Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

Miami's conversion of HOV lane space to new high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes as part of the federal Urban Partnership program, which also prompted New York City's congestion pricing push, is cutting travel times for local transit and boosting use -- but overall bus ridership in the corridor has stayed static, according to a new report from the U.S. DOT.

217665_600_0_4.jpgMiami's 95 Express HOT lanes, at left, with regular traffic at right. (Photo: SF Biz Jrnl)

The U.S. DOT, working alongside the National Bus Rapid Transit Institute, found that the city's 95 Express project has trimmed travel times by as much as two-thirds for users of the bus service on northbound HOT lanes.

But the picture is murkier for transit in Miami's I-95 corridor, which saw static levels of "mode share" (transportation-speak for the percentage of area travelers using a particular option) between 2008 and 2009.

Overall bus ridership in the I-95 corridor decreased by 4.6 percent, even as 95 Express bus ridership rose by 30 percent during the same period, according to the report.

Why did broad transit use fall while single-occupany vehicles flocked to the new HOT lanes? Service cuts and fare hikes of as much as 33 percent for monthly transit passes played a big role, the U.S. DOT found, as did the economic recession and lower gas prices that made auto travel more appealing to locals.

However, the report did contain some positive signals for transit mode share in Miami's I-95 area. Half of the bus riders surveyed by the U.S. DOT said they had switched over from car travel, "which suggests that the 95 Express bus service in general has had some success over time in attracting private auto users," the report stated.

Moreover, the U.S. DOT noted that 95 Express buses constitute just one-fifth of the corridor's total transit ridership -- meaning that even a 30-percent increase in popularity can't carry the whole system. That could change this month, however, with the current northbound 95 Express HOT lanes adding a southbound component and the state starting bus service connecting Miami-Dade with Broward County, its northern neighbor.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Trump’s ‘EV Mandate’ Does Not Exist. But Car Dependency Does — And We Can End It

The new president has sworn to unravel Biden's EV plans. But would they have been enough to decarbonize the transportation sector without confronting how much Americans drive?

January 22, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Get a Gentleman’s ‘C’

Transportation for America gave the Biden administration middling grades. Meanwhile, President Trump is already following through on promises to cancel EVs.

January 22, 2025

Drivers Keep Hitting Pedestrians In Front of An Iconic St. Louis Ice Cream Shop. Advocates Are Fighting Back.

A series of crashes outside a popular St. Louis landmark carries a larger lesson about traffic violence, and the cost of government inaction.

January 22, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines Take Me Home, Country Roads

Getting around without a car in a small town isn't easy, as one Fast Company writer found out. More bike lanes and denser town centers would help.

January 21, 2025

How America Can Reconnect Its Neighborhoods Before the Next Climate Catastrophe

America is replete with sprawling, disconnected neighborhoods that send residents out of their way by design. A new study explores just how bad it is — and what we can do about it.

January 21, 2025
See all posts