Palm Tran officials on Jan. 15 briefed the Royal Palm Beach Village Council on changes to the agency's first‑year Bus Link pilot, which launched in August 2024 and provided TNC vouchers to connect riders to fixed‑route bus stops.

Ira Brewster, Palm Tran director of transit planning, said the pilot completed nearly 200,000 trips in three zones during its first year. The median trip lasted about six minutes and the median fare was $7.56; Royal Palm Beach accounted for roughly 8.4% of those trips and recorded about 16,005 trips in the zone.

Staff told the council that the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners approved continuing the pilot but recommended modifications to extend service more broadly. Effective Feb. 1, 2026, Palm Tran will reduce the per‑user voucher from $8 to $5 and limit daily voucher‑eligible trips from four to two. Palm Tran staff said those changes bring subsidy levels closer to fixed‑route fares and allow the agency to open new zones in the Acreage and Westlake to the west.

Council members questioned the equity of the change, noting Royal Palm Beach taxpayers contributed to county transit funding and asking why local riders would face reduced service. Palm Tran said savings from replacing some fixed routes were reallocated to higher‑performing routes countywide and that staff is in talks with Uber about targeted additional contributions that could raise the voucher amount for Royal Palm Beach if the county and vendor agree.

On ADA and paratransit concerns, council members asked whether removing fixed Route 52 eliminated the federal ADA paratransit entitlement within three‑quarters of a mile. Palm Tran said losing the fixed route removes the automatic federal entitlement for that corridor; the agency is maintaining a locally managed Connection Plus door‑to‑door service for affected riders but emphasized that Connection Plus is not a federal entitlement and depends on available funding and scheduling logistics.

Palm Tran staff agreed to provide the council a comparative report showing costs and service outcomes for the removed fixed route, the current Bus Link Uber‑voucher model and the planned mobility‑on‑demand approach, and accepted an invitation to return to the council with six‑month evaluation data.