Public transportation riders had mixed reviews on the first day of Miami-Dade County's Better Bus Network rollout Monday, which includes free fares and a major overhaul of the county's bus system.
Bright yellow signs were plastered on bus stops all across the county laying out the changes. This redesign of the entire county bus system has eliminated over 1,000 bus stops as the plan aims to make service faster on the new routes. All bus routes, except six, have now changed.
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WATCH HERE“This frequent network means that the buses that run every 15 minutes will increase from five to 19 bus routes,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava.
Transit officials tout the new bus network as more reliable and convenient, but the change has ruffled some feathers. Some riders, especially the elderly and workers who rely on public transit, said the elimination of their usual routes has forced them to walk more to reach the new bus stops.
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“It’s making it hard for me. They need to change it and put it back the way it was," said Willie Thomas, a frequent rider who takes the bus to his daily doctor appointments. "What can we do when the bus is overcrowded? We can’t even get on the bus."
Those behind the plan insist that the new routes will connect riders to more jobs.
“Now more than half a million residents will be able to reach at least 20,000 more jobs by transit in 45 minutes or less on work days and more than half a million Miami-Dade residents will have better access to jobs on Saturday,” Levine-Cava said.
Bus riders had mixed reviews on the first day of the final rollout.
“I’m happy for that because it means I can do more in a day and I don’t have to wait 30 minutes or 20 minutes," frequent bus rider Shelly said. "So frequency is very important."
To ease this transition, for the next six weeks, fares will be free on all county buses, the Metrorail, the Metromover and the MetroConnect ride-share service. The lack of fares for six weeks is estimated to cost the county about $9 million. With the allure of free transit, the county hopes to regain that lost revenue if more people ride public transit in the long term.
“For me, I’m so happy about this because I can take a free bus for one month,” bus rider Yen Huang said.
County ambassadors have been deployed at all bus stops to help people navigate these major changes. The county is going to be collecting feedback from riders and bus operators during this rollout period.
“People will have to adapt little by little as the route changes and new numbers will be confusing at first,” bus rider Jose Acanio said in Spanish.
Free fares are in place until Dec. 31. More information on the new bus routes with the Better Bus Network can be found here.
