Florida’s Palm Tran celebrated its new transit service, Go Glades, in a special kick-off ceremony held at Palm Tran’s facility in Belle Glade.

Launched in December, Go Glades is a pilot project financed by the Florida Department of Transportation and staffed by MV Transportation on Palm Tran’s behalf. Go Glades is a flex service that allows people in the Glades area to request a circulator vehicle make a slight detour from its regular route to pick them up. There are four Go Glades routes serving more than 70 stops.

The name Go Glades was unanimously chosen out of 70 name submissions in Palm Tran’s contest to name the service. The winner of the naming contest, Pahokee native and third-grade school teacher Telica Abrams-Cunningham, was honored during the ceremony.

Go Glades complements Palm Tran’s bus network improvements, which launched in September 2018. The changes resulted in improved efficiency and on-time performance. Go Glades will continue to improve travel mobility by granting residents direct access to bus stops and off-route destinations.

“Providing excellent public transit is often a challenge in rural communities,” said Palm Tran Executive Director Clinton B. Forbes. “Thinking outside the box, we worked hand-in-hand with the community to come up with Go Glades. Go Glades is the first flexible transit route in Palm Beach County.”

Since it is a pilot program, the continuation of Go Glades is contingent on residents using the service frequently. Prior to launching Go Glades, there was the Belle Glade Express, which provided a similar service in the city of Belle Glade only. Go Glades increases travel mobility by serving all areas of the Glades.