The last day of service for Santa Rosa Transit is Friday, Dec. 28. Santa Rosa Transit was a pilot public transportation program mainly along U.S. Hwy. 90, from the Santa Rosa Industrial Park to a connection to the Escambia County Area Transit system at Nine Mile Road and University Parkway. In October, a majority of the commission voted to no longer fund the county’s portion of the program due to insufficient ridership. The public transportation service began on Dec. 7, 2010 with approximately 14,000 one-way tickets purchased over two years. Ridership increased from 167 in December 2010 to a peak of 841 passengers in October 2012. Operating costs for the program for December 2010 to November 2012 were $269,309. The county was responsible for funding 18 percent with federal grants funding 77 percent and ticket sales accounting for only five percent of operating costs. Santa Rosa Transit service was provided through the cooperation of the Santa Rosa Board of County Commissioners, Pensacola Bay Transportation LLC, the Florida – Alabama Transportation Planning Organization, and the Federal Transit Administration. Santa Rosa County was the project manager, the Florida – Alabama Transportation Planning Organization procured the buses and was the federal grant recipient, and Pensacola Bay Transportation LLC was the operator. Joy Tsubooka Public Information Officer Santa Rosa County 4499 Pine Forest Road Milton, FL 32583 (850) 983-5254 (850) 393-8304 cell www.santarosa.fl.gov
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Transit Service Ends Dec. 28