NEW BUSINESS  7.

COMMITTEE MEMORANDUM

KEY INTENDED OUTCOME:
Ensure Comprehensive Mobility Addressing All Modes Throughout The City

HISTORY:

On-demand transit service is a way to provide connections between transit stops and final destinations/trip origins, ease congestion, and address limited parking availability. Some cities have begun on-demand first/last mile service with operators such as Uber and Lyft.  More locally, in Miami-Dade County, some cities have contracted on-demand electric-powered transit vehicle operators to fill this niche. These services are generally subsidized by cities and provided at no charge to the passenger. Other new, innovative technologies may also be available to provide this service.

Freebee is one of a few providers of on-demand transportation services currently operating in our City, and plays an important role in our transportation network.  Approximately two months ago, Miami-Dade Transit modified Route 115 bus service in Miami Beach and implemented a mix of privately operated bus service and Freebee fixed-route service during certain times of the day and days of the week (Attachment A).  The Freebee service is running from 10 AM to 2 PM and from 6 PM to 9 PM on weekdays; and from Noon to 4 PM and from 6 PM to 9 PM on weekends.  The service operates along a portion of Route 115 from 69th Street on the north to 17th Street on the south (Attachment B).  The County and Freebee are educating passengers on how to use the service, given that the goal is to provide a full on-demand service along Route 115 in the near future (i.e. user must request a ride and pre-arrange a trip with Freebee via phone or the mobile application). 

Pursuant to City Commission direction, the City also has been exploring a potential partnership intended to provide on-demand transportation service in areas not currently served by the City's Trolley service and at no charge to passengers or the City. 

ANALYSIS:

Earlier this year, pursuant to City Commission directive, the City issued a Request for Letters of Interest (RFLOI) for On-Demand Transit Service intended to connect to/from existing County bus stops and/or City Trolley stops to enable passengers to complete the first leg and/or last leg of their trip.    The proposed service was intended to serve short distances and to originate at employment centers, retail and entertainment destinations, and residential areas.  Communication with passengers in terms of requesting a ride and providing feedback was anticipated to occur through both smart phone mobile applications and phone service.  Pursuant to Commission direction, the service was to be provided at no cost to the City or the passenger. 

One of the major areas of concern for service was the middle beach area west of Indian Creek given that the City provides no trolley service in this area.

Proposals from three (3) firms were received on March 2, 2018.  Staff has reviewed the proposals and deemed all 3 firms to be unresponsive as all firms required financial assistance from the City in order to provide the on-demand service.

RECOMMENDATION:

Given that the County anticipates moving towards an on-demand service using Freebee for Route 115 which serves Middle Beach and North Beach, the Administration recommends exploring a potential partnership with the County to provide additional on-demand service in those areas.

CONCLUSION:

The Transportation Department will provide additional updates via Letter to Commission (LTC) as the discussions with Miami-Dade County Transportation move forward.

This information is provided to the Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee for input.