2MC Podcast Eps 83 - Marty McFly

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Courtney
I'm MAK and I'm Courtney. Welcome back to two MC Courtney. Yes I am.

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MAK
Welcome back to two MC. It is our podcast where we talk about Martin County government happenings, all sorts of stuff.

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Courtney
And it's weekly. In case you didn't know. Yeah.

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MAK
And you can watch us or listen.

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Courtney
Listen in all the things. Yeah, yeah. Okay.

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MAK
Today we have a special guest.

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Courtney
We do have a special guest.

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MAK
I wonder who it could be. Marty.

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Courtney
I don't know. So let's get into that. Okay. And we are back here with Ash Beecher. He is our administrator. Also. Marty. Right?

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MAK
Yes. I see it on your hat.

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Courtney
So, ash, tell us. I feel like we. The last time we spoke on the podcast, you guys were coming up with some new routes and stops, and so let's talk about it.

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Ash
Yeah. So we've got some exciting things happening with the Marty. We recently added 18 new bus stops at 18 at some key locations within the county, specifically along US one on the north on the northern direction and the southern direction at some key locations. So.

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MAK
Well, you guys had done.

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MAK
A survey, right?

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MAK
Yeah. And people were.

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MAK
Asking for more routes. They were asking for more stops.

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Courtney
And you said, okay, let's do it.

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Ash
We definitely did. The people spoke and we listened. So we've implemented some new bus stops along us. One Southeast Grumman at the Regency Shopping, Regency Shopping Square and Central Parkway in Hope sound, the Banner Lake Club.

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Courtney
Awesome.

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Ash
Some stops in Stuart, and we're urging our customers and even folks who haven't used Marty yet, to get on the Marty app. Check out our new stops and plan your next trip.

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MAK
How many stops did you say you added?

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Ash
18.

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Courtney
18?

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MAK
That's amazing. That is incredible.

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Courtney
And so you not only added new stops, but we are still a fair, free transit system, right?

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MAK
Oh, yeah. How's that going?

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Ash
It's going great. Since you're moving the fares in November of 2025, we've seen well, between removing the fares, adding new stops, contracting with Uber for the Veterans Transportation program. Yes. We've seen a 27% increase in ridership over the year for Marty, which is excellent. But we in the prior year, we did 120,000 rides, and we're on our way this year to do over 150,000 rides, which is amazing, especially when you consider where we're coming from.

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Ash
Since 20 2020, we had 73,000 rides in 2020. That's 105% increase over the last 5 to 6 years.

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Courtney
That's amazing. Yeah. That's amazing.

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MAK
Need the transportation?

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Courtney
Yeah. And I it is. I feel like it's a very important thing for community to.

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MAK
Keep the community connected and strong. Yeah, right. I think one of the stops you added is by our new reach Center. Yes. So I love that. So people are learning new ways to work or finding new ways that they can advance their careers. And they have a way to get there too. Correct.

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Courtney
Easy.

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MAK
You said something about the veterans transport. Yeah. Can you talk some more about that?

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Ash
Oh my gosh, it's such an awesome program. So veterans can get free Uber rides to and from just about anywhere they want to go now. The the program became so popular, we were doing 200 rides per year before, and that's shot up to about over 3000 rides. Wow. Yeah. So unfortunately, we have had to put some program limitations on to ensure the continued success of the program.

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Ash
So we're prioritizing medical trips.

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MAK
That makes sense.

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Ash
Employment and grocery shopping. Essential activities. Pharmacy. But veterans can still get their rides through Uber. And you don't have to have the app. You can call and book your ride.

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Courtney
That's amazing. Yeah. That's awesome.

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MAK
What else do you have going on?

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Ash
So as we move forward with public transit, move forward with the Marty, I think it's becoming more important that we set specific goals for where we want public transit to be in Martin County, and that we identify what level of mobility we want to provide for our residents.

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Courtney
Right, right.

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Ash
So we're looking at we're doing a route optimization and micro transit efficiency study. We're wrapping that study up. We're looking at what our consultants have found to make a recommendation to the board.

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MAK
That.

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Ash
We do. We want to implement a micro transit program, either to replace an underperforming route or to start a new service. And what would it cost? Would it be more expensive? Would it be less expensive? Would it be more practical for a person who needs a ride right then and there to you, to, you know, have to go on an app and request?

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Ash
Would it be more efficient? So we're looking at micro transit. We're taking a very close look at it. And I can't wait to to present those findings.

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MAK
Yeah. And for some of our folks who may not know exactly what micro transit is. Yeah, just briefly explain it.

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Ash
Sure. It's an on demand service like Uber or Lyft, where the public can use an app to request a ride and a van or a vehicle. An appropriate sized vehicle will show up to your door, pick you up, and take you to where.

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MAK
You most customized to the service that your residents are requesting.

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Ash
Correct.

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MAK
And then.

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Ash
It can be more efficient. Okay. So so far what we found is the more popular micro transit becomes, sometimes the less efficient it becomes because the more demand there is for the service, the longer the wait time. The wait time is. And sometimes the cost for providing micro transit initially is less expensive, but over time it increases. And so in those scenarios, fixed route service using the 30ft busses is the most efficient way to provide the service.

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MAK
So do transit. Would you maybe do a combination of micro and the okay?

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Ash
Absolutely. I'm glad you touched on that. So the most successful transit systems that are using micro, it's a combination of services commuter bus. Or you can get from one county to the next county traditional fixed route which is a more shorter distance demand response, which is the paratransit service for persons with disabilities that prevent them from using the regular fixed route and micro transit where in a specific zone you can order a ride, take you to where you need to go, even take you to another bus stop if you need to.

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MAK
Get there. It's so exciting that these are taking place in our community, I think. Yeah.

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Courtney
I think so. And another thing I wanted to touch on is I don't know if people know this, but when you go on to the Marty app, you actually can see where your bus is, right when it's going to be at that stop. Like it is so efficient for planning. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

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MAK
Well it used to be, you know, like okay, I, it says it's going to be here at this time and you stand and wait. Yeah. That's not how we do now.

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Courtney
I have real time.

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MAK
Real time.

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Courtney
Yeah yeah yeah.

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MAK
And the app, they can find the app in the.

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Ash
IOS or Google. Apple or Google Play. Yep. And it's the Marty transit.

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Courtney
Love it. Yes.

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MAK
We have seen our community embrace transit. We're seeing employees and the board really having these conversations. It's so important.

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Ash
Yeah yeah. And we're seeing the ridership, which is so great. I'm seeing more people on the busses. I'm seeing more people at the bus stops. And it's it's amazing because, you know, transit. We got to ask ourselves, what economic impact does transit have? You know, how many people rely on it to get to work, right?

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MAK
Yes.

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Ash
To get to medical appointments. It's it's it's the lifeblood of every community.

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MAK
If you if you just get in your car every day, you know, and that's what you think of, you're you're missing a whole, a whole group of the population that are traveling differently.

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Courtney
Yeah, yeah.

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Ash
Traffic reduction is another positive impact of public transportation.

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Courtney
So.

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MAK
Well, nobody talks about traffic in Martin County.

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Courtney
Oh, no other thing. And we and and Marty does go to Saint Lucie County and also to Palm Beach.

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Ash
Because we have connections with Area Regional Transit to the north in Port Saint Lucie and with Palm Trend to the south of US and Palm Beach.

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Courtney
I think that so you can.

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MAK
That really makes everyone's transit system work better, right?

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Ash
Yeah. The regional connectivity. Yeah.

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Courtney
Yeah.

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MAK
That's what I was looking for. Regional connectivity. It's a good thing.

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Courtney
Yeah. Yeah. Well I think that's all we got for you. That was amazing. Yeah. Thank you so much.

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Ash
Thank you for having me on.

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Ash
Can't wait to be on another time.

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MAK
Yeah, well, when you do your presentation to the board, we will be excited to hear that. And then we'll probably ask you to come back on.

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Ash
Sounds great. Thank you.

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Courtney
Okay, so that was such a great conversation we had with ash. He is so passionate about transit and it holds a very special place in his heart. If you guys haven't watched our previous.

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MAK
Podcast with us, tell the story.

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Courtney
He does tell his story and I think it's just a very good listen.

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MAK
Yes it is.

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Courtney
And it obviously shows in all the successes that are happening with Marty.

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MAK
I know it's very exciting and I can't wait to hear what else they have in store.

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Courtney
I know. Me neither. And yes.

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MAK
She scared me.

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Courtney
Events. Don't forget about him there in the show notes. And like subscribe. Follow. Share. Comment about everything.

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MAK
I think so.

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Courtney
Okay. And we'll see you guys next time.

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MAK
Bye.