Profile of Services
The Board
The Authority's governing body has seven members. Three members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate; three members are appointed by Jacksonville's Mayor and confirmed by the City Council; and the seventh member is the District Two Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Members serve a four-year term and can be re-appointed for an additional four years. The members of the Authority are not entitled to compensation, but are reimbursed for travel and other expenses actually incurred in their duties as provided by law.
The Better Jacksonville Plan and JTA's Involvement
Continuing a half-century legacy of road and bridge building in Duval County, JTA is designing and will construct 32 major road projects totaling nearly $800 million in this decade in partnership with The Better Jacksonville Plan. Projects include bridge replacement, adding lanes on existing roadways and improvements at major intersections. In addition, JTA is completing eight road projects from previous bond issues.
Buses
Another vital component to an integrated transportation network is the bus system. JTA has 56 routes with vehicles traveling 8.5 million revenue miles each year with approximately 320 bus operators and 110 maintenance employees supporting an active fleet of 180 vehicles.
Flyer and express bus routes offer additional opportunities for JTA to meet the community's needs. Flyers and express buses provide minimal or non-stop service and serve popular areas like the Beaches, Arlington, Blanding, Orange Park, Mandarin, various shopping malls, employment centers and downtown.
JTA's Interliner service combines two routes into one, providing one-seat transportation between two quadrants of town. Residents traveling between two areas no longer change buses (i.e. from Commonwealth to Baymeadows), eliminating the need to transfer or pay two fares. Nine Interliner routes currently serve Jacksonville residents.
Bikes on Buses
All JTA buses are equipped with front-mounted bike racks. There
is no extra charge to transport the bicycle. Training is available
on this site. See Transportation Services/Bikes on Buses for
a short video lesson. To learn more call 630-3100.
ChoiceRide
For some businesses, transportation is an obstacle to finding or keeping the right employee. JTA and WorkSource have teamed to create a program called ChoiceRide, a partnership designed to implement employer-focused transit services.
ChoiceRide's goal is to promote transit alternatives to large workforce employers, using their employee bases to promote existing JTA services or to tweak or develop new routes to best meet their transportation needs. In return, the company purchases discounted transit passes and tickets to sell to their employees. Call (904) 633-8535.
Customer Service
For questions or additional information about the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, please call Customer Service at (904) 630-3100, Voice/TDD (904) 630-3191. JTA Connexion: (904) 265-6999, Voice/TDD (904) 636-7402.
Emergency Preparedness
In the event of a hurricane critically affecting Duval County, JTA, in coordination with the City of Jacksonville, has established a Hurricane Preparedness Plan in accordance with guidelines set by the Jacksonville Emergency Preparedness Division. JTA's responsibility during disaster situations is to minimize loss of life or injury by providing emergency evacuation, patient transport, moving emergency service personnel and/or civilian relocation via mass transit.
JTA Connexion
This service provides door-to-door transportation for the disabled, elderly and transportation disadvantaged in Duval County. Private vendors contract their specially equipped vehicles and drivers to a company that manages the system, takes reservations and schedules trips. JTA is the Community Transportation Coordinator (CTC) and oversees the day-to-day management company.
Skyway and Parking
Complimenting The Trolley service is the 2.5-mile Skyway, a fully automated state-of-the-art transit system operating on an elevated dual guideway, with peripheral parking at several stations. Nine two-car trains whisk patrons to eight stations on both sides of the St. Johns River in the central business district.
Approximately 3,500 spaces are available to commuters for monthly parking. Nearly 1,000 spaces are located in and around the Skyway Convention Center Station. Another major parking facility is the King's Avenue Transit garage with 1,684, low cost, covered parking spaces, with walkways leading to the Kings Avenue Skyway Station. Another 200 surface spots are available, some for short-term. Limited meter parking is available at the Convention Center and King's Avenue Skyway Stations. Call Skyway parking at (904) 630-3100 for more information.
The Skyway hours are Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. The Skyway is closed Sunday, except for special events. The fare for non-monthly commuters is 35 cents.
Stadium Shuttle Service
JTA offers the very popular Stadium Shuttle Service that connects thousands of football fans to ALLTEL Stadium for Jaguars home games, the Florida-Georgia game and the Gator Bowl. Fans may park free in several suburban and downtown locations, then shuttle to the stadium starting two hours before kick off and ending one hour following the game. Customers may purchase a discounted season pass or a game-day ticket. Prices are reasonable, but vary depending on pick-up points.
The Trolley
Three Trolley lines—Sunflower, Magnolia and Azalea—connect commuters from peripheral parking lots to their downtown employment centers and move workers and visitors around downtown. For a modest monthly parking fee, patrons park in lots near the sports complex and travel from the Passenger Transit Center aboard the Sunflower line from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. The Magnolia and Azalea lines operate on weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. These very popular and colorful low emission vehicles help relieve congestion and reduce pollution in a growing downtown. Customers may expand their travel options by connecting to the Skyway at Central Station.
JTA Rapid Transit Studies
Working with an outside consultant and in partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), JTA continues work on the JTA Rapid Transit Corridor Studies, exploring future rapid transit options for Jacksonville. The first study ranked travel quadrants throughout the city for the feasibility of rapid transit modal/type recommendations. Light rail, bus ways, HOV lanes, commuter rail and additional road construction are examples of possible rapid transit alternatives.
The North/Southeast Corridor study examining alternative routes extending from the Dunn Avenue area in north Jacksonville to The Avenues Mall in the southeast is nearing completion. The second corridor study to examine East/Southwest routes from Orange Park to the Beaches is underway. Critical to the success of both studies is extensive and continued public involvement in determining the mode selection and most feasible alignment.
