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For many of us in Miami-Dade, transit isn’t a backup plan. It’s the only plan, but not by choice
Illness, age, or court restrictions can push one out of the driver’s seat and onto County transit, relying on a system that too often lets us down.
Most residents prefer sitting in traffic for hours over using public transit. In fact, a recent survey conducted by the Partnership for Miami found that 86% of Miami-Dade residents still drive their own cars to get around.
To drive is a kind of independence that I miss, like walking without pain before multiple sclerosis claimed my mobility in fits, going from arm crutches to a walker, and finally a wheelchair.
When the DMV notified me that my driver’s license was revoked in 2024 for medical reasons, I didn’t just lose the ability to drive. In the blink of an eye, my world got smaller, one ride at a time. This, combined with Miami-Dade County scaling back transit service on what it deemed underutilized routes, had a personal impact on my ability to navigate a complicated, often outmoded system.
As I rode more public transit, I learned more about the upside-down world people with disabilities face when taking public transportation. My thighs bear the bruises of metal bathroom doors at transit stations, which are both too heavy to push open with crutches and slam against your body as you battle to use the bathroom alone like everyone else. Our dignity should not be negotiable. Quality of life is a virtue bestowed upon us by God and Country. As a volunteer Miami-Dade County Transit Ambassador, I quickly learned I wasn’t alone. Thousands of others rely on the same system, and it keeps letting us down.
This summer, Miami-Dade County quietly withdrew a Request for Proposals (RFP EVN0001136) to modernize its outdated Paratransit and Microtransit services. Paratransit, many locals know as Special Transportation Service, or “STS,” serves people with disabilities who cannot use regular bus or rail. The withdrawn plan would have delivered long-overdue upgrades like real-time app-based tracking offered in commercial services like Uber, better video monitoring in vehicles, faster pickup times, and improved trip coordination across neighborhoods.
Microtransit, or what many people know as first-last mile transit service that is on-call, includes programs like MetroConnect, the County’s free, on-demand shuttle, made up of black minivans with green horizontal stripes and the Miami-Dade County logo. MetroConnect isn’t a convenience – it’s a lifeline. Making it possible for riders to operate without a caretaker or loved one, MetroConnect offers independence to seniors, working-class residents, and people with disabilities who use it without having to schedule it the night before to get to work, the doctor, buy groceries, or care for family. More than 80% of riders have no access to a personal vehicle, and nearly 40% use it to access employment, according to MetroConnect. Cutting it would again isolate our most vulnerable residents.
That’s why, last month, I drafted two resolutions for the Miami-Dade Commission on Disability Issues (CODI): one urging the County to reinstate the canceled RFP, and another opposing a planned STS fare hike. Both were unanimously passed and sent to the Mayor and Board of County Commissioners. So far, we’ve heard nothing.
At a recent Miami-Dade County Transportation Committee meeting, District 5 Commissioner Eileen Higgins said about the RFP: “I’d rather not have a discussion item about it. I’d rather have the RFP out.” And yet, the silence continues.
From buses and trains to trolleys and paratransit, riding public transit shouldn’t cost you your dignity. In the 305, we want to ride independently. Leaders can drive reform or hand the wheel to those who can.
