No Car, No Problem: How Fort Lauderdale Connected a Neighborhood That Needed It

The Opportunity: A Community Ready to Close a Transit Gap

Fort Lauderdale's Northwest neighborhood sits just west of I-95, anchored by Sistrunk Boulevard and the surrounding neighborhoods that include Roosevelt Gardens and Lauderdale Manors. It is a working-class community with a high concentration of affordable and subsidized housing. Car ownership in this part of the city is well below the citywide average, in a metro where more than 90% of commuters depend on personal vehicles to get around.

The neighborhood is not isolated by geography. It sits within a few miles of major employment areas, strips of retail, schools like Atlantic Technical College – Arthur Ashe, Jr. Campus, community centers including African-American Research Library and Cultural Center, parks and recreational spots like Reverend Samuel Delevoe Memorial Park, and major transit hubs such as the Broward Boulevard Tri-Rail and Amtrak station.

However, proximity on a map and access are not the same thing. For years, many Northwest residents saw the first-hand impact of the gap between the two.

The Challenge: Essential Places Were Out of Reach

Fort Lauderdale's broader transit network is built around fixed routes and major thoroughfares. That model works reasonably well in dense, high-traffic areas of the city, but it leaves gaps in neighborhoods where housing is more spread out, trip patterns are irregular, and walking distances to bus stops are long, especially in Florida's summer heat.

For Northwest residents without a car, getting to school meant piecing together a route. A doctor's appointment or a quick trip across town meant paying for rideshare, relying on someone else, or skipping the trip altogether. The Tri-Rail station, one of South Florida's primary connections for intercity commuters, was technically reachable but not practically so for residents who needed a dependable last-mile link to make the train a real daily option.

The City of Fort Lauderdale saw the gap clearly. The Northwest neighborhoods are reliant on transit and offered limited service, and the consequences were showing up in the lives of residents: jobs harder to reach, school attendance that required more coordination, and essential errands that piled up for households without a vehicle.

The Solution: On-Demand, Built for This Neighborhood

The City applied for and secured an FDOT Service Development grant to fund a Circuit microtransit program purpose-built for the Northwest service area. The program launched as a free, on-demand service, bookable through the Circuit app and designed around the community's transit needs.

Two Circuit vehicles cover the service area, dispatched on demand rather than running fixed loops. Riders request a ride through the app and are matched to the nearest available vehicle, keeping wait times short and routes efficient. The service connects residents to the destinations that matter most in this community: schools, workplaces, Walmart, Dollar Tree, Presidente Supermarket, and the Broward Blvd Tri-Rail Station/ Park & Ride, giving residents a direct link to regional rail for longer commutes.

The Results: The 2-Car Fleet That Moves a Whole Community

Fort Fort Lauderdale NW, the demand was always there, and Circuit gave it somewhere to go. The top destinations tell the real story: Walmart, Dollar Tree, and Presidente Supermarket for daily essentials, alongside steady trips to the Broward Blvd Tri-Rail station for residents commuting to jobs across the South Florida region. These aren't leisure trips, but essential connections that the community relies on.

Three vehicles are moving thousands of people a month through a neighborhood where, not long ago, getting across town without a car took way more effort and money than a few quick taps on an app.

Start Moving Your Community

If your city is looking for a smarter, more equitable way to connect residents to the places they need to go, Circuit can help you build it. Learn more here.