LOCAL

Port St. Lucie Express to West Palm Beach for about $3: Bus service could come next year

The rides will serve those who make the 50-mile drive between Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast. Some fear the cost after the state grant expires.

Mike Diamond
Palm Beach Post

A ride from Port St. Lucie to downtown West Palm Beach in 50 minutes, and for roughly the cost of a cup of coffee. Too good to be true?

Well, it looks it is going to happen.

Thanks to a Florida Department of Transportation grant, Palm Tran is expected to begin early next year running express buses from Port St. Lucie to the Intermodal Transit Center in West Palm Beach for as little as $3.

Once commuters arrive in West Palm Beach, they would be within walking distance of Brightline, Tri-Rail and Palm Tran buses. The 50-mile weekday trips will run in the morning and evening. The bus line also would work for people who work in Port St. Lucie but live in Palm Beach County. There are no plans to offer the service on weekends.

Palm Tran expects to provide non-stop express service from Port St. Lucie to downtown West Palm Beach beginning early next year. The cost: around $3.

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Survey showed interest in Palm Beach County-Treasure Coast bus route

The move comes during a surge in housing prices across Palm Beach County that has led some people who work here to move north to the Treasure Coast in search of less expensive places to live. The details on the Port St. Lucie Express are as follows:

  • There will be four round trips; two in the morning and two in the evening.
  • The nonstop buses will travel along Interstate 95.
  • The morning buses will operate between 5 and 8 a.m.; the evening between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m.
  • The grant will pay for the purchase of three coach-style buses. Two will be in service at all times and a third will be a spare for use if a bus breaks down.
  • The 50-passenger buses will be equipped with Wi-Fi and Americans with Disabilities Act ramps.

"We expect this to be very successful with people commuting to Palm Beach County from St. Lucie County but also in the opposite direction as well, said Clinton Forbes, executive director of Palm Tran.

“This is what is called a reverse commute. We know there are people who also commute to Port St. Lucie, and this service will get them there too.”

The already built park-and-ride facility in Port St. Lucie has 162 parking spaces with six electric-car chargers, six bus berths and parking for bicycles and motorcycles. The lot is at the southeast corner of Interstate 95 and Gatlin Boulevard near the Bass Pro Shops building.

Palm Tran developed a survey to determine the demand; 905 people participated, with 63% reporting they were likely to use the service and another 27% said they might use it.

FDOT is expected to fund the service for three years. The cost to buy three buses will be about $2.5 million, and operating costs may be as much as $300,000 a year. A one-way fare is expected to be between $2.65 and $3, but Forbes said the fare may need to be adjusted based on the final amount of the FDOT grant.

Palm Tran will begin running express buses from Port St. Lucie to West Palm Beach early next year.

Wary of costs, some want Treasure Coast counties to help pay

Palm Tran officials described the project to officials of the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency during a recent board meeting. It received rave reviews with Jupiter Mayor Jim Kuretski, urging that Palm Tran consider adding a stop in his town as well.

Forbes said Palm Tran is already exploring the possibility of adding more stops.

Palm Tran’s project was based on a similar service offered in Broward County where Broward Transit runs an express bus from the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar to downtown Miami. A one-way ticket is $2.65.

Map shows Palm Tran buses coming from Port St. Lucie to West Palm Beach on I-95 and then returning to Port St. Lucie. Plans call for express service to begin early next year with service in the morning and evening to accommodate commuters.

Palm Tran will appear before county commissioners in August to ask that the county accept the FDOT grant. So it is still possible that the project could be nixed should county commissioners in Palm Beach County refuse to accept it. The issue of what happens after the grant expires is something that concerns at least two county commissioners, Maria Marino and Marcie Woodward, who are also members of the TPA.

They both said that other public entities along with FDOT would have to contribute paying. But neither indicated they were opposed to accepting the initial grant as it will be 100% funded through FDOT. Once that funding ends, Marino noted that "this has to be a partnership between us, FDOT and Port St. Lucie."

Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him atmdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism.Subscribe today