[Rwarky]

I've been to Florida many times, however, I've never had to rely on public transportation in this state. Nevertheless, I would like to know which Floridian transit system is good of enough to rely on without owning an automobile? Please express your thoughts on public transportation in Florida.

[jhlcomp]

The transit system in Florida leaves much to be desired, but it does exist and with preseverence you will get to your destination. If you are coming from a large metropolitan area, you will need to lower your expectations.

You will need to determine where you want to live and check the schedules to see if it works for you. I don't want you to think the system doesn't work - it does and in recent years, many routes have been added and the system has expanded.

[DailyJournalist]

The best you will get in Florida is Miami.

[duttygal86]

Miami-ditto

[carlent]

Pinellas county Transit System which runs from St Pete north to Tarpon Springs is terrific. the busses are clean and they run on time. I live in dunedin and do not own a car and have no problem what so ever

[Jimrob1]

Originally Posted by carlent

Pinellas county Transit System which runs from St Pete north to Tarpon Springs is terrific. the busses are clean and they run on time. I live in dunedin and do not own a car and have no problem what so ever

That is good to know, I have been considering that area, and transit is a big part of my criteria on areas.

[projectmaximus]

Miami is the best for the major cities, hands down.

Speaking from experience, Gainesville's is pretty good. Very extensive, fairly short headways, pretty efficient and reliable...but it's all centered around the university so if you live far from campus then chances are it'll be inconvenient to have to go to the school for most transfers.

[Jimrob1]

Originally Posted by projectmaximus

Miami is the best for the major cities, hands down.

Speaking from experience, Gainesville's is pretty good. Very extensive, fairly short headways, pretty efficient and reliable...but it's all centered around the university so if you live far from campus then chances are it'll be inconvenient to have to go to the school for most transfers.

Yes I noticed that also there. A number of buses here and there. What strikes me strange concerning Gainesville is that it recently was voted a number one place to retire. I cannot for the life of me see why after visiting the area on a trip to Florida. It was nice enough but with a student population as large as it has in such a small city. It seemed like an odd rating for Gainesville. I didn't see any reason a retiree would want to move there. The bus system is decent for a small city though but like everything there it focused on the University and students.

[annerk]

Actually the best in the state is Key West based on the size of the area serviced and number of buses in daily service.

Here are some curent facts and figures on the number of buses (not counting paratransit and other special riders) in daily operation for each respective area:

Brevard 19
Broward 290
Coral Gables 20
Escambia County 30
Gainesville 92
Hillsborough County 197
J'Ville 175
Key West 10
lakeland 25
Lee County 48
LYNX (Orlando) 241
Manatee County 15
Martin County 2
Miami-Dade County 772 + 187 mini's
Okaloosa 12
Palm beach County 115
Panama City 8
Pasco County 16
Pinellas 171
St. Johns 45
Sarasota 62
Tally 56
Ocala 6
Suwannee Valley 8
Volusia 46
Winter Haven Area 43

[NSX1990]

There isn't. In most towns waiting for a bus takes 30+ minutes and the stops are 1-3 miles apart. Even Miami's pales in comparison to the excellent public transit you find up north, although you can't really build subways in our sandy soil anyway. Tri-rail isn't too bad in the Treasure Coast, but chances are you'll need a car to drive to the station.

Face it, Florida is a driving state full of obnoxious housing developments spaced out 3-5 miles from the nearest food or shopping, which is all in disgustingly similar strip malls.