Streets for People / Just Six Months Old, Conch Connect Micro-Transit Is Already Beating Expectations

Just six months after its debut, the Conch Connect on-demand, Uber-like micro transit service is shattering forecasts by more than doubling expected ridership. In its first four full months of service, beginning August 1 through November, the Freebee transit company, which operates the service for Monroe County reports it is averaging over 5,300 monthly passengers. And this is before high season started. Transit officials had a goal of 2,000 riders a month for the first year. They added 85 percent of the passengers are locals and 50% of the trips are for work.

Meanwhile Key West Transit’s (KWT) two-years-old, on-demand bus service Key West Rides has maintained its passenger levels since the County’s service started. So, the County service doesn’t seem to be cannibalizing customers from the City but perhaps is expanding the market by introducing a new and different product. Combine the two together and add in the 18-month old KWT Work Force Express passengers and you get a bit closer to the number of passenger trips that were provided by KWT on its old “City Routes” on Key West and Stock Island pre-Covid. That’s good news for our transit systems and good news for people that need transit to get to work and get around.

Let’s dive into some of the data, talk to some local riders and ask what this means for the future of transit below.

A Closer Look at the Data

RIDERSHIP: At 5,300+ passengers a month and growing, Conch Connect is already providing 87% of the 6,100 passengers (average for the same months) the City’s Key West Rides is serving. Add in the Work Force Express Route’s about 1,400 monthly rides and that’s approximately 11,400 total trips mostly serving locals on our two islands. Before Covid the KWT Red, Orange, Green and Blue “City Routes” served more than 15,000 monthly passengers. So, the additional capacity that Conch Connect provides is helping to meet transit demand that has been lacking since Covid.

WAIT TIMES: The Freebee provided data shows that about half the trips (49%) have a wait time of 20 minutes or less and half (51%) are 20 minutes plus with an average wait time of 23 minutes 14 seconds. Yes, they provide data that precise. In fact, here are more specific breakdowns:

17% of trips at 0 – 10 Minutes
16% of trips at 10 – 15 Minutes
16% of trips at 15 – 20 Minutes

24% of trips at 20 – 30 Minutes

28% of trips at 30+ Minutes

When asked about some of the longer wait times, Richard Clark, Monroe County Transit Director tells us, “Most people understand that a $2 trip has advantages and disadvantages. During peak hours it will certainly slow down.”

SERVING LOCALS: Mr. Clark shared that one thing the report doesn’t show is that 85% of the passengers are local. When I asked how he knew that he responded: “It’s an electronic format that requires you to put in your information. Those that ride have their information in the system.” Based upon the comments about the service on the Key West Locals group page, we’d guess this is so.

AND SERVING WORKERS: Mr. Clark also shared that 50% of the rides are for work purposes. He said that: “Rides that originate and terminate in Key West are roughly 2/3rd’s and Stock to Key West is roughly 1/3. The rides are typically to major resorts/ west Duval area.”

RIDERSHIP SKEWS YOUNGER: It caught our attention that 45% of the passengers identified as younger than 34 years old, especially in this town as us old people seem to rule and also because transit systems often seem to cater to the needs of seniors. 29 percent were ages 35 to 50 and 26% were 51+.

7-DAY A WEEK, ALL NIGHT TOWN: We all know this, but our town doesn’t have a 5-day a week, weekend feel. And it doesn’t slow down at night either. It’s always busy and people are always working. The daily and hourly passenger data confirms this as no day of the week – although Tuesday seems a bit busier – predominates and the rides don’t noticeably decline at night.

What Some Customers and Locals Are Saying

We asked locals on Facebook to share their experience with the new service and it didn’t take more than a few hours to get 60+ comments. Here’s small sample of what they were saying:

Some people liked it:

Yara Gabriela Mila, Key West: “It’s comfortable and affordable, BUT the wait time is too long most of the time and it’s not accurate either, so it’s not reliable if you want to use it to get to work or things like that.”

Kevin P Smith, Key West: “My friends use it all the time. And yes, it is inconsistent. It’s a work in progress. Going to be great!”

Claire Hurd, Key West: “I only took Conch Connect once, a few months ago. Took less than 30 minutes to pick me up on White St. and deliver me to a shop on North Roosevelt. The glass ceiling is sweet!”

Katherine Samantha, Key West: “ We have used it a handful of time, it has been great for us! Picked up in less than 10 minutes, nice drivers and great experience overall. Thnx!”

Dee Dee Green, Key West: “I use it a lot. Most of the time it is great. 15-20 seems about the average time. They there are the times its 1 to 1.5 hours (rush hour). They do have issues with logistics. Drivers say they can see all cars and ride requests. Seems most of the time, even if a car is empty and close to a person, they will see a different car from other side of the island is assigned the pickup. Also, estimate times. Sometimes app waits 15 minutes before telling you estimated time (this is usually when busy). Also, it will say ride is arriving and I can see car is still far away. I would like if the app added a tip option. All said, this has been a great option. Oh, it ends at 9pm. It will be great if the program extends at least until 11 pm.” 

Robert Stadnycki, Key West: Used it yesterday. Perfect service.”

One of the drawbacks of an on-demand service is that some people compare it to Uber and Lyft where the wait times on this island are usually just minutes:

Vinny Koi, Key West: Tried it several times. Wait times are way too long. I’d love to support it but when I have to wait 15-20 mins for a pickup compared to 1-2 minutes for an Uber, it’s not worth it.”

Jill Marie, Key West: “LOVE IT…when I can get one….Wait times are outrageous. I usually just end up call an Uber.”

As Richard Clark points out most people realize that for a $2 transit ride, there are going to be some compromises and many of the respondents agreed.

Misty Fulk, Key West: I’ve never had a problem with it! Except in the afternoon but early morning it is always great.”

Ryan Beer Adelphia, Key West: “Affordable and comfortable ride for when you aren’t in a hurry. I use it every few weeks instead of Uber.”

Some people didn’t like it when they tried it, others have problems with the app, while others chimed in that they didn’t like the idea of our local governments providing the service or wanted fixed route instead:

Walter Leeman, Key West: “The app is a pain in the a.. Along with letting them know. They could have been a good option but are not.”

Steven Tepper, Key West: “The wait times are too long to be practical, and they sometimes increase while you wait. This funding/system should have gone to provide better service for Key West Rides. If only the County and City knew how to work together.”

Thomas Mullet, Key West: “It’s replacing a car with a car? I’m confused how this helps? Parking I understand but dozens of trips are still being done only by a different car. It’s a city UBER? (Investing in) cycling would have been a real difference maker.”

Mr. Mullet may have a point about using a car to get mostly individuals around because with buses the ride is shared by lots of people. So, we asked Mr. Clark about that, and he replied that “About 25% of the trips are shared rides.”  So, it’s a bit better than a personal Uber ride but not quite as good (efficient, beneficial, etc.) as traditional fixed-route transit…

Looking Ahead to the Future

…And so that brings us back to what this all means and what the future of transit should be in Key West and the Florida Keys. We asked Mr. Clark what’s in store for the near term and he said:

“In 2025 we have been asked to look into taking over the management of Islamorada’s service. Also, we are planning on how we build similar systems in Key Largo, Marathon/KCB and Big Pine-Cudjoe.”

Congrats are due to Mr. Clarke and the County for trying and getting something done. Back in the summer, Mr. Clark explained they’ve got to start somewhere, and Stock Island and Key West are underserved, and the City’s Key West Transit is struggling to meet demand. We agreed as we’ve written about here,  here, here and here. That and it was easy and quick for the County to hire Freebee to provide the service as a turnkey project.

Mr. Clark also told us there was more demand for transit than Key West Transit’s family of services could provide. Six months in the stats are showing there is indeed a market for more transit as there’s been no drop off in Key West Rides. Given this and the great numbers for the start of the service, we’d like to see more County investment in Stock Island and Key West before turning up the Keys, but that was part of the original vision.

In a popular story last spring (A New Transit Service Is Coming This Summer. Our Workforce Needs It and Much More Transit Up and Down the Keys, May 24, 2024) we shared in detail Mr. Clark’s vision for a unified transit service county-wide with 30 minute continuous service over the entire length of the Overseas Highway, supplemented by on-demand service in the neighborhood hubs along the highway and a family of fixed circulator services on the islands of Key West and Stock Island.

Let’s Encourage the County and City to Make Better Transit

We’ve been down this path before of having nice plans that seem to go nowhere. So, it is good news the County’s Conch Connect is off to a fantastic start. The City/Key West Transit and County need to work together on building more and better transit options because our residents and workers increasingly live and work in more spread out places that cross jurisdictional lines. Our workers in particular need frequent, easy and reliable options to the high costs of owning and operating a vehicle, especially because our rent is so high.

Accomplishing this will help ease our workforce’s burden, take cars off our congested main road, reduce parking conflicts downtown, help clean our environment, assist our local Mom & Pop Shops be more prosperous and make our island chain paradise healthier and happier too.

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Chris Hamilton is founder of the local advocacy group Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval Street/Historic Downtown. Subscribe to the blog. Follow on Facebook and Twitter. A native of the District of Columbia, where for a couple decades+ he led nationally renowned efforts promoting transit, bike, walk and smart growth for Arlington County, VA’s DOT. Chris has lived in Key West since 2015. He lives car-free downtown and works and volunteers for a couple non-profits. You can find all of KONK Life Streets for People column articles here and here

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