MetroConnect
| MetroConnect | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Owner | Miami-Dade County |
| Area served |
|
| Transit type | |
| Website | https://city.ridewithvia.com/metroconnect |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 2020 |
| Operator(s) | Via Transportation |
MetroConnect (formerly named GoConnect) is a no-fare and publicly funded rideshare service and demand-responsive transit system operating in several areas in Miami-Dade County. It is operated by Via Transportation. Riders inside one of several "service zones" can, by app or phone call, summon a MetroConnect vehicle to a public street close to them, and ride to a destination within that same service zone, possibly alongside other unrelated passengers who have the same destination.[1][2]
It helps riders with first and last mile transportation between mass transit stations and riders' starting points and destinations, and with general short trips within service zones which are convoluted by the rigidity of normal transit routes, or the variable frequency in lacking bus service.[3]
As of September 2025[update], 14 distinct service zones exist:[4]
- North Dade
- Northeast
- Northeast 2, which covers Aventura Mall and a small portion of the surrounding area
- Civic Center
- Waterford Business District
- Westchester, Kendall North, and Kendall South, which slightly overlap on adjacent borders
- Dadeland North, Dadeland South, and South Miami, which heavily overlap near the Metrorail right-of-way
- Cutler Bay and Transit Way (which includes a portion of South Miami Heights and all of West Perrine, across the South Dade Transitway from Cutler Bay)
- South Dade
Its fleet consists partially of autonomous vehicles.[2][better source needed]
History
[edit]![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion with: launch and initial history. You can help by adding to it. (September 2025) |
MetroConnect launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic as GoConnect to cover gaps in bus service.[5][6] At the time of launch, it cost standard Miami-Dade Transit fare, which was $2.25 at the time.[3]
On October 2, 2023, GoConnect was heavily upgraded and its name was changed to MetroConnect. Now MetroConnect, its service zones were expanded, and the service was made completely free.[6] The upgrade coincided with the Better Bus Network, a series of broader service upgrades and route changes to the Metrobus system, and was intended partially to help the minority of riders whose access to Metrobus had been made worse by route changes.[7] At this point, the county reported that MetroConnect service had increased communities within its coverage to 57% more jobs within a 45-minute commute via connection to Miami-Dade Transit hubs. MetroConnect riders booked 10 trips per month on average, and 65% of riders reported they did not have a car.[6]
In September 2025, county Mayor Daniella Levine Cava reversed a decision to entirely shut down MetroConnect as part of a series of austerity measures planned in response to the county's 400-million-dollar budget deficit. Instead, a compromise was reached: $4.5 million would be taken from a reserve dedicated to future transit projects to fund MetroConnect; MetroConnect is to drop low-ridership zones, reduce operating hours, place a three-mile cap on trips, and lose its no-fare designation. MetroConnect will begin costing $3.75 in the beginning of the 2026 budget year on October 1, 2025.[needs update][5]
References
[edit]- ^ "MetroConnect Mobile App". Miami-Dade County. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
- ^ a b "Free rideshare around Miami-Dade County". Via Transportation. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
- ^ a b Plasencia, Amanda (September 27, 2023). "Miami-Dade upgrades MetroConnect: How the free, on-demand ride service works". NBC Miami. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
- ^ "MetroConnect Zones Map" (PDF). Miami-Dade County. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
- ^ a b Hanks, Douglas (September 13, 2025). "Miami-Dade's mayor spares MetroConnect transit service in latest budget changes". Miami Herald. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works announces MetroConnect to improve on-demand service" (Press release). Miami-Dade County. October 2, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
- ^ "Miami-Dade County introduces local solutions for Metrobus riders impacted by new Better Bus Network service" (Press release). Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. December 15, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2025 – via Miami-Dade County.