Rod Delostrinos, the Director of Transportation for Key West, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM yesterday morning to talk about what’s been going on with traffic.
Key West Rides has proven to be quite successful.
Delostrinos said, “It’s really indicative of trying to provide a great service for the city and for the community because we do not just Key West Rides, but all the way up to Marathon with the Lower Key’s Shuttle, but with Key West rides, we’ve completed over 145,000 rides since we started a couple years ago. But what’s interesting is that number is actually leveling off. Before we’ve seen a really sharp increase, but we believe that’s really a sign of people using the other services that we provide, using the workforce, using the Lower Key’s shuttle, and even using the county’s Conch Connect. That’s really great news, because then we can really adjust the fine tuning of the system, that way it’s responsive for everyone.”
Conch Connect has been a help to Key West.
Delostrinos said, “One of the things that the city of Key West, and Key West Transit provides is that mass transit, the big bus, getting people from bus stop to bus stop. But Conch Connect fills in some gaps where folks can get right to where they need to go. I think that’s preferable to some of the folks here. Truly, I’m ecstatic. I mean, I think it’s been a successful program, and I really congratulate Richard Clark and the county for fielding it.”
With Key West Rides having an app, it really helps.
Delostrinos said, “We have a different app, just look at Key West rides or you can look at the city website, that definitely has the information how to access it and of course, if there’s some issues, just give us a call and we’ll help you.”
The Holiday Village and Be-Lighted Bike Ride is a great event coming up on Friday.
Delostrinos sasid, “That’s really a fun activity and event for the city community and really for the children. What we do is we set up community outreach. We give information for folks if they want to know about the transit system, that type of thing. Additionally, we do provide a really fun booth for the the kids. It’s a Duvall Loop Derby, which is a radio controlled bus, there’s a a couple little cars, and then you’ll see some of the known points of Key West. You’ll see the Southernmost Point, the lighthouse. And there’s even an iguana and chicken on the road, because that’s true to life.”
The big holiday parade will be on Saturday night.
Delostrinos said, “There won’t be any of the big busses that we have, but there’ll be some busses, and I don’t want to tip my hand, but I think it’s something that’s going to be really enjoyable. We’re going to be with the city, with the float, and there’s going to be really a lot of different elements and we’re excited. It’s really a great fun event for everyone.”
No transit service will be available on December 25th or January 1st. However on New Year’s Eve, service will go up to 3 a.m.
Delostrinos said, “We’re really happy to provide this service as people are watching all the different drops that they have downtown and such, but just a safe way to get home. We even will have people all the way up to take them back to Marathon. The fare for that full fare is $4 as other reduced fares as it applies. But it’s just really something that I think folks should consider as they’re making their plans for New Year’s Eve now and deciding where they want to go, we’re going to be out there. Give us a call if you need more information. But you’ll have that. You’ll have the Key West Rides going on throughout the evening. It’s just going to be all hands on deck situation.”
Workforce Express also continues to prosper.
Delostrinos said, “It’s the route that goes from Stock Island, pretty much straight to Bahama village. The route provides a lot of predictability for folks. If you’re nervous about the Key West rides, since it is an on demand type service, Workforce Express definitely has some options. Again, reach out to us for trip planning. Give us a call. Our staff is available, and we’ll be able to help you and help you pick what service could best serve you.”
The Key West Transit development plan for fiscal year 2025 to 2034 is 259 pages.
Delostrinos said, “The transit development plan, that is our 10 year visioning document, and what it does on a very basic thing, is find out, really what the needs of the community are. We do community outreach, we gather with certain stakeholders, with the elected officials, and just really try to get a sense of where the community wants to go. Then there’s the analysis. What has history shown us? What have the statistics shown us? Put all that together, and we’re able to say, okay, we want to move in a certain direction. That document helps us with the funding and with the predictability, so that everyone can kind of see, oh, this is where transportation is going to go. It’s not just, oh, we’ve done it, hey, congratulations to us. But every year, we review it, and we do make modifications as necessary. But it’s definitely a great tool to use. It is really, essentially the strategic plan for transportation, but some of the exciting things that it shows us, different and more service to the community, and that’s good news, because hopefully we can get to the point to where if you want to drive your car, that’s great, but that the service is so reliable, and we really strive to get there. One of the other things is the Key West Intermodal Center, and that’s really a huge undertaking, huge capital project. The feasibility study has shown it’s favorable. But obviously just like any other development, from zoning to environmental to traffic studies, because we want to make sure that this project is really appropriate for the city.”
While COVID did affect transit, the numbers are going back to normal.
Delostrinos said, “we really study this in the state of Florida, and we don’t think that we’re going to necessarily return to those high numbers, because folks have figured out different ways to get around. If you look at the rise of the different types of conveyances, electric scooters, electric bikes, even just regular biking here in our community, it’s really picked up a lot, and that has taken folks off the bus, which is okay, it’s just another means of getting around. But certainly we look at ridership. Ridership does help us with how our dollars are allocated to us, but at the same time, I don’t believe that everything should be bus. It really should be what’s appropriate for our community based on what they think.”
How is funding looking for the future?
Delostrinos said, “The state has been really a great partner, and the federal government as well. We are very fortunate to have such a robust funding stream. But the funding stream is typically for operations at the 50% level, so that’s where we have to be able to generate our revenue locally, through bus fares, through advertising, through the parking revenue from the park and ride, those type of activities, and those are always challenging as there’s the ebb and flow. It’s really a balance. I think all departments, really, any government agency is always face that thing. Because the state and the federal government will give us what we ask for, we just have to come up with our half. So we can’t grow that fast unless we’re able to identify those revenue streams locally.”
What about the electric bus?
Delostrinos said, “We did get that the one replacement diesel, and it did make its way from California, same situation. I’ll keep the listeners informed, because it’s going to be definitely an event, and we’re really excited to see what that technology can do for us here in the city of Key West. I just want to encourage everyone to try public transportation and if you have some suggestions come up, please stop by the office, and we’ll be absolutely happy to talk to you, because I think the more people get involved in this, the better we are. Happy holidays to everybody.”
For more information, click here: https://www.cityofkeywest-fl.gov/595/Schedules-and-Route-Maps