Ida Road, SW 4th Avenue
81[6] Delray Beach
Hagen Ranch Library
Delray Beach
Atlantic Avenue & SE 6th Street
Atlantic Avenue No Sunday service
88[6] Delray Beach
Lakes of Delray
Delray Beach
Plaza at Delray
Linton Boulevard, Lowson Boulevard
91[6] Boca Raton
Sandalfoot Square
Boca Raton
Florida Atlantic University
Glades Road
92[6] Deerfield Beach
Hillsboro Boulevard & Federal Highway
Palmetto Park Road No Sunday service
94[6] Boca Raton
Tri-Rail Station
Boca Raton
Camino Real & Federal Highway
NW 8th Avenue, NE 20th Street Serves Florida Atlantic University

See also

References

  1. http://discover.pbcgov.org/palmtran/Pages/RPM.aspx
  2. "Palm Tran Breaks Ground on its South County Facility Expansion Project". www.MassTransitMag.com. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  3. "Your Guide to Palm Tran's QUIK PASS & Fare Information" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-09-16. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
  4. http://www.pbcgov.com/infopoint/
  5. Ostrowski, Jeff. "Palm Tran to move out of 'Dark Ages' by taking credit cards for fares". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  6. "Rider's Guide" (PDF). Palm Tran. January 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
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