Sarasota County's on-demand transportation system earns praise at meeting with North Port

Transportation improvements – specifically the increased ridership and decreased cost since Sarasota County launched its Mobility on Demand service in June 2021 – highlighted’ Thursday’s joint meeting of the North Port City Commission and Sarasota County Commission.

Jane Grogg, director of Sarasota County Area Transit, showcased how ridership within the city of North Port grew from 22,403 trips in 2019 – when fixed route buses were the only option – to 114,906 trips in 2022.

Equally important was the decrease in cost for Sarasota County to provide the service in the city decreased from $26.81 to $29.32 per passenger in 2019 to $13.25 per passenger through the on-demand model.

The on-demand mode, which started in 2021 established four zones – Lido-Longboat Key; Siesta Key; Vence-Englewood; and North Port – within which riders can make an appointment by phone or a smartphone app to be picked up at home and taken to another location within that zone for about $2 per ride.

In North Port, the most popular stop is Wal-Mart.

Rides between zones must occur on fixed bus routes.

County Commissioner Mike Moran pointed to the more than five fold increase in ridership and attributed it to the added convenience of pick up and drop off vs having to walk to a bus stop.

“I don't think ever in our wildest dreams thought it would be this successful this quickly,” Moran said.

North Port Mayor Barbara Langdon added that everyone she’s talked to who uses the service loves it but also suggested that Sarasota County should consider expanding its fixed route service too.

After the consolidation in 2021, that left North Port with only one fixed route – from a park-and-ride lot at North Port City Hall south  on Sumter Boulevard then west on Tamiami Trail to the Historic Train Depot, where a rider can change buses to then travel to Sarasota.

That route does include a stop at the state State College of Florida.

That means that people who live off of North Port’s other major north-south corridor, Toledo Blade Boulevard, would have to take an on-demand ride to the fixed route to travel to Venice and Sarasota.

Commissioners Debbie McDowell and Pete Emrich pointed to a need to expand the North Pot on-demand zone to include Wellen Park, so people who live east of the Myakka River but work in the fast-growing section of the city can commute via public transportation.

The other transportation issue highlighted was North Port’s effort to work with Charlotte County to bring a new Interstate 75 interchange to Yorkshire Street and Raintree Boulevard.

The main ask there ws for Sarasota County to register support with the Florida Department of Transportation for the proposed interchange – which realistically is anywhere from 15 to 30 years away.

Sarasota County Administrator Jonathan Lewis noted that the county had previously issued a letter of support for the project but that would be updated to reflect the current proposal to use the local road network around Yorkshire and Raintree for a collector distributor interchange model.

Other items covered in the meeting included:

• Sarasota County Planning and Development Services Director Matt Osterhout offered an update on Sarasota County’s affordable housing efforts, which included a partnership with Blue Sky Communities and Community Assisted and Supported Living Inc. for a 96-unit complex targeted for 4644 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, received 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credit financing on its first application.

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• North Port Neighborhood Development Services Director Alaina Ray highlighted the fact that North Port is the second-fastest growing city in the United States, with 20,000 new residents added in the past six years and more than 82,000 residents and an annual growth rate of 5.5% vs. an annual average growth rate of 2.23%. Ray noted that by 2030, even with an average growth rate the city could be home to 97,000 people by 2030 but if the current growth rate is maintained it could read 125,000 people by 2030.

She noted that 90% of the city’s residents still commute elsewhere for work and, “20,000 residents in six years has placed an enormous strain on our infrastructure.”

• North Port officials also offered an update on its new Aquatic Center.

• Sarasota County officials provided an overview of its mosquito management program, including the fact that another full-time person is scheduled to be hired in the 2023 fiscal year to service the North Port area.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Transportation talk highlights North Port meeting with Sarasota County