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Boca Connect pilot shows steady ridership; council weighs trimming late-night hours and expanding to Barrier Island
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Summary
City staff reported steady ridership on the Boca Connect downtown shuttle pilot and recommended ending service at midnight to cut marginal costs; councilmembers urged more full-season data and outreach and discussed expansion to Barrier Island and partnerships with hotels and condos.
Municipal Services Director Zach Bier told the Boca Raton City Council at a Nov. 4 workshop that the Boca Connect downtown shuttle pilot, operated by Circuit, has produced roughly 400 passenger trips per week since launching on June 17, 2024, and that staff is recommending ending service at midnight rather than 2 a.m. to reduce marginal costs.
Bier said the pilot’s current total cost of coverage is $491,728 and highlighted usage data showing shared rides have grown to about 8 percent and that no single age group dominates ridership. "Based on our data... staff is suggesting that we end the service at midnight," Bier said, adding that the late-night window accounts for a small share of trips and that staff estimated savings on the order of roughly $1,000 to $4,000 per month from the change.
Councilmembers pressed staff on the trade-offs. "I think allowing for a free or very, very reduced cost there... provides a high safety value," Mr. Thompson said, urging the council to weigh safety benefits of late-night service against modest savings. Several councilmembers, including Mr. Wigdier, said the pilot’s sample size is still limited and recommended keeping the full pilot through high-season weeks such as Thanksgiving and New Year’s to better measure demand.
The council also discussed expanding service east to the Barrier Island (the beach area). Bier said the city and Circuit will explore operational challenges — including stops at gated condo properties and headway impacts — and pursue outreach to condo associations and hotels. He noted staff is pursuing grant opportunities and advertising revenue to offset operating costs. Bier said staff provided an estimate that expanding beach service would add about $292,000 in vehicle costs and that additional vehicles could be added at the hourly rates identified in the contract; he also noted staff is exploring revenue offsets.
Several councilmembers urged more marketing to raise awareness — "when I talk to the students at FAU, they don't yet know it exists," Mr. Wigdier said — and recommended targeted outreach to students, hotels and condo associations in the Barrier Island area. Council members generally supported continuing the pilot while staff refines outreach and collects additional season-long data before making a final decision on late-night hours or expansion.
No formal action or vote was taken at the workshop; staff will return with additional analysis and recommendations at a future meeting and the council will consider staffing and budget implications before any permanent schedule change.