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FPRA hears interim update on Freebee microtransit; staff asked to quantify economic impact
Summary
Freebee reported large ridership growth after adding a fifth vehicle in December 2024 and a 50% FDOT grant helped expand service; commissioners requested more economic-impact data, wait‑time detail and coordination with county transit.
The Fort Pierce Redevelopment Agency on Wednesday received an interim six‑month update from Freebee on the program’s fifth electric vehicle and growing ridership.
Freebee Vice President of Economic Development John Janice told the agency that ridership grew sharply after service expansion and the December 2024 addition of a fifth vehicle. “Ridership has grown a 109% year over year, June 24 to June 25 and 500 percent, since June 2023,” Janice said, and he reported nearly 7,000 riders in June 2025. Janice also said the service received a Federal Highway Administration / FDOT grant that covers 50% of costs for an earlier expansion to seven days and a larger geofenced area.
The update matters because the Freebee program was launched by the CRA as an economic‑development and last‑mile mobility effort and now operates as a microtransit option most days of the week. Janice said the fifth vehicle increased capacity 25% and that June 2025 showed a 40% increase in ridership compared with November 2024, the last month before the fifth vehicle was added.
Commissioners pressed staff and Freebee for more quantifiable measures of economic impact. Commissioner Johnson asked for data tying Freebee trips to business revenue, tourism movement and transit connections: “I would really wanna see that data in the economic number,” he said. Janice replied that the service’s app‑based operation captures trip endpoints and heat maps and that Freebee can run surveys and aggregate results: “We can break those heat maps down into quantifiable numbers, as well as we can run surveys and find out, why people are using the service.”
Board members also discussed wait times and deployment. Janice said average wait times have improved since the fifth vehicle was added and estimated the typical wait to be “under 15 minutes.” Commissioners raised operational questions that staff agreed to follow up on, including whether any earlier driver shortages affected vehicle deployment, whether vehicles had been instructed to return to the mainland from South Beach, exact service boundaries, and how Freebee coordinates with county transit. Janice said Freebee had crossed paths with the county director at conferences and planned further conversations.
Directives and follow-up: members asked staff and Freebee to provide a report with quantified economic‑impact metrics, more precise wait‑time figures, and evidence of integration with county transit; staff also agreed to pursue placing QR codes or in‑vehicle banners linking riders to local information. Janice said Freebee would provide additional survey data and heat‑map breakdowns for the board.
Background and context: Freebee began service in February 2023 with four vehicles and limited days, expanded in July 2024 with FDOT grant support to daily service and a larger geofence, and added the fifth vehicle in December 2024. Janice characterized Fort Pierce as a high‑performing microtransit program in Florida and noted interest from other counties and conferences.
The board did not take a funding vote during the update. Staff and Freebee will return with requested analyses and operational clarifications at a future meeting.
