Due to the importance of the City’s trolley service in supporting multimodal mobility and economic recovery, the Administration recommends resuming trolley service at a reduced service level and with a high frequency of interior vehicle cleaning in mid to late October of this year, contingent on the status of the COVID-19 pandemic and any applicable Miami-Dade County emergency orders in effect at that time.  Furthermore, the Administration recommends resuming on-demand Freebee service in advance of trolley service to meet the essential mobility needs of elderly residents living in affordable housing facilities throughout the City and provide an alternative mobility option for seniors in lieu of the trolley service. 

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. 

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City’s trolley service was providing a reliable transportation option to over 14,000 daily passengers and removing approximately 5,400 vehicle trips per day from our local streets.   Service operated 18 hours a day, Monday to Saturday, and 16 hours a day on Sundays, with 25 vehicles in service and an average service frequency of 15-20 minutes, at a cost of approximately $986,000/month.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff closely monitored trolley ridership data throughout March 2020 and modified trolley service levels to properly meet passenger demand.  Additionally, to protect the health of trolley passengers and drivers, the following educational and sanitation efforts were conducted throughout March 2020:

1. Installed CDC-approved educational posters (two per vehicle in English and Spanish).
2. Provided guidelines on-board the trolleys advising elderly and immune-deficient passengers not to take public transportation unless urgent and necessary.
3. In addition to standard daily cleaning practices, the trolley operator (LSF) increased the frequency of cleaning to help protect passengers from the spread of the virus.  In particular, “high touch” areas, including buttons, handholds, pull cords, and rails were cleaned more frequently.
4. On Friday, March 13, 2020, LSF deployed a dedicated sanitation van and personnel to sanitize all trolley vehicles during the mid-day shift change, 7 days a week.
5. On Saturday, March 14, 2020, the City and LSF established dedicated stations with personnel sanitizing all trolley vehicles throughout the day using industrial grade CDC-approved sanitizing products.  Trolley cleaning continued in this fashion until service was suspended.
6. Clorox disinfecting wipes were provided on-board the trolley vehicles while supplies lasted.
7. Due to a significant decrease in ridership, on March 21, 2020, citywide trolley service was modified to operate at 30-minute service frequency (headways) from 8AM-7PM, 7 days a week. The Via 11 Street Loop was discontinued.

Throughout the month of March 2020, the City’s trolley ridership decreased by over 85% as a result of the pandemic.  Ultimately, in the interest of public health and to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the City suspended all trolley service on Thursday, March 26, 2020 at 7:00 PM.  The public was made aware of service suspension through all applicable channels including, but not limited to, social media, trolley website, trolley customer service line, trolley email, advance notices on-board the trolleys, notices at major stops, and rider alerts on the trolley tracker mobile application.

Since suspension of trolley service on March 26, 2020, the City has received over 110 trolley service-related inquiries, mainly from residents.  The low number of inquiries is likely due to significantly reduced demand from residents, workforce, and visitors resulting from emergency orders requiring various closures of establishments in the City and the current “stay mostly at home” messaging during the pandemic.

Tentative Service Resumption Timeline

The Administration anticipates resuming citywide trolley service at a reduced service level and an increased cleaning frequency described below sometime in mid to late October pending the status of the COVID-19 pandemic and any applicable County emergency orders at that time.  As documented in the 2019 Miami Beach Community Survey, our citywide trolley service is the backbone of multimodal mobility in Miami Beach and an essential service for many of our residents, workforce employees, and visitors.  It promotes economic development, complements County bus service, and fosters a pedestrian-scale environment where biking and walking are viable mobility options.  Resuming our trolley service is of utmost importance for the City and should be accomplished in conjunction with the reopening of restaurants, hotels, and schools in order to support our local economy. 

It is worth noting that out of 28 municipalities in Miami-Dade County that provide local circulator services, only a handful suspended their services temporarily during the pandemic.  Moreover, none of the municipalities that suspended their circulator services provided a level of service or ridership comparable to the Miami Beach Trolley which served over 14,000 trips daily prior to the pandemic.  The only comparable trolley service is City of Miami which never suspended its trolley services during the pandemic.

Reduced Service Plan

The City’s trolley service is largely funded by resort tax and parking surplus funds – sources which have been significantly impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  As a result of this financial impact, the Administration is proposing that trolley service resume operation at a reduced service level and ramp-up to normal (pre-COVID) service level.  At a reduced service level, staff believes the City can provide citywide trolley service for approximately 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, from 8AM to 8PM, with 15 vehicles in daily service and 30-minute average service frequency (passenger wait times).  The cost of the reduced service plan is estimated to be $530,000/month or $6.36 million annually (savings of $5.47 million/year) and can be funded in Fiscal Year 2020/21 using the City’s share of County half-cent transit surtax funds (People’s Transportation Plan (PTP) funds) and FDOT Transit Service Development grant funds.

To allow for social distancing on-board the trolleys, vehicle capacity would be limited to 10-12 passengers.  Reduction in service frequency combined with reduced vehicle capacity is expected to result in some missed trips and, thus, passenger wait times exceeding 30 minutes.  To compensate for lost capacity, staff will monitor passenger demand among all routes and reassign vehicles as needed to minimize missed trips.  Transit agencies around the U.S., including Miami-Dade Transit, are placing more vehicles in service.  For our trolley service, funding is the limiting factor hindering our ability to add vehicles.

Vehicle Cleaning in Response to COVID-19

Protecting the safety and health of our trolley passengers and drivers is of utmost importance.  To that end, the City will supply all LSF drivers with a disinfecting solution to spray throughout the interior of the trolley vehicle after each loop to disinfect high-touch areas including door handles, steering wheel, seat belts, buttons, handholds/railings, and pull cords.  The estimated cost to the City to provide this level of cleaning is approximately $9,000/month.  City staff will conduct periodic trolley inspections to ensure LSF drivers are properly disinfecting vehicles and meeting the City’s expectation.  Furthermore, LSF will conduct an extensive/deep cleaning of every trolley vehicle each night.

Staff will explore the feasibility of installing hand sanitizing dispensers and gel/foam for passengers on-board the trolley vehicles.  The cost of such solution would vary depending on usage; however, it is estimated to be $37,000 for the first month (includes installation of dispensers in all trolleys) and $10,000 - $20,000 every month thereafter, depending on usage. The total cost to the City of providing the spraying and hand sanitizing solutions is estimated to be $258,000 a year and may fluctuate depending on usage.  

Driver and Passenger COVID-19 Prevention Measures

Upon service resumption, LSF will be required to conduct daily temperature checks on all drivers before they enter the facilities and board the trolley vehicles.  All drivers will be required to wear facial masks at all times.  A clear face shield may be worn in tandem with a face mask.

Passengers will be required to wear a facial mask or facial covering at all times and follow social distancing while waiting to board at a trolley stop, boarding, on-board the vehicle, and disembarking.  Passengers wishing to board will be instructed to wait for passengers on-board to exit before entering the trolley vehicle.   

Signage will be posted on-board all trolley vehicles advising passengers of limited capacity and where seating is allowed/prohibited, requirements to wear facial mask/facial covering while aboard the trolleys as well as encouraging riders to conform to CDC-recommended prevention and hygiene practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Drivers will be required to communicate to passengers the above requirements and guidelines and to ensure compliance to the extent possible.

Miami-Beach On-Demand Transit Service (Freebee)

As of March 24, 2020, the Middle Beach on-demand Freebee service was suspended.  Resources previously allocated to this service were reassigned to take seniors living in several affordable housing facilities in South Beach and Middle Beach to the closest Publix supermarket for groceries.  Freebee operated in this manner until service was suspended on April 2, 2020.  Freebee provided service to a total of 386 passengers over a span of eight (8) days (average of 48 passengers per day).  The cost to provide the service was estimated to be $12.60/passenger.

The Administration anticipates resuming on-demand Freebee service in advance of resuming trolley service to provide a mobility alternative for elderly residents living in affordable housing facilities in South, Middle, and North Beach.  Freebee service will be provided from the elder facilities to the closest Publix using three (3) vehicles operating five (5) days a week, eight (8) hours a day on a first-come/first-served basis.  Customers must call to schedule their ride in advance except for Rebecca Towers which, due to its high demand, will have a dedicated vehicle.  The number of passengers will be limited to one (1) per row (or no more than two (2) passengers at any time).  Vehicles will be sanitized daily by Freebee staff between trips and every night to minimize the spread of COVID-19.  City staff will monitor the performance of the Freebee service to determine if any operational changes are needed to improve its efficiency, including potentially adding Freebee vehicles to adequately meet demand.

The cost of providing citywide trolley service at the reduced service level being recommended is estimated at $6.36 million/year (i.e. savings of $5.47 million/year as compared to normal (pre-COVID) trolley service) and can be funded in Fiscal Year 2020/21 using the City’s share of County half-cent transit surtax funds (People’s Transportation Plan (PTP) funds) and FDOT Transit Service Development grant funds. Funding is included in the Transportation and Mobility Department’s proposed FY 2020/21 operating budget.    

The cost of providing on-demand Freebee service to elder residents living in affordable housing facilities throughout the City is estimated at $256,000/year and is included in the Transportation and Mobility Department’s FY 2020/21 operating budget.

Due to the importance of the City’s trolley service in supporting multimodal mobility and economic recovery, the Administration believes that it is in the best interest of the City to resume trolley service at a reduced service level and with a high frequency of interior vehicle cleaning in mid to late October of this year, contingent on the status of the COVID-19 pandemic and any applicable Miami-Dade County emergency orders in effect at that time.  Furthermore, the Administration recommends resuming on-demand Freebee service in advance of trolley service to meet the essential mobility needs of elderly residents living in affordable housing facilities throughout the City and to provide an alternative mobility option for seniors in lieu of trolley service.