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Cutler Bay circulator ridership rises; minibuses nearing end of life, county transit liaison says
Summary
Cheryl Mosco, county transit liaison, reported rising ridership for the town circulator/trolley and flagged that the wrapped minibuses have reached useful life; she said the service is funded in part by gas‑tax proceeds and staff are seeking replacement 40‑foot CNG buses for continued service.
Cheryl Mosco, representing the county transit partnership, briefed the council on the town’s circulator (branded minibus/trolley) service during the June 18 meeting, reporting ridership gains and equipment challenges.
Mosco said ridership rose over the past two years, with quarterly increases and monthly gains in recent quarters. She noted customer‑service calls to 311 dropped from 14 in 2023 to 6 in 2024, though some recent 2024 calls were complaints about operator behavior or no‑show trips. Mosco highlighted an experienced operator who is well liked by seniors and praised the circulator’s social value for older residents.
On fleet condition, Mosco said the wrapped minibuses that look like trolleys have reached their useful life (12 years or about 500,000 miles) and that two minibuses had engine failures that led the agency to retire them rather than re‑engine. The county is identifying a 40‑foot compressed natural gas (CNG) bus that could be wrapped and used for the circulator; Mosco said procurement and vehicle assignment within the larger agency takes time.
Funding: town staff noted about $2.8 million in gas‑tax proceeds allocated to the town based on population; under the town’s use, roughly 80% of those receipts are used for roadway capital and about 20% for transit items, including the on‑demand service.
Ending: Mosco and staff said they will continue to pursue a replacement bus for the circulator and will monitor ridership and complaints as they update routing and vehicle assignment.
