FL: Commuters have a new — and greener — transit option in South Miami-Dade | Opinion
This week, a new era began for commuters in South Dade. Metro Express, Miami-Dade County’s first-ever bus rapid transit (BRT) system and the longest all-electric BRT corridor in the nation, began service on Monday from Florida City to Dadeland South Metrorail Station.
After more than a decade since Miami-Dade’s last major transportation development, this long-awaited promise is now a reality.
As our community continues to grow, South Dade residents have spent more time in traffic, watching the clock and wishing for a better way to get to work, school, or home. Now that better way is here.
Metro Express aims to save 20 minutes or more off that 20-mile drive by operating on a dedicated transitway with traffic light priority and minimal stops.
On opening day, the first buses rolled out bright and quiet, powered entirely by electricity. Thousands of riders stepped into 14 signature stations with air-conditioned waiting areas and shade, checked real-time updates on their phones, and boarded buses equipped with Wi-Fi and charging ports.
The entire experience was built to be train-like — from tapping your card at the gate to settling into a comfortable one-seat ride.
Inviting drivers to park and ride, Metro Express will bring real relief to congested roads and better connect thousands of residents to jobs, schools, shopping, and parks across the county. Parents will have more time with their children. Students will get to class on time. Workers will make it home before sunset.
This is what we mean by a connected community — getting you from point A to B in less time with less stress. This moment is a milestone not just for South Dade but for our entire county, which will benefit from more convenient commutes, safer roads, cleaner air and smarter investments.
Metro Express offers an easier, greener and smarter system designed to improve quality of life for residents and visitors alike.
None of this would be possible without the leadership of Congressmen Carlos Gimenez and Mario Diaz-Balart and our County Commission, as well as our strong partnerships with the Federal Transit Administration, the Florida Department of Transportation and the people of Miami-Dade who made this happen through the People’s Transportation Plan
Together, we committed more than $300 million to bring this vision to life — a model of collaboration that shows what we can achieve when we work toward a shared goal.
As we welcome this new transit system, I also recognize that change takes time and patience. I invite all riders, commuters and residents along the US 1 corridor to help us keep the TransitWay safe by staying alert and following the rules put in place to protect everyone on these shared roads.
The TransitWay is a dedicated busway — drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists should stay out of bus lanes, avoid blocking intersections, and be mindful of gate arms that lower to protect the buses’ right of way.
Nothing will be perfect on day one, but this first-of-its-kind system represents real progress for Miami-Dade. As we move from testing to operation, riders can expect steady improvement while we fine-tune performance.
It will get better every day as everyone adapts to the new patterns. It takes all of us working together to transform the way we move.
Metro Express is a cornerstone of our county’s Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Program — a vision of five rapid transit corridors designed to move more people to more places. It fulfills our promise to South Dade residents that their community will not be left behind in our county’s progress.
Today, we are delivering. Metro Express marks the start of an easier, smarter future where every resident can count on safe, modern, and sustainable public transit. We encourage all commuters and residents to give this new system a try — welcome aboard Metro Express!
Daniella Levine Cava is the mayor of Miami-Dade County.
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