Description
A circulator transit service is a short, frequent route that loops through a concentrated area—such as a downtown, tourist district, or campus—connecting key destinations without long waits. It’s designed to make short trips easier without needing a car, often linking to fixed route transit.
Implementation Details
- Coordinate with SunLine to reinstate former service in Downtown Palm Springs.
- Continue coordination with Indio and other cities for circulator services in downtown and central business districts to encourage reduced passenger vehicle activity.
- Conduct outreach to local businesses that would be positively impacted by increased activity near their store fronts.
Mitigation Potential
Circulator services can reduce VMT by replacing short intra-district car trips and reducing the need for repeated parking searches, especially in dense downtowns or tourist areas. The strategy can be quantified by measuring changes in mode share and average trip length before and after implementation, using tools such as intercept surveys, ridership counts, parking utilization studies, or mobile device/GPS data to estimate reductions in vehicle trips and total miles driven.
Linked Strategies
Equity Considerations
Circulator transit services can improve equity by offering free, convenient mobility for people who may not have access to a car, including downtown service workers. For those service workers that do have a car, ensuring that the circulator connects to parking areas makes it easier for workers to travel within the district and access jobs without added transportation costs.
Funding Sources
Operations will most likely be paid for by cities possibly with some contributions from local retail businesses served. Local municipalities would need to identify ongoing funding resources for operation.
Examples/Case Studies
Palm Springs BUZZ Circulator
Launched Dec 2014 by the City; service ended June 30, 2018 due to cost, then relaunched Jan 10, 2019 under SunLine with a plan to operate through June 2020 pending City subsidy review. It was an electric-trolley–style, hop-on/hop-off loop in Uptown/Downtown. It was discontinued due to COVID but was a popular option for tourists and local downtown visitors.
Palm Desert – El Paseo Courtesy Carts (free district circulator)
Golf-cart shuttles that circulate along the El Paseo shopping corridor; typically operate mid-October through May, requestable via the Ride Circuit app.