MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Martin County officials are scrambling to restore public transportation service after the county's contracted transit provider abruptly canceled its services, leaving Martin County Public Transit (MARTY) riders without transportation effective immediately.
In a statement Thursday, Martin County said it is aware that its contracted transit service provider has canceled service and that MARTY transit operations are currently interrupted.
"Martin County is actively working to identify solutions to restore transit service as quickly as possible and minimize the impact on our riders," the county said. "Additional information will be provided as it becomes available."
Officials did not immediately identify the transit provider or explain why the service was canceled.
"We understand the importance of MARTY services to our community and apologize for the disruption," the statement said.
In response, United Way of Martin County said it is preparing for an increase in transportation assistance requests through its Ride United program, which provides free, pre-scheduled Lyft rides to eligible residents.
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"Transportation isn't a luxury for the people who depend on it. It's how they get to work, receive medical care and put food on the table," said Carol G. Houwaart-Diez, president and CEO of United Way of Martin County. "When a critical service like this disappears, the need doesn't disappear with it."
United Way officials said the program was already facing financial challenges due to increased demand and other funding reductions before the MARTY service interruption. The organization is now anticipating an even greater need for transportation assistance.
Ashley Capital has committed an initial $2,500 donation to help support Ride United's response to the outage.
Since launching in September 2022, Ride United has provided thousands of rides for Martin County residents facing transportation barriers. However, United Way emphasized that the program cannot fully replace MARTY's fixed-route bus and paratransit services and that its response is only a temporary solution dependent on available funding.
WPTV reached out to Martin County Transit who responded with this statement:
"We understand that this news may feel sudden to riders and residents. As strong advocates for reliable public transportation, we are disappointed that we are unable to continue to operate the MARTY system."
Martin County Transit told WPTV that 29 employees will be losing jobs as a result of the contract termination.
Residents seeking transportation assistance can call 772-283-4800 or visit https://www.unitedwaymartin.org/rideunited for more information.
Martin County said it will continue providing updates as it works to restore public transit service. Information about MARTY can be found on the county's transit website.
