Carolyn DiPaoloTransit champions urge everyone to climb aboard Palm Tran.
Community leaders are riding the bus this month to promote Palm Tran.
Why it’s important: Palm Beach County’s public bus routes connect riders to nearly 3,000 stops including the airport, hospitals and all Tri-Rail stations.
- 2023 ridership was up 17% over the previous year, according to the transit service’s annual report.
- An upgraded Palm Tran system could ease the impact of the county’s booming population on traffic.
What’s happening: Palm Tran’s Let’s Get on the Bus challenge recruits include County Commissioners Mack Bernard, Marci Woodward and Gregg Weiss, School Board member Marcia Andrews and Palm Beach Gardens Mayor Chelsea Reed.
- Each Transit Champion chose a favorite destination and invited a team to join them on Palm Tran.
- The VIPs have visited the beach, the Gardens Mall and the Palm Beach Zoo.
Of note: Palm Tran accepts digital payments such as ApplePay and Google Pay, debit and credit cards, cash and payment through the Paradise app and traditional bus pass.
On Friday, we joined Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Raphael Clemente, and City Commissioners Christy Fox and Christina Lambert on a Palm Tram excursion to Havana Restaurant in West Palm Beach.
- The clean, air-conditioned Palm Tran bus took about 20 minutes to travel along the most popular route, U.S. Route 1, to get to the 24-hour service window.
- Clemente passed out gift cards to morning commuters on the bus.
What they’re saying: “We can’t fund the system unless we have riders,” Lambert said.
What’s next: More rides are planned: They include Wednesday with One Parking CEO Kirsten Dolan to Drive Shack, Friday with Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency Executive Director Valerie Neilson to Okeeheelee Park, May 24 with Kim Delaney of the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council to the Peanut Island shuttle boat and May 29 with WPBgo Executive Director Jonathan Hopkins to the Norton Museum of Art.
- Sign up here to hop aboard.
