Beginning in July of this year, a $2/ride fee was added, intended to reduce the taxpayer burden for Village property owners. The contract price is $665,000 for 3 Freebee vehicles operating from 7 AM to midnight every day. Starting this year there will be no service on 4 major holidays.  

An FDOT grant reimburses $276,665, leaving $388,335 to be covered by the Village.  

The Village will receive a $5,000 credit monthly ($45,000 for first year) from Freebee starting in October for guaranteed advertising revenue, and 50% of any advertising revenue Freebee receives over $60,000.

With well over 4000 riders/month on average, we expect the credit for riders to be over $100,000.

With the FDOT grant, advertising revenue and $2/rider fees, we project the net amount left to be covered by Islamorada taxpayers will be about $240,000.

By improving the service, there are opportunities for increases in ridership. Typically 20% - 30% of total requests each month are canceled, most likely because of lengthy waits that need to be addressed.  

Why are some Freebee vehicles now advertising “Ride Smart,” an organization endorsed by FDOT to increase motorcycle safety awareness. Is this a violation of the contract and of the Village code?  Or is the Village making exceptions?

Freebee founders Jason Spiegel and Kris Kimball; Beep founders Kevin and Mark Reid.

Freebee Merger:Freebee, co-founded by Jason Spiegel and Kris Kimball,  has merged with Beep, an Orlando-area autonomous mobility company, in a deal announced last month. The merger combines two different approaches to the future of transportation. Freebee brings a human-driven microtransit operation. Beep brings autonomous vehicles, driving themselves with reduced or no human input.

The companies will operate under the Beep name, but Freebee’s microtransit services will continue to operate under the Freebee brand. Their headquarters will be Beep’s current base in Orlando.