Midland hoping for more ridership in beach transit service

The Town of Midland hopes to see more usage of the new weekend beach transit service, a pilot program that provides affordable, on-demand transit between Midland and Balm Beach.

The service provides on-demand two-way transit between Midland and Balm Beach at a $3 fare.

The shuttle is wheelchair accessible and accommodates up to five round trips and 35 riders per day.

"Anybody who would normally be challenged with getting down to the beach, either because they lack a vehicle, driver's license, or simply the ability to find a place to park, can leverage this service," said Bill Gordon, Mayor of Midland.

The service received $5,000 in funding from the Town and was launched in late June in partnership with Community Reach, a local charitable transportation organization; however, the Town says the beginning of July has been slower than expected.

"For the four weekends we've had so far, we're at about eight different bookings, so it is a little underwhelming," admitted Mayor Gordon.

At the same time, the Town and Community Reach hope this weekend's ideal forecast could be a turning point for the service, as it was in higher demand on Saturday with five scheduled round trips.

"Balm Beach seems to be getting more traction," said Brian MacIntyre, a driver for Community Reach operating the shuttle on Saturday. "I couldn't say enough good things about Community Reach; they're a fantastic service to the community."

The service runs through the first weekend of September, and the Town will assess ridership for the rest of the summer to see if it will return for next year.

"Let's just hope for some good weather, some good forecast through August and make this program viable," said Mayor Gordon.