MARTIN COUNTY — Dorothy McManus got her own personal chauffeured bus from Halpatiokee Regional Park to West Palm Beach to start her work week Monday.

The Stuart resident, who takes a train from West Palm Beach to work in Broward County, had the bus to herself on the inaugural 5:10 a.m. Palm Tran Commuter Express. McManus was the first rider on the area’s first mass transit service offered between Martin and Palm Beach counties on Monday.

Four people hopped on the bus for the service’s 6:10 a.m. departure to Palm Beach County.

McManus has been driving to the 45th Street Mangonia Park Tri-Rail Station in West Palm Beach to get to work at the Broward County Health Department for about five years. Having a reliable bus service at her disposal will be a big help for long-distance commuters like herself, she said.

“It’ll help a lot,” McManus said. “I think they have to give it some time, but I think there are a lot of people who live here and commute to Broward and Dade County.”

Now, McManus can simply hop on the Commuter Express and catch a 6:26 a.m. train from the Tri-Rail Station in West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale.

The service is a collaborative effort between Palm Tran and South Florida Commuter Services, a division of the Florida Department of Transportation dedicated to providing transit options. The DOT is paying for the service for three years with about $1 million.

The biofueled, eco-friendly bus has free Wi-Fi, and runs twice a morning on Interstate 95 southbound at 5:10 a.m. and 6:10 a.m. with stops at the West Jupiter Recreation Center and The Gardens mall in Palm Beach Gardens.

Northbound buses leave the Tri-Rail Station at 5:20 p.m. and 6:20 p.m. to head back to Halpatiokee.

“Even if it’s just one rider, we’re hoping she spreads the word and tells other people that they don’t have to drive,” said Jim Udvardy, director of South Florida Commuter Services.

BUS STOPS

Halpatiokee Regional Park, off State Road 76 on Lost Lake Road in Stuart area

West Jupiter Recreation Center, Indiantown Road in Jupiter

The Gardens mall, PGA Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens

Intermodal Transit Center, near downtown West Palm Beach

SCHEDULE

Weekday service only

SOUTHBOUND BUSES

Halpatiokee Regional Park: 5:10 a.m. and 6:10 a.m.

West Jupiter Recreation Center: 5:35 a.m. and 6:35 a.m.

The Gardens mall: 5:50 a.m. and 6:50 a.m.

Intermodal Transit Center (Tri-Rail Station) 6:20 a.m. and 7:20 a.m.

NORTHBOUND BUSES

Intermodal Transit Center (Tri-Rail Station): 5:20 p.m. and 6:20 p.m.

The Gardens mall: 5:50 p.m. and 6:50 p.m.

West Jupiter Recreation Center: 6:05 p.m. and 7:05 p.m.

Halpatiokee Regional Park: 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

COST

Martin County One-Day Express Pass: $5

Boarding at Jupiter, Gardens mall or West Palm Beach: $2

Boarding in Palm Beach County with valid Palm Tran pass: 50 cents

By Jonathan Mattise

Tags: beach, commuter, driving, eco-friendly, Florida, Health, inauguration, Indiantown, lake, mall, Mass, PGA, roads, Stuart, train, transportation

This entry was posted on Monday, August 24th, 2009 at 10:17 am and is filed under Martin County, Palm Beach County, Traffic. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.