The end of summer is fast approaching, which means the Free Summer Shuttle’s last day will be on Monday, Sept. 6, Labor Day.
It has been a great public amenity whether using it to run errands, get to the beach, visit local shops or just get around town. Residents and visitors were able to avoid traffic and searching for parking during the busy summer months.
The free service, sponsored by the City and Discover Coronado, kicked off on June 6 and served 12,474 passengers in June. In July, there were 21,464 passengers including 1,676 riders on the Fourth of July weekend. The July figures for 2021 totaled about 37% of all riders in the same month in 2019, pre-pandemic. There were 5,970 riders on July 3 and 4 in 2019; 28% fewer people rode over the holiday in 2021 compared to 2019. The special Fourth of July Cays Shuttle, from the Cays to the Community Center, ran two days this year and had 880 riders over two days compared to 557 riders on July 4 (one day shuttle only) in 2019. The decrease could be attributed to the pandemic as fewer visitors came to Coronado, some people may not have wanted to use public transit or some chose to use their own vehicles or other forms of mobility.
Although ridership has been down when compared to pre-COVID times, the City has seen a steady increase in ridership from June to July this year.
Riders can ride free in September as part of the Metropolitan Transit System’s promotion of its new PRONTO system.
