The Miami-Dade County Better Bus Network is a complete redesign of the countywide bus network.  The effort is led by Transit Alliance Miami (a local, non-profit organization advocating for walkable and bikeable streets and better public transit in Miami-Dade County) and the Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works.  The Better Bus Network is a two-year advocacy-driven project which began in June 2019.  The primary goal of the redesign is to position the system for ridership growth by creating a more effective bus network that provides better access to jobs and higher frequency of service in areas of high demand.   

In September 2019, two Better Bus Network concepts were presented by Transit Alliance (i.e. coverage concept and ridership concept).  These concepts were not proposals, rather different ways of thinking about how the bus network could be designed, depending on goals that are found to be most important.  The coverage concept created more high-frequency bus services in the urban core by better integrating county and municipal services.  This concept ensured that everyone who currently has access to transit service remained within a quarter mile of service.  The ridership concept was designed to maximize access to jobs and frequent service and proposed to shift service away from low density areas and low performing routes to high density areas and high performing routes.

On October 7, 2019, the Transportation, Parking and Bicycle-Pedestrian Facilities Committee discussed the Better Bus Network and passed a motion in support of the ridership concept; however, the Committee did not support eliminating Route 150/Airport Express.

On October 23, 2019, the Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee discussed the Better Bus Network and endorsed the ridership concept, while keeping South Beach trolley service to Belle Isle.

On October 30, 2019, the City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2019-31073 (Attachment A) accepting the recommendations of the Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee at its October 23, 2019 meeting and approving conceptually the ridership concept of the Better Bus Network.

On February 26, 2020, the County staff presented a draft of the new Better Bus Network plan to the public. 

On September 13, 2021, the Transportation, Parking, and Bicycle-Pedestrian Facilities Committee discussed the Better Bus Network but did not pass any motions.

Following a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the County conducted the final stage of stakeholder engagement and public outreach and presented the final Better Bus Network to the County's Transportation and Mobility Planning Committee on September 13, 2021.

At the September 17, 2021 City Commission meeting, Commissioners Steven Meiner and Michael Gongora placed two separate items related to discussions on the Better Bus Network, titled as follows:

1. REFERRAL TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND QUALITY OF LIFE COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS THE BETTER BUS PROGRAM AND ITS IMPACT ON MIAMI BEACH RESIDENTS, PARTICULARLY SENIORS (Commissioner Steven Meiner)
   
   
2. DISCUSSION REGARDING THE SENIOR AFFAIRS MOTION OF THE BETTER BUS PROGRAM (Commissioner Michael Gongora)

At the Commission meeting, during discussion of item 2 above, the Administration discussed the following three outstanding concerns related to the Draft Better Bus Network, as proposed by the County at that time:

1. Proposed elimination of bus service in the South of Fifth neighborhood.
2. Proposed discontinuation of Route 115 service in North and Middle Beach without providing a viable public transit alternative (i.e. on-demand transit service) to the affected community.
3. Proposed elimination/consolidation of existing bus stops in the City and the potential impact to transit users (i.e. increasing walking distances) and the interconnectivity with the Miami Beach Trolley service.

During the meeting, the City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2021-31866 which delineated the Administration’s above concerns with the County’s Better Bus Network, as proposed at that time (Attachment B).  On September 24, 2021, the Commission Resolution was transmitted to Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners via letter from the City Clerk.

On October 5, 2021, the Board of County Commissioners approved the Better Bus Network, as amended.  One of the amendments adopted by the Board of County Commissioners included reinstating bus service in the South of Fifth neighborhood.  The County Administration anticipates implementing the Better Bus Network on or after April 2022.

The County currently operates ten bus routes that serve Miami Beach.  Some of these routes, such as the 119 (S) and the 120 (Beach Express), are among the routes with the highest ridership in the County; however, there has been a steady decline in ridership over the past several years. Based on information provided by the County, the Better Bus Network provides the following benefits as compared to the existing County bus network:

• Job access – the plan increases access to jobs by 30 percent within a 60 minutes bus ride.
  
  
• Consistent high frequency service – the high frequency service lines operate generally from 6AM to 10PM with more consistent service on weekends.  This allows those who have service jobs with irregular shift times access to the same quality bus service as someone who works from 9AM to 5PM.  The new network accentuates the role transit plays as part of the economic recovery by making sure workers have a quicker and more reliable commute.
  
  
• Greater access to high frequency routes – the plan provides frequent service within a half mile of 23 percent of all County residents as compared with only 10 percent at present.
  
  
• Uses resources efficiently – the existing network has duplicative routes along certain corridors, and some routes serve very few passengers.  The new network maximizes the efficiency of each taxpayer dollar by allocating more service in areas of high demand and less service in areas where it is sparsely used.
  
  

Creates more equitable service – minority and low-income residents can reach 32 percent more jobs and services within 60 minutes than in the existing network.

A map of the existing and proposed bus networks is included in Attachment C. Detailed route alignments of the existing and proposed bus networks are depicted in Attachment D. 

FINAL BETTER BUS NETWORK IN MIAMI BEACH

• New Route 1 will replace current Route 120/Beach Max route alignment except for Omni Terminal and will operate along the MacArthur Causeway, Washington Avenue, and Collins Avenue to Aventura, with a service frequency of 7.5 minutes to Haulover Park and 15 minutes to Aventura all day (24-hour service).

• New Route 14  will serve the segment of Route M from the mainland to the Omni Terminal and terminate at the Mount Sinai Medical Center campus, operating via the MacArthur Causeway, 5 Street, Washington Avenue, Collins Avenue, and 41 Street, with 30 minute frequency all day.  While this route was not originally intended to serve the South of Fifth neighborhood, pursuant to the City Administration’s request, the County has modified this route to provide service in the South of Fifth neighborhood.
  
  

• New Route 15 will replace current Route 101/A and operate along the Venetian Causeway from Omni Terminal to Washington Avenue/Lincoln Road serving Sunset Harbour and Collins Park neighborhoods.  Service will operate from 5AM to midnight with a frequency of 30 minutes.  This is a major service improvement which the City has been pursuing with the County for several years.
• New Route 20 will replace current Route 119/S route alignment except that it will serve Omni Terminal instead of Government Center and will travel along the MacArthur Causeway and Alton Road to Lincoln Road/Washington Avenue.  A transfer at Omni Terminal will be required to continue to Government Center and a transfer at Lincoln Road/Washington Avenue will be required to continue north to Aventura.  The route will operate at 15-minute service frequency from 4AM to midnight.  This route will also serve Miami International Airport, thus replacing current Route 150/Airport Express.
• New Route 36 will replace Route 110/J and operate along the Julia Tuttle Causeway as a two-tier route: 1) Route 36A from Miami International Airport to Washington Avenue/Lincoln Road and 2) Route 36B from Doral to Washington Avenue/Lincoln Road.  Route 36 will operate from 4AM to midnight with a service frequency of 15 minutes, providing a one-seat ride from Miami International Airport to Miami Beach at 30-minute service frequency via 36A.
• New Route 79 will replace Route 79 Max and Route 112/L and end at Collins Avenue/73 Street via the JFK Causeway.  The route will have four tiers: (1) Route 79LL; (2) Route 79ML; (3) Route 79SL connecting Miami Gardens, Hialeah Gardens, and Northside Station and Collins Avenue/73 Street; and (4) Route 79 OWL (overnight service) connecting Northside Station to Washington Avenue/17 Street.  Span of service is 24 hours. 
• New Route 125 will provide connectivity between Miami-Dade North Campus, Bay Harbour Islands, Bal Harbor, Surfside, and Miami Beach, connecting to the Collins Express and North Beach Loop trolley service.  Service will operate at 15-minute frequency from 4AM to midnight.
  
  

MODIFICATIONS TO EXISTING ROUTES IN MIAMI BEACH

• 79 Street Max – To be discontinued and merged with new Route 79
• 101/A – To be replaced by new Route 15 and extended to Collins Park
• 103/C – To be discontinued due to low ridership and duplication of service on Alton Road and Washington Avenue
• 110/J – To be discontinued and replaced by new Route 36
• 112/L – To be discontinued and replaced by new Route 79 
• 113/M – To be discontinued and replaced by new Route 14
• 115 – To be discontinued due to low ridership
• 119/S – To be discontinued and replaced by new Route 20
• 120/Beach Max – To be discontinued and replaced by new Route 1
• 150/Airport Express – To be discontinued and replaced by new Route 20 and Route 36
  
  

KEY MIAMI BEACH ISSUES AND CONCERNS AS OF OCTOBER 5, 2021

• Proposed discontinuation of Route 115 service in North and Middle Beach due to low ridership without providing a viable public transit alternative
• Given Route 115 primarily operates in a low transit demand area of the City, the Administration has requested that the County provide an on-demand transit service as a more effective means of serving the transit needs of this community.
• Proposed elimination/consolidation of existing bus stops in the City and the potential impact to transit users (i.e. increasing walking distances) and the interconnectivity with the Miami Beach Trolley service.
• Based on information provided by the County, 117 out of 274 existing bus stops throughout the City will be eliminated.  However, it is important to note that 75 out of the 117 stops to be eliminated are due to the proposed elimination of Route 115 due to low ridership.
• The remaining 42 bus stops throughout the City are being considered for consolidation to achieve ¼ mile spacing between stops which is the transit industry’s acceptable standard spacing for bus stops.
• 6 new bus stops are being proposed as part of the new Route 15.
• It is crucial that the County coordinate with the City on any proposed elimination/consolidation of bus stops given the interconnectivity between County bus service and the Miami Beach Trolley service.
  

Attachment E includes a Letter To Commission dated October 12, 2021 with the most recent update on the Better Bus Network.