Florida City testing use of Tesla vehicles into their Freebee fleet. Your thoughts?

Florida City just introduced Freebee service using Tesla electric vehicles. Palmetto Bay officials discussed this at a Committee of the Whole Workshop (COW) held on October 20, 2020.

What do you think of adding the expense of Tesla? Does it take a Tesla to get you out of your personal car for short trips and into a shared ride service intra-Palmetto Bay?

Freebee rising to the challenge. Information on what it is doing for all service areas.

CLICK HERE to view this information online.

"In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Freebee is providing free restaurant delivery and catering its free transportation service to senior citizens." 

Review the embedded email below or click the link above to read the complete information.

Four years ago today - we celebrated the official Grand Opening of Aldi

It has been four years, have you tried Aldi? If so, how has your experience been?  Palmetto Bay has a long history of welcoming new businesses to our hometown. Check out the post from August 20, 2015, on Facebook as embedded below:

And remember, you can ride Freebee for free (through the APP) now in Palmetto Bay. This service is currently available limited hours on most days, but (unfortunately) never on a Sunday - don't ask me why.

3 vendors responded to the Village Request for Information - Ride Sharing Services. Here are the companies and their responses (links to download and view)

Three Ride Sharing companies responded to the Village Request for Information - RFI# 1819-11-009 - Ride Sharing Services. These responses are tools for you (and the Village Council) to use in determining which, if any, on-demand service is best for Palmetto Bay. 

This step is for interested readers to view the materials unfiltered by any outside comments as well as to consider what type of service you, yourself, not others, would use.

Here are the three services that responded with links. The first link (company name) takes you to the company web site. The second link takes you to the actual document, in order to view the actual response/service description:

Freebee (CLICK HERE - 5 pages)- providing service to Pinecrest, Coral Gables, Doral, City of Miami (Coconut Grove), etc.

One Call (CLICK HERE - 9 pages) - I am familiar with their transportation services as a vendor for medical transportation (diversified transport) familiar as part of One Call Medical - serving workers' compensation carriers transporting patients to and from appointments (Their service to Palmetto Bay would NOT be an extension or an overlap of this service). They are in the municipal on-demand transportation service as described on Page three (3) of the response.

Via Transportation Inc. (CLICK HERE - 5 pages). A New York Company. The company bills itself as one of the largest competitors to Uber. You can view Via Transporation's proposed approach for Palmetto Bay on Page 5 of 5.

This all is an interesting reading and I recommend that you study it for yourself, and not simply be told about these services filtered by the manager or elected officials who may have their pre-conceived favorites. Think about this in terms of what would you be most likely to use, not what you or others think should be provided for others. Also, as stated above, these are responses to an advertised request for information. You can use the information provided as a jump off point for additional research on other potential services.  Simply "Google" "Ride Share Services" and you can see there is a vast source of information available on the Internet. 3 responses represent a very small sampling of the types of services and the number of companies that can and would provide on-demand services for Palmetto Bay.

IMPORTANT NOTE - this is not pending request for bids to score and select an actual service provider.  See below. This is a non-binding request for information. The Village of Palmetto Bay, Florida seeks information for ride sharing services. The request is not a commitment on the part of the Village - it is intended solely to gain information from companies providing ride sharing services. 

Related posts:

April 5, 2019,  Update on Freebee / Request for Information (not a bid) for the Ride Sharing Services requested by the Village

CLICK HERE to view prior related posts on Ride Share in Palmetto Bay.

Update on Freebee / Request for Information (not a bid) for the Ride Sharing Services requested by the Village

Village Hall was closed yesterday due to the severe act of vandalism to the building. The business of government must continue and that includes dealing with a RFI request that was scheduled to close yesterday (Thursday, April 4, 2019) at 3:00 PM.  

CLICK HERE to view PRIOR RELATED POSTS ON RIDE SHARE IN PALMETTO BAY.

I have inquired as to what happened with the Request for Information (not a bid) for the Ride Sharing Services. I will update as to any response I receive.  Specifically, I put in my request for an update on pending RFI# 1819-11-009 - Ride Sharing Services. The Response opening was set for 3:00 PM, Thursday, April 4, 2019, but Village Hall was closed due to the vandalism. My inquiry was as to when the Responses (if any) were being opened today, a later date (and if so, when) or if the deadline for RFI submission was being extended due to unexpected circumstances that may have prevented a last-minute, but timely bid, being submitted. 

IMPORTANT NOTE - this is not pending request for bids to score and select an actual service provider.  See below. This is a non-binding request for information. The Village of Palmetto Bay, Florida seeks information for ride sharing services. 

Please NOTE that the request is not a commitment on the part of the Village - it is intended solely to gain information from companies providing ride sharing services. 

The Responses were due on Thursday, April 4, 3:00 PM, unless the deadline was extended due to the village hall closure. I am waiting to hear back.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

No. 1819-11-009

 RIDE SHARING SERVICES

CLICK HERE to view the Request for Information Document ( Pages).

Is this Request for Information simply a vehicle to provide more delay? Does the village expect a sudden out of state bidder or new upstart to come out and solicit a new type ride sharing service? Look around - who is serving our sister cities. Again, this is not a bid, this is a simply a non-binding Request for Information - not required to hire a service and not required as a precursor (nor is it a substitute) for a bid to provide services. Finally, as specifically stated on the request - this is NOT a commitment on the part of the Village. This is merely intended to gain information from companies providing ride sharing services (who actually take the time to submit the required information in the required form). 

Update on the Palmetto Bay Freebee service. I am passing my update on to my readers. We could have this service very shortly, possibly in February!

I am updating you, interested readers on the status of the Palmetto Bay Freebee service.

A source has updated me on the status of the Palmetto Bay Freebee.  I am providing the updates to my blog readers.  My source advises that Palmetto Bay's Freebee service could be up and running very quickly if the Council will approve the Contract at the February council meeting. (It was confirmed that we could have been up and running in December, 2018, but the village requested changes in the contract. These discussions commenced at about the New Year, post-election).

It is my understanding that there have been no changes in pricing from the May 2018 discussions, unless there is a change in service, and that is apparently being discussed.  The Town of Miami Lakes is rolling out a larger Freebee passenger vehicle, a 6 to 9 max passenger version. Palmetto Bay may be interested in upgrading to this larger capacity vehicle.  The upgrade would not be ready for a February launch. Commencing with the larger vehicle service would cause a 60 to 90 day delay in initiating service, however, Palmetto Bay could start with the standard vehicles and then upgrade to the larger vehicles when ready.

A December launch would have provided the Village experience to judge whether the ridership would justify the larger vehicle, rather than jumping right into higher capacity, higher cost.

There will be an increase in overall service cost for Palmetto Bay if the Village opts to run with the larger vehicles (which may be worth it, but this should be publicly disclosed and discussed as to the expectations, the wants and needs of our residents).

I was also told that at the present time, there is no ability for the Freebee service to operate on the buslanes/transitway (as the IBus currently operates), but there are ongoing discussions relating to obtaining permission. Such operations would be designed more to avoid the traffic congestion on US1. My source is also unaware of any discussions to use this vehicle outside the Village jurisdiction, e.g., from the Village all the way to the Metrorail, to the Datran South station.  Current plans and County permissions remain that the Freebee would operate within the Village, and venturing to close major destinations including the Falls Shopping Center and including the Jackson South Hospital/medical complex.

I formally request that this Manager, Mayor and Council cease any further delays and get the contract (or whatever documents that the council deem necessary to be approve in order to justify the past delays) approved at the February council meeting so this service can begin without further delay.

More recommended reading - a Miami Herald article by Douglas Hanks, Jan. 16, 2019: Looser rules on transit tax bringing ‘Freebee’ shuttles to cities. Is Uber next

Thank you for your interest,

Eugene Flinn

POD - Palmetto Bay is currently out of service area for Freebee. Let's make it happen. Improve our local mobility.

Reports are coming in as to the Pinecrest Freebee. The service started Monday, January 14, 2019, in Pinecrest.  I downloaded the APP sometime ago, when I was confident that Palmetto Bay would be the first to introduce the Freebee service.  I was pushing for an October 2018 start of the Freebee service for Palmetto Bay.  We pushed for and were awarded a 3 year pilot grant late in 2018 to start the service for 2019 (that's the start for the Grant, but the ability to use CITT funds for this on-demand service were already available.

I was negotiating for an earlier start and I found the local proprietors of Freebee most accommodating. We could have, should have, started this Freebee service in December 2018 for Palmetto Bay.

Please see my prior post regarding the grant and other update on the Palmetto Bay Freebee: posted January 9, Freebee update - reviewing prior notifications. FAQ. The funding is in place for the Palmetto Bay Freebee service, but is the interest or political will?

 CLICK HERE to see other prior posts relating to Freebee.

But for now, many Palmetto Bay residents will be "outside the service area" of the Pinecrest Freebee.

Focus. Let's get it together and start the Freebee for Palmetto Bay.

Freebee update - reviewing prior notifications. FAQ. The funding is in place for the Palmetto Bay Freebee service, but is the interest or political will?

I was asked for some updates/confirmation as to representation of a TPO Grant applicable to the Freebee. The excerpt/TPO Grant confirmation letter is posted here in response.

The Freebee is o be funded from our Transportation 1/2 Cent share. We also sought and received a 3 year TPO Grant.

The funding is there, but is the interest or political will?

CLICK HERE to view my e-mail blast of October 5, 2018, where I updated our community of the status of funding that will assist the village in facilitating the Freebee on-demand, APP based service..

This is an exciting item that I have been working on. It is presently operating in several Miami-Dade County Municipalities and is now set to commence operation in neighboring Pinecrest beginning Wednesday, 1/16/2019.

I still believe that it is time to bring the Freebee service to Palmetto Bay. This TPO Service Development Program awarding Palmetto Bay $225,000 in year one, does allow Palmetto Bay to move us forward on this exciting on-demand service for Palmetto Bay.

The funding is there, but is the interest or political will?

At least Pinecrest has the Freebee, what about Palmetto Bay's? - service should have started in December 2018.

At one time, Freebee was set to initiate service in Palmetto Bay in December, 2018. I would like to see a status report and explanation as to why our planned service has gone off line? The status was on time, ready to go, set for the anticipated December, 2018, launch, as late as October, 2018.  (My involvement obviously ceased as of November 6, 2018.)

For background, please see my prior post of March 30, 2018, Offering up solutions to transit. I am sponsoring the Freebee alternative on Mon., April 2. I hope my fellow council members jump on board.  And note that Palmetto Bay was awarded and did accept the 3 year TPO grant to sponsor this on demand service.

My last communication with Jason Spiegel, Managing Partner, Freebee, was October 23, 2018, about a week after Freebee brought out the fully prepped Palmetto Bay Freebee Vehicle to the State of the Village. Managing Partner Spiegel's timeline was to launch the Palmetto Bay service in December. (I do not know if this vehicle has been reoutfitted to serve other areas or if it remains in a garage waiting the green light.

So what happened to a December/Holiday start to the Palmetto Bay Freebee service? I asked last  January 4th, where's the Palmetto Bay Freebee?

Pinecrest is moving forward with this service.  The Pinecrest Village Council invites you to the official launch of the Pinecrest's new on-demand transportation service - Pinecrest FREEBEE. This SMART Demonstration Project is a collaborative effort with the Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization (TPO). The event is set to take place Wednesday, January 16th, 11:00 a.m. at Evelyn Greer Park.

For more information about the service, please visit www.pinecrest-fl.gov/FREEBEE. For more information about the TPO and other demonstration projects, please visit tinyurl.com/y9682jhu.

Palmetto Bay, it's our move.  Where are we on Palmetto Bay's Freebee? I asked this question earlier, asking Where’s the Freebee, the on demand service we worked for (and obtained a large 3 year grant) in order to commence service during the holiday break, December 2018? 

Palmetto Bay was close to starting the Freebee service. Pictured is the first
Freebee vehicle completed and ready for service. Ads were running seeking drivers

The Palmetto Bay Freebee service should be up and running, serving our village residents and local businesses, circulating through the village on call and even providing service to The Falls Shopping Center and Jackson South Medical Center (just to name two large destinations outside of Palmetto Bay, but within the projected service range). The Freebee is ADA accessible and would be available to take seniors or those who choose not to drive to local grocery stores and other shops.  Palmetto Bay should not be neglecting this outstanding service. 

I recommend that you attend the Pinecrest event to hear what this Freebee service will provide for the residents of Pinecrest - again, this event is scheduled for Wednesday, January 16th, 11:00 a.m. at Evelyn Greer Park.  

Where’s the Freebee, the on demand service we worked to commence service this year? Why, how, does a $1 per month rental charge jumps to as much as $1,800 per month? So many issues, so little transparency.

Where’s the Freebee, the on demand service we worked for (and obtained a large 3 year grant) in order to commence service during the holiday break, December 2018? 

A huge expense increase, going from $1 to as high as $1,800 per month, needs to be discussed at a public meeting where the case is made for this extreme expense increase, not placed on a consent agenda where its treated in a perfunctory manner, especially where I'm not sure there is legal authorization to continue this program once the period defined / approved in resolution 2018-13 expired. The Council authorized a 6 months trial program, not permanent ongoing service. The program commenced in June 2018, the six month trial period would have ended in December.  This may be a 'wild' program, working without specific legal authorization. Continuing beyond the original 6 month should require a new resolution, new public process.  I like the program, but we need to evaluate, see where it can be tweak and find out if there are more effective uses for this money.  Transparency requires a public evaluation and report which includes ALL the costs, not piecemealing the costs at small, less noticeable bites.

Here is a link to my google drive where I have downloaded the materials specific to the proposed Park & Ride lease extension: Agenda Item 4.B.HRSR.PnR Lease.pdf ..  This is a much shorter download as the entire official agenda online is 299 pages. 

Also see Resolution 2018-13 (CLICK HERE) - this park and ride was to be a six month trial period. The period ended in December. It is time to EVALUATE - in the public view, not simply extend the lease at a 1,800% increase. Continuing beyond the original 6 month should require a new resolution, new public process.  

I like the program, but we need to evaluate, see where it can be tweak and find out if there are more effective uses for this money.  Transparency requires a public evaluation and report which includes ALL the costs, not piecemealing the costs at small, less noticeable bites. Hiding total costs is the antithesis of transparency. 

Issues for discussion include:

• How many actually ride?
• Where did the $1,800 request come from? This is not disclosed. Have there been discussions or an offer from our current mayor as to that figure? This is poor, no, VERY POOR negotiation practice. I can tell you that it is very difficult to achieve a lower price when the party you are negotiating with knows how much you have to pay. Negotiation 101.
• Is the entire cost per rider the best value?
  
• Is this adversely affecting completing the Freebee? That was ready to go, yet the final approval has not reach the council agenda.
• Where is the Banyan Street Park & Ride? I will tell you that the cost will be prohibitive if you apply the proposed maxed cost of $1,800 for HRSR. Is that why we staff has appeared to drop that second park & ride lot?
• Could we do better at using the $1,800 per month, plus the other costs of riders – the bus/driver/gas/insurance, etc. to partner with a Ride Share program (as we did for the holidays) and use a private on-demand service at less cost to our residents.
• If we are to pay up to $1,800, monthly, would we not be better charging ourselves to use the East lot at Coral Reef Park and use that $1,800 monthly income for enhanced park maintenance?
• How does this payment affect Palmetto Bay's capacity to fund other programs, other initiatives Palmetto Bay wanted to provide under the 1/2 cent sales tax monies?

The issues listed above are only part of the issues that should be discussed at the 6 month trial review, before we move forward. Why is this mayor and council afraid to discuss these issues in the open, in public?  

Note that the item is on the consent agenda, which means the item is not set for a public discussion, unless a member of the village council makes a written request to the Village Clerk by noon on Monday to pull the item for discussion.

Is transparency dead in Palmetto Bay?

Keeping you informed. Questions/comments relating to our IBus Park & Ride Express pilot program

I am posting some ‘best of’ questions/comments relating to our IBus Park & Ride Express pilot program, or as I have dubbed it: The IBus reboot. The postings are to share comments and concerns.  Please help us here at your Village of Palmetto Bay by providing input that will lead to continued refinement of our service.  

I am not using this page to post daily ridership numbers.  I have asked our Village Manager to post those numbers for the public to view on the official Palmetto Bay media.

The questions have come through various discussions or media.  I cannot accept or respond to anonymous comments as I do respond directly to those involved in the communication. 

Thank you and happy commuting.

_________________________________________

Comment from Michael:

C: I rode it Tuesday and Thursday. It does take more time to arrive at work. However, I found it to be less stressful! I believe that it will require some planning on the part of the user to avoid the long gap between pickups at the metro.

Comment from CI:

C: Please continue this in the fall.

Comment from David:

C: It would be nice to go another level or two into the data to measure effectiveness. For example, if the riders are (or not) VOPB residents, general areas where riders live and work, and if they drive to the church or have another transportation method. Also, how many are coming to PB in the morning from Metrorail.

Response: Not a bad idea for a next round of data collection. Now that we know we have some riders to collect data from.

Comment / question from Tracie:

C/Q: I would have ridden today, but there was no way to get back from downtown during the mid-day. Maybe an on demand service during the break

A: You mean like "Freebee"??? 

Editor's note: Coming soon see: http://eugeneflinn.blogspot.com/2018/03/offering-up-solutions-to-transit-i-am.html

Comment by JW:

C: I like it however, to be honest it is quicker to cut through to the 826. It probably will be faster going home since it is hard to get out of the airport ever since they closed perimeter road. Another issue, it is almost $113/month for rail. My costs for driving is about 75/month in fuel, $25/month sunpass and 500/year for vehicle maintenance if that much. I’ll give it a shot next week but it was promising to see parents dropping their kids off so they can use the bus to get to Dadeland to downtown. Hopefully this will be compounded when school starts back.

From Maria:

Q:  Good morning Mayor Flinn.  I am writing to you regarding the ibus. The route from us1 to Old Cutler Road on 184st is no longer available and has left a lot of people stranded from their jobs. Meaning now they have to uber from St. RICHARD... which would create more traffic in the morning and afternoon. Is there any way that route can be kept? Thanking you in advance for your attention in this matter. Hope this can be resolved.

A: We have received similar requests regarding Route B (the southern side of Palmetto Bay), but surprisingly, no such request for Route A.  Route B was where most of our IBus ridership was prior to this pilot program.  We are looking into a solution that provides an equitable use of the IBus. Please note that I am investigating a Park & Ride to serve south of 168^th Street. 

From Ana:

Q: Once the school year starts up again, are more IBuses be added?

A: It all depends upon the demand.

From BF:

C: Mayor Flinn, this service is huge for the kids in the neighborhood that go to MAST, New World, and the other downtown magnets that make use of the metro rail. A good idea would be to speak to those schools and see if there is a way for them to reach out and inform their local students that it is available. We had my son at MAST for 7th grade but the commute was just too much to handle. This would have been a game changer.

Click 'Read more' below to view prior Questions, Answers and Comments that have been posted.

Offering up solutions to transit. I am sponsoring the Freebee alternative on Mon., April 2. I hope my fellow council members jump on board.

This is an exciting item that I have been working on.  It is presently operating in several Miami-Dade County Municipalities. I believe it is time to bring it to Palmetto Bay.

I am proud to sponsor this item and bring it to the Village Council after investigating the program and initiating negotiations with the provider. We are also working to obtain a grant to cover a substantial portion of the cost for the first few years.  It can be found on the current agenda [(CLICK HERE) to view the full agenda - warning large download] - it is found on pages 123-124, item 5. A. (iii).

This is a great idea and I am proud to be the sponsor to bringing this service as a pilot program to Palmetto Bay. Click the headline to read the Miami Herald article posted online March 30, 2018: A bus service that residents can’t get enough of? It’s happening in Miami, by ROB WILE

I have been in discussion with this group for some time (not just "sponsoring a reso") - I believe it is now ready to bring before the village council in order for me to get everyone on board (literally).

For more information on Freebee - CLICK HERE

We set up the geographical jurisdiction through negotiation. It won't take you far out of the area, but you can go anywhere within that defined area - we can have it take you to the bus lanes, to the Falls Shopping Center, to any restaurant in Palmetto Bay, to any park, friend's house, village hall. People could take it to go from home to any church within the defined area, to any village park or facility. We would use it to get to places where parking is an issue such as the village picnic or 4th of July event. Its door to door service.

Where do you want to go?

This is an exciting opportunity.

I have been asked about the fate of the IBus.  The Freebee is a pilot program.  We continue to work for real transit solutions.  At the very least, the IBus will always be available as a shuttle for large village events.Or perhaps a school shuttle for those less than a mile from each school. (I am working on that option as well - as are others.) It sure keeps traffic out of the neighborhoods for events like Deering Seafood, etc. And I remain skeptical of the "park and Ride" from St. Richard (even though I negotiated the lease) as it will have to go down 77th Av to 144 then up to the bus lanes to work. The trip will take at least 20 minutes from St. Richards to Dadeland South. Commuters will have to get there early to make sure they don't miss it (and those who are there won't want to wait on others - they want to 'park & go'). Miss it and it will be up to a 20-40 minute wait to start your commute. You might as well drive your own car downtown, forget about additional time involved in a transfer to metro rail at Dadeland South onto Metrorail.)