The South Beach Trolley service was soft-launched on November 1, 2017 with full service implementation on November 20, 2017.  The service consists of three distinct loops: 1) Loop A operating in a clockwise direction; 2) Loop B operating in a counter-clockwise direction; and 3) Via 11 Street Loop operating in a “figure 8” configuration to provide a direct east-west connection between Alton Road and Washington Avenue (attachment A).

On January 17, 2018, the City Commission directed the Administration to extend the South Beach Loops A and B to the Collins Park neighborhood, while keeping the Via 10 Street Loop as-is.  As a result of this route extension, the average service frequency of Loops A and B increased to 20 minutes as compared to 15 minutes prior to the Collins Park extension, while average service frequency of Via 10 Street Loop remained the same at approximately 40 minutes.  This route modification and revised frequency of service was transmitted via LTC No. 030-2018.

At its March 12, 2018 meeting, the Transportation, Parking, and Bicycle-Pedestrian Facilities Committee (TPBPFC), during a discussion on the Belle Isle trolley extension, and in the presence of multiple residents from Belle Isle, the committee passed the following motion: “The TPBPFC asks that the Belle Isle route be kept and work on a route that works best with emphasis on quality of service and keeping headways down.”

At its June 11, 2018 meeting, the TPBPFC made the following motion: “Due to the low ridership to Belle Isle, the TPBPFC asks the City to look into proceeding with eliminating Route A and B, keeping the Via 11 Street Loop to Belle Isle.”  However, the Belle Isle Residents Association (BIRA) was not notified in advance of this second discussion as this subsequent discussion was not included in the agenda or anticipated.

At its October 17, 2018 meeting, the City Commission discussed Belle Isle service and directed the Administration to maintain service to Belle Isle as-is.

On January 30, 2019, at its public meeting, the South of Fifth Neighborhood Association (SOFNA) passed the following resolution: “A resolution asking the City of Miami Beach to make the changes necessary to route design or equipment to provide the same targeted frequency of service to residents South of Fifth as is currently provided in other parts of the City.  The membership requested that the City make every effort to reduce the currently designated 20-minute intervals to 15 minutes for our south of Fifth route since the South Beach route is the one most heavily used by residents and visitors.  Reducing the intervals would also align our area with the 15-minute intervals designated for other trolley routes in the City.  We therefore urge you to explore any and all solutions to reduce the interval time south of Fifth to best serve our residents and visitors.”

At the February 13, 2019 City Commission meeting, this item was dually referred to the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) and the Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee (NCAC).   Since that time, this item has been deferred at NCAC pending the outcome of further ridership analysis and coordination with the community, and in particular, Belle Isle. 

At its April 23, 2019 meeting, the BAC supported making budget neutral modifications to the South Beach Trolley service that would reduce wait times and improve service efficiency. 

On May 6, 2019, members of recently formed Belle Isle Public Transportation Alliance (BIPTA) met with the Administration and submitted a petition to keep the South Beach trolley service as-is.  Since that time, this item has been deferred at NCAC pending further ridership analysis, coordination with BIRA and BIPTA as well as outcomes of Transit Alliance’s Better Bus Project which is proposing some modifications to the City’s trolley routes.

Based on the 2019 Miami Beach Resident Survey, 75% of residents surveyed are satisfied with the trolley service, however, service reliability and service frequency were the main factors of service dissatisfaction. Based on the same survey, 63% of respondents use their automobile as a primary mode of transportation for trips within Miami Beach, and 73% of respondents consider trolleys and local bus circulators as the most viable alternative to using a personal automobile within the City.  

SOUTH BEACH TROLLEY ROUTE ALIGNMENT, SERVICE FREQUENCY, AND RIDERSHIP

Based on an evaluation of service frequency (i.e. headways) from April 2019 to December 2019, the average service frequency achieved over this period for each of the loops is as follows: 18.4 minutes for Loop A, 19.9 minutes for Loop B, and 42.5 minutes for the Via 11 Street Loop.  Currently, the average service frequency standard is 20 minutes for Loops A and B and 40 minutes for Via 11 Street Loop. 

During the same period, on-time performance, defined by contract as being no more than five minutes late at a stop, was at 85.8% for Loop A, 81.4% for Loop B, and 75.2% for Via 11 Street Loop.  A contract amendment approved by City Commission in January 2019 establishes on-time performance goals of 85% for all trolley loops; thus, this is an area in need of improvement.  Performance penalties are also established in the contract and are being assessed to the vendor for not meeting the minimum on-time performance goals.

The average daily ridership of all three South Beach Trolley loops for calendar year 2018 was 5,032 passengers with the following distribution per loop:

• Loop A: approximately 2,251 passengers per day

• Loop B: approximately 2,205 passengers per day

• Via 11 Street Loop: approximately 576 passengers per day

COLLINS PARK EXTENSION

Collins Park neighborhood is currently served by Loops A and B.  The average daily ridership combined for the seven stops along the Collins Park extension for calendar year 2019 was 333 boardings and 374 alightings.

BELLE ISLE SERVICE

Belle Isle is currently served by all three South Beach Trolley loops.  The total number of times that all three trolley loops combined visit Belle Isle is approximately 124 times per day - a much higher frequency of service than any other stop along the South Beach Trolley route.  Based on manual and automated passenger counts conducted between May and December of 2019, the average daily ridership at Belle Isle was 87 boardings and 68 alightings.    

VIA 11 STREET LOOP

Currently, 11 Street is served in the westbound direction only, every 43 minutes on average.  There are three stops on 11 Street at Pennsylvania Avenue, Jefferson Avenue, and Lenox Avenue.  Based on manual and automated passenger counts conducted between May and December of 2019, average daily ridership combined for the three stops along 11 Street is 59 boardings and 100 alightings.  It is important to note that most passengers disembark at the first stop on 11 Street (at Pennsylvania Avenue) after the trolley makes a left turn from Washington Avenue onto westbound 11 Street which indicates that passengers would have preferred to continue traveling north along Washington Avenue. 

BETTER BUS PROJECT

As presented to the City Commission on October 30, 2019, the ridership concept of the Better Bus Project improves the frequency of the South Beach trolley service by eliminating the Belle Isle extension, Collins Park extension, and reassigning the Via 11 Street Loop vehicles to Loops A and B.  At its October 30, 2019 meeting, the City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2019-31073 accepting the recommendation of the NCAC from its October 23, 2019 meeting, endorsing the ridership concept of the Better Bus Project, provided that South Beach Trolley service to Belle Isle is retained.  Transit Alliance anticipates releasing the final draft network plan in February 2020.  Subsequently, review and approval by City of Miami, City of Miami Beach, and Miami-Dade County is required prior to implementation of any route changes. 

RECOMMENDED SERVICE PLAN CHANGES

In an effort to reduce wait times and improve reliability and frequency of the South Beach Trolley service while complying with the City Commission’s most recent directive to keep service to Belle Isle, the Administration has developed a new service plan for the South Beach Trolley (attachment B) in collaboration with the affected communities.  

The proposed service plan is based on historical performance and consists of:

• reassigning the two trolley vehicles from Via 11 Street Loop to Loops A and B (i.e. eliminating service along 11 Street)  

• serving Belle Isle with only Loop B at 15 minute frequency of service

Combined, these changes will improve average headways from 20 minutes on Loops A and B to approximately 15 minutes with no fiscal impact.

Transportation and Mobility Department staff met with BIRA and BIPTA representatives on multiple occasions to develop and refine a service plan that improves service efficiency while meeting the community’s expectations.  Additionally, the proposed plan was presented to the following groups:

• Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association on December 2, 2019 – no action taken 

• South of Fifth Neighborhood Association members on December 6, 2019 - responded favorably to the proposed changes

• TPBPFC on December 16, 2019 – passed a motion supporting the proposed changes (attachment C) 

   

It is important to note that while the new service plan will eliminate trolley service along 11 Street, it will benefit the Flaming Park neighborhood by improving service frequency along its perimeter, with multiple stops currently located on Alton Road and Washington Avenue within a short walking distance.  Should the City Commission desire to improve mobility within the Flamingo Park neighborhood, the City could consider an on-demand transit service pilot program using a wheelchair accessible fully-electric vehicle.  The cost of a one-year pilot program assuming the service operates during the same hours as the current trolley service is estimated to be between $146,000 (if advertising is allowed) and $170,000 (with no advertising).