The South Miami-Dade Busway, the first of its kind in Florida, is Miami-Dade Transit's state-of-the-art alternative to daily traffic congestion. It's the fastest way to Metrorail from Cutler Ridge, Naranja and Florida City. The Busway, which began operating in 1997, was built by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) just for Metrobus routes.
Express buses that run on the exclusive lanes now swiftly shuttle passengers between Dadeland South Metrorail station and SW 344 St. in an hour or less.
The initial phase of the Busway, which consists of 8.2 miles, opened on February 2, 1997. The first segment of the extension to Florida City, opened on April 24, 2005, and extended the Busway 5 miles from SW 112 Ave. to SW 264 St. in Naranja. The second and final segment of the extension, which opened on December 16, 2007, now extends the Busway another 6.5 miles south from SW 264 St. to SW 344 St. in Florida City, Miami-Dade County's southernmost municipality.
Great destinations are located near Busway stations. Many interesting small shops, restaurants, and shopping malls on US 1 are only a short trip away. Just hop on a Busway bus.
Buses operating on the Busway and in adjacent neighborhoods enter the exclusive lanes at major intersections. Local and limited-stop service is offered between Florida City and Dadeland South Metrorail station. To provide commuters with accessibility to the expanded Bus Rapid Transit expressway, there are five Park & Ride lots located at convenient intervals along the Busway at SW 152, SW 168, SW 244 and SW 296 streets, and in Cutler Bay, residents now also have a Park & Ride lot at the Busway and 112 Ave. Plans are in the works for a future Park & Ride lot at SW 344 St.
Passengers headed to downtown Miami, the Civic Center and other employment centers near Metrorail stations can transfer from Metrorail to Metromover, a light-rail downtown circulator, at the Government Center and Brickell Metrorail stations.
Each Busway station contains up-to-date transit information - maps, schedules, brochures - along with benches, newspaper racks and public phones - all added for customer comfort and convenience. There is a total of 56 shelters, 30 shelters (two at each station) which were installed in the initial phase (from Dadeland South Metrorail station to 112 Ave.), and 26 shelters (two at each station) which were installed in during the construction of the Busway extension. The unique designs of the shelters feature the neighborhoods' ambience and history. For example, bus shelters in Homestead were modeled after the original Florida East Coast Railway stations that reflect the early 20th century style.
Landscaping on the Busway heightens the beauty of neighboring communities. Native flowers, shrubs, and trees dot the roadway's perimeter.
There are many destinations passengers can reach by combining transit with biking and walking. Passengers can take their bikes on any rack-equipped Metrobus and enjoy an up-close view of the colorful landscape along the bike path that stretches the length of the Busway. For those who don't need to take their bike with them, bike racks are available at all the new Busway stations.
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