Palm Tran has new boss: Vet who won free bus passes for disabled vets
Palm Tran's new boss, a military veteran whose previous work includes arranging for free bus rides for poor and disabled veterans, started his job Monday as the leader of Palm Beach County's public bus agency.
Palm Beach County Commissioners on July 2 approved Ivan Maldonado as Palm Tran's new executive director. Maldonado is the fourth person to hold that position and is the first Hispanic one. He succeeds Michael J. Blaylock, who served as interim director after the death of director Clinton Forbes in November.
Maldonado was previously an executive or director for Florida public transportation agencies in Tampa Bay, Tallahassee and Polk County, as well as in Washington, D.C., and Omaha, Nebraska.
Coming in September Commuter St. Lucie Express $3 bus trips to West Palm Beach
As director of StarMetro in Tallahassee, Maldonado advocated for a program giving free bus passes to low-income, disabled military veterans. City officials approved the program in 2014.
Maldonado worked for Winter Haven Area Transit from 2007 to 2010, StarMetro from 2010 to 2016, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority from 2016 to 2017, the Hillsborough Area Regional Transportation Authority from 2018 to 2021, and Metro Transit Omaha from 2021 until he accepted his Palm Tran position, he says on his LinkedIn page.
Maldonado also served in the Army from 1982 to 1988, investigating and mediating discrimination complaints, according to his LinkedIn page. It said he also trained military personnel.
Changes ahead: Palm Tran will cut 3 bus routes, replace them with Uber, Lyft and taxis. Will fares increase?
Maldonado joins Palm Tran as it prepares to launch new routes and experiment with rideshare companies and taxis. The agency will cut three low-ridership routes — Route 21 in Palm Beach Gardens, Route 52 in the Wellington area and Route 92 in east Boca Raton — and replace them with Uber, Lyft and taxi services.
Palm Tran will also start a route between downtown West Palm Beach and Port St. Lucie in the early mornings and evenings on weekdays.
"I am honored to join Palm Tran and to have the opportunity to serve the residents of Palm Beach County," Maldonado said in the news release. "I look forward to working collaboratively with the talented team at Palm Tran to build on our successes and to further enhance the transportation services that are vital to Palm Beach County."
Chris Persaud is The Palm Beach Post's transportation reporter. Send tips to cpersaud[at]pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Tran has new boss: Vet who won free bus passes for disabled vets
