BCT Helps Community Through Storm

Broward County, Florida, experienced flooding due to a recent storm, which led to Governor Ron DeSantis declaring a state of emergency on April 13, due to the severe conditions.

While this southeastern Florida region reported rainfall of more than a foot, Fort Lauderdale received a record-breaking 25.91 inches in a 24-hour period with the rain continuing for several days.

Broward County Transit (BCT) employees showed up to keep Broward County moving. 

With the airport being closed and streets flooded, BCT kept service running. BCT bus operators, mechanics, bus traffic controllers, supervisors, and others stepped up to make sure services continued to flow throughout Broward County.  

BCT fixed route and express services were able to operate at 85% of service, only suffering slight delays. 

Passengers were kept informed of route changes through the website, email blasts, BCT social media platforms, and customer service, so passengers knew where to go for service during the time.  

“To create something good, you need a team effort and together we made it happen. We rescued people from three buses that were stuck due to flooding and brought them to safety and back on their way to their destinations,” said Garie Frett, BCT bus mechanic. 

Paratransit services faced additional challenges starting with the propane tanks at their location near the airport not being accessible due to flooding. As a quick substitute, mobile fueling trucks were deployed which allowed those paratransit vehicles to remain in service. 

Even though BCT paratransit services, TOPS, also encountered flooding, street closures, and detours, they completed 100% of their scheduled rides for the day and there were no reports of critical appointments being missed.   

Community shuttle services were only slightly impacted with just a few municipalities discontinuing or limiting services throughout the storm.

“Our thoughts continue to be with those affected by this storm and know that our community will rebound even stronger,” said Cuff Lonergan, GM of the Broward County Transportation Department.