Downtown West Palm Beach Trolley and Municipal Transit Study

West Palm Beach, Florida trolley route and ridership

Since 2000, West Palm Beach’s Downtown Trolley system has provided residents, visitors, and employees with free circulation within its downtown core. As a result of the City’s recently adopted Mobility Plan (developed in concert with Sam Schwartz), Sam Schwartz was retained to perform an assessment of the current trolley operations and management structure, develop a plan for a near-term expansion of the system, and assist City officials and other stakeholders through the decision making processes and the development of an implementation plan for future expansion.

Sam Schwartz met with stakeholders to determine the appropriate vision for an expanded transit system and to identify untapped markets and strategies to increase ridership. With an increase in fleet size, Sam Schwartz developed a system rerouting plan that retained connectivity while increasing headways, connecting some untapped markets, and providing more direct and efficient connections to commuter and regional rail stations. Sam Schwartz participated in a review of currently available electric transit vehicles and assisted the City with selecting appropriate vehicle types to employ on the future municipal transit system.