Palm Tran express bus service between West Palm Beach and Port St. Lucie starts soon

Rush hour Palm Tran bus express service between downtown West Palm Beach and Port St. Lucie is set to start Sept. 23, promising to make the 50-mile journey in less than an hour for a $3 fare at no direct cost for now to Palm Beach County taxpayers.

The county's public bus service will run rented charter buses, equipped with WiFi and bathrooms, between the downtown West Palm Beach bus station/Tri-Rail station and a park-and-ride bus station in Port St. Lucie. Buses will run in the early morning and early evening on weekdays.

Palm Beach County commissioners approved the $396,000 route in June, agreeing to pay for it for a year with a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation.

More: Palm Tran will cut 3 bus routes, replace them with Uber and taxis. Will fares increase?

What is the schedule for the Palm Tran express bus?

The 55- to 60-minute route will leave the park-and-ride at 6:05 a.m., 6:30 a.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., and the West Palm Beach train station at 5 a.m., 5:25 a.m., 5:50 p.m. and 6:50 p.m.

Buses will travel along Interstate 95, between the West Palm Beach Intermodal Transit Center on Tamarind Avenue and the Jobs Express Terminal Park & Ride Lot/Bus Station in Port St. Lucie, on Southwest Gatlin Boulevard, near the Bass Pro Shops store.

Palm Tran will rent 56-passenger charter buses from Nations Bus Corp. that feature reclining seats, overhead individual fans, overhead luggage space, and wheelchair lifts and tie-downs.

The trip between the two stops is a 40- to 55-minute drive on I-95 during the early morning or early evening, searches on Google Maps show. Google estimates commute time based on location data it gathers from drivers' smartphones and other devices.

Where did the Port St. Lucie express route idea come from?

Palm Tran developed a survey to determine the demand for the Port St. Lucie express. It got 905 respondents, with 63% saying they were likely to use the service and another 27% said they might. Many of the commuters are expected to be county employees.

Previously: Commuter St. Lucie Express $3 bus trips to West Palm Beach coming in September

Passengers arriving in West Palm Beach will be in walking distance of the Tri-Rail/Amtrak/Greyhound station, the Brightline train station, City Hall and the Palm Beach County government building, as well as the rest of downtown.

The Port St. Lucie park-and-ride has 162 parking spaces with six electric-car chargers, six waiting spaces for bus riders and parking for bicycles and motorcycles.

Commissioner Gregg Weiss in June questioned the wisdom of beginning the first trip from West Palm Beach at 5 a.m. He suggested the route begin in Port St. Lucie, wondering how many people would be commuting at 5 a.m. from West Palm Beach. Nonetheless, commissioners voted to approve it.

Chris Persaud covers transportation for The Palm Beach Post. Email tips to cpersaud@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Palm Beach-Port St. Lucie express bus starts Sept. 23