City staff presented a summary of the Freebie Loop pilot to the Dunedin City Commission on Dec. 2 and sought direction on whether to extend the contract, which is scheduled to expire later this month.

Kathy Gadamer, community development project manager, said the pilot (Nov. 2, 2023 through October 2025) recorded just under 30,030 riders over the life of the contract with roughly a 50/50 split between riders using the app and riders who flagged vehicles down. Ridership rose after a May 21, 2025 expansion that added a flex (on‑demand) area to feed downtown; Fridays and Saturdays were the busiest days. The city applied for three grants to support the service — a federal public transit match, a TD Foundation application and a T‑Mobile small town grant — and was not approved for those awards. Advertising revenue was minimal.

Commissioners questioned contractor attendance (Freebie staff were not present) and expressed concern that the pilot relied on ARPA funding initially and would now require general fund support. Vice Mayor and other commissioners said many local businesses were unfamiliar with the service; a city business survey cited during the meeting found 53% of respondents were very/somewhat familiar but 46% were not familiar. Commissioners discussed on‑demand benefits and whether a local operator or business cost‑share could be pursued.

A majority of commissioners preferred to let the contract expire and to inform the Chamber of Commerce and downtown businesses immediately. Mayor and multiple commissioners recommended staff notify stakeholders, collect additional business feedback and return to the commission if there is a substantial groundswell of support to resume or redesign the service.

Next steps: Staff will inform Freebie, the Chamber and downtown businesses of the commission’s direction, collect feedback and report back if stakeholders request reconsideration.