MetroConnect
| MetroConnect | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Owner | Miami-Dade County |
| Area served |
|
| Transit type | |
| Website | https://city.ridewithvia.com/metroconnect |
| Operation | |
Began operation | 2020 |
| Operator | Via Transportation |
MetroConnect (formerly named GoConnect) is a publicly funded rideshare service and demand-responsive transit system operating in Miami-Dade County. The service is operated by Via Transportation. Riders inside one of several service zones can, by app or phone call, request a MetroConnect vehicle to a public street close to them and ride to a destination within that same service zone. During the trip, the vehicle will pick up other unrelated passengers who have the same destination.[1][2]
The service is meant to help riders with last mile transportation between mass transit stations in the region and riders' destinations or point-to-point travel within the service zone where fixed-route bus lines can complicate travel.[3]
As of September 2025[update], 12 distinct service zones exist:[4]
- North Dade.
- Northeast
- Northeast 2, which covers Aventura Mall and a small portion of the surrounding area, including the Aventura Brightline station.
- Westchester, Kendall North, and Kendall South, which overlap slightly along their 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
History
[edit]MetroConnect launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic under the name GoConnect to cover gaps in bus service.[5][6] When it was first rolled out, MetroConnect cost the standard Miami-Dade Transit fare, which was $2.25 at the time.[3][7] During its first two years of service, MetroConnect saw an average of 5,000 trips per month, and 150,000 total trips by the start of 2023.[8]
On October 2, 2023, GoConnect had its name was changed to MetroConnect and services changed. In the service update, the 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 Miami-Dade Transit's Metrobus system, with the service charges partially intended to help the minority of riders whose access to Metrobus was made worse by the route changes.[9] As of 2023, 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; the average MetroConnect user booked 10 trips per month 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 was to drop their low-ridership zones, reduce operating hours, place a three-mile cap on trips, and lose its no-fare designation. As of October 1, 2026, MetroConnect costs $3.75 each way for a standard fare and $1.50 for the reduced fare.[5]
References
[edit]- ↑ "MetroConnect Mobile App". Miami-Dade County. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
- ↑ "Free rideshare around Miami-Dade County". Via Transportation. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
- 1 2 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.
- 1 2 Hanks, Douglas (September 13, 2025). "Miami-Dade's mayor spares MetroConnect transit service in latest budget changes". Miami Herald. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
- 1 2 3 "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.
- ↑ MiamiDadeCounty (October 18, 2021). Transit - Go Connect (English :30 Spot). Retrieved August 29, 2026 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Galvan, Abraham (February 14, 2023). "GO Connect Uber-like county transit link booming". Miami Today. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
- ↑ "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.