 Miami-Dade Transit |
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| Info | |
| Locale | Miami, Florida |
| Transit type | Rapid transit People mover Bus |
| Number of lines | 1 rapid transit 1 people mover 110 bus routes |
| Number of stations | 43 |
| Daily ridership | 391,000+ daily |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 1960 |
| Operator(s) | Miami-Dade Transit |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 81⁄2 in) (standard gauge) |
Miami-Dade Transit is the public transit authority in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is the largest transit system in Florida and the 12th largest transit system[1] in the U.S. It currently operates the Metrorail, Metromover, Metrobus, and Paratransit (STS) systems.
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History
In 1960, the Dade County Commission passed an ordinance creating the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) to unify the different transit operations into one countywide service. This ordinance provided for the purchase, development, and operation of an adequate mass transit system by the County. These companies included the Miami Transit Company, Miami Beach Railway Company, South Miami Coach Lines, and Keys Transit Company on Key Biscayne and would be managed by National City Management Company. Over the years and under various administrations, MTA evolved into the Metro-Dade Transportation Administration, the Metro-Dade Transit Agency, the Miami-Dade Transit Agency, and is now known simply as Miami-Dade Transit (MDT).
Miami-Dade Transit, a county department of more than 4,000 employees, is the largest transit agency in the state of Florida and accounts for more than half of the trips taken on public transit in the state. MDT operates an accessible, integrated system of 100-plus Metrobus routes; the 22-mile (35 km) Metrorail rapid transit system; Metromover, a downtown people mover system; and the Paratransit division’s Special Transportation Service. Metrobus routes cover more than 35-million miles annually, including limited service to Broward and Monroe counties. In 2004, MDT's Metrorail, Metromover, and Metrobus transported more than 96 million passengers, compared to 85 million the previous year.
Fares
On December 13, 2009 the bus transfer will be discontinued, bus-to-bus transfers will now be free.
On October 1st, 2009, Miami-Dade Transit switched to its new EASY Card system[2]. It is a contactless smartcard system which uses RFID technology for it to operate without any contact.
- An EASY Card can be purchased for $2 at EASY Card sales outlets, vending machines in Metrorail stations, calling 3-1-1 in Miami-Dade County, or online. Money can be reloaded on to the card at the same places and locations. The card lasts for 3 years from first use.
- With the change, paper transfers are being eliminated on transit. People paying fares in cash will need to pay full fare when transferring[3]. Transfers will be available only by paying with an EASY Card and using the card again within 3 hours of boarding transit.
The current standard fare is $2.00 and reduced fare is $1.00. A standard monthly pass costs $100 and $50 for reduced fare. The monthly Metropass will soon be loaded onto the EASY Card. When the EASY Card system is in use, Transit fare equipment at all Metrorail stations do not accept any type of cash[4]. An EASY Card is required when boarding.
Reduced fares are available only to Medicare recipients, people with disabilities, and Miami-Dade students in grades 1-12.
All Miami-Dade senior citizens aged 65 years and older and with Social Security benefits ride free with a Golden Passport pass. Veterans residing in Miami-Dade and earning less than $22,000 annually ride free with the Patriot Passport pass.
Metrorail
Metromover
Metrobus
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| Locale | Miami, Florida |
| Service type | bus service, bus rapid transit |
| Routes | 100+ |
| Fleet | 900+ |
| Daily ridership | 293,000 [5] |
| Operator | Miami-Dade Transit |
The Metrobus network provides bus service throughout Miami-Dade County 365 days a year. It consists of more than 100 routes and 900 buses, which connect most points in the county and part of southern Broward County as well. Eight (8) of these routes operate around the clock: most other routes operate from 4 AM to 2 AM.
24 hour bus routes: 3, 11, 27, 38, 77, L, S
All Metrobuses are wheelchair accessible, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Along U.S. 1 in southern Miami-Dade, Metrobus service uses an exclusive right-of-way called the South Miami-Dade Busway.
Bus route 301 (Dade-Monroe Express) extends into Monroe County, reaching Marathon, where a transfer is available to a Key West Transit bus proceeding further into the Keys. With the appropriate bus transfers, one can travel all the way from Key West to Jupiter entirely on public-transit buses. This route is contracted out to American Coach.
South Miami-Dade Busway
The South Miami-Dade Busway (originally the South Dade Busway) began operating on February 3, 1997 and was extended in April 2005. The final 6.5-mile (10.5 km) segment of the Busway extension to Florida City opened on Sunday, December 16, 2007. It is parallel to US1/ S Dixie Highway, and replaced an abandoned Florida East Coast Railroad line. It is an alternative to daily traffic congestion. The 13-mile (21 km) roadway was built by the Florida Department of Transportation just for Metrobus routes and emergency vehicles. Express buses on the exclusive lanes shuttle passengers to and from Dadeland South Station (see Metrorail) in under 40 minutes.
Both full-size buses and minibuses operate on the Busway and in adjacent neighborhoods, entering the exclusive lanes at major intersections. Local and limited-stop service is offered between Florida City and Dadeland South Metrorail Station. Park & Ride lots along the busway are located at SW 152d Street (Coral Reef Drive), SW 168th Street (Richmond Drive), SW 200th Street (Caribbean Boulevard) and SW 244th Street. At Dadeland South Station, riders transfer to Metrorail. Riders headed downtown can transfer from Metrorail to Metromover, which consists of three shorter downtown loops, at Government Center Station.
The South Miami-Dade Busway has 22 sheltered stations and several unsheltered bus stops. Each station contains up-to-date transit information (maps, schedules, brochures) with newspapers, benches, and public phones added for customer comfort and convenience. Additionally, a multi-use path stretches the length of the Busway.
Busway vs. rail controversy
The Busway has been the site of many accidents, as some car drivers driving south on US-1 (which runs parallel to the Busway for much of its length), and looking to turn west, do not stop at the red arrows that govern the right turn lane at an intersection that has a Busway crossing adjacent to it. They make a right turn and go right into the path of a bus that is entering the adjacent Busway intersection. Buses currently have to slow down to 15 mph (24 km/h) before crossing the intersection, and the police often patrol the intersections looking for red arrow runners. Surprisingly, even the intersections where the Busway runs as far as 2 blocks west of US-1 suffer the same problem, with car drivers either not seeing or flatly ignoring the red lights at SW 184th and 186th Streets. City planners and residents alike have commented that rather than dismantling the former Florida East Coast Railroad line for the busway, the Metrorail system could have been extended southward over the railway line.
Paratransit (STS)
Paratransit/Special Transportation Services (STS) is available for people with a mental or physical disability that cannot ride Metrobus, Metrorail, or Metromover. For $3.00 per one-way trip, STS offers shared-ride, door-to-door travel in accessible vehicles throughout most of Miami-Dade County, in some parts of south Broward County, and in the middle and northern Keys . STS operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including most holidays.
Other projects
- The Miami-Dade County Government has received federal money in order to purchase new and refurbish old Metrorail and Metromover cars, as they have been operating for more than 20 years.
- Technology and Corridor Improvements: Two corridors, totaling 24.4 miles (39.3 km) of rapid transit, have completed the planning phase and are ready to enter into final design and construction -- the North Corridor, Earlington Heights-MIC Connection, and East-West Corridor.
New lines
For more information, see Orange Line (MDT).
- The Earlington Heights-MIC Connection is a 2.4-mile (3.9 km) extension from Earlington Heights Metrorail Station to the Miami Intermodal Center (north of NW 21st St. and east of NW 42nd Ave. at Miami International Airport). Construction is scheduled to be completed in late 2010, with Metrorail passenger service on the extension starting in early 2012.
- The North Corridor is a 9.5-mile (15.3 km) expansion will be a northward extension from the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza Metrorail Station, along NW 27th Avenue to NW 215th Street (Miami-Dade/Broward County line); with proposed stations at Northside Shopping Center, MDC-North Campus, City of Opa-locka, Bunche Park, Miami Gardens, LandShark Stadium and the Calder Race Course. Construction is scheduled to be completed by 2015.
- The East-West Corridor is a 10.6-mile (17.1 km) expansion from the Miami Intermodal Center east to the Palmetto Expressway (SR 826) and from the Palmetto, through Miami International Airport to the Miami Intermodal Center. These sites have been identified as potential station locations: Florida International University, NW 107th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas), NW 97th Avenue, NW 87th Avenue (Galloway Road), NW 72nd Avenue (Milam Dairy Road), the Blue Lagoon area, and Miami Intermodal Center. Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2020.
See also
- Tri-Rail, Miami's commuter rail system
- List of rapid transit systems
- List of United States railroads
- List of Florida railroads
References
- ^ http://www.contactlessnews.com/2008/07/10/cubic-wins-contract-to-update-miami-dade-transits-aging-fare-collection-system
- ^ http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/library/pdfs/misc/english_easy_card_brochure_july2009.pdf
- ^ http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/library/easy_card/transfers_poster.pdf
- ^ http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/library/pdfs/misc/english_easy_card_brochure_july2009.pdf
- ^ http://miamitodaynews.com/news/090521/story1.shtml
External links
- Miami-Dade Transit
- Planned East-West Corridor Route Alignment Map (PDF)
- Planned East-West Corridor Station Locations
- Planned North Corridor Route Alignment Map
- Planned North Corridor Station Locations
- Citizens' Independent Transportation Trust
- Transit Miami (news and information blog)
- Public Transit (MDTA commuter blog)
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