Area Regional Transit in St. Lucie County, Florida

Area Regional Transit, or ART, is the St. Lucie County Transit Department's public transportation system, and the county describes it as fare-free on its pages read October 22, 2026 (About ART page).

The St. Lucie County About ART page says the system serves the cities of Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie Village and the unincorporated areas of the county, with three kinds of service: fixed-route buses, a microtransit service area of three zones, and door-to-door paratransit for eligible riders (About ART page).

The transit program dates to 2002, when the St. Lucie Transit Municipal Services Taxing Unit was set up to leverage state and federal money for public transportation (About ART page). The county says it has grown from three vans serving one route in 2002 to nearly 700,000 annual trips, and that the Board of County Commissioners is the U.S. Department of Transportation's designated recipient for Federal Transit Administration grants. Service is operated by contracted providers; the county names MV Transportation as the public transit provider under a master contract since July 1, 2020.

Routes 1 through 6 run weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Saturdays, while Route 7 runs weekdays only from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., according to the St. Lucie County schedule (Fixed Route Bus page).

The hours come from the St. Lucie County Fixed Route Bus page, which says all schedule times are approximate and asks riders to arrive 10 minutes before the listed time. It links a mobile interactive map with real-time bus positions and the My Ride trip planner for live arrival information, and lists (772) 462-1778, option 4, for information, compliments or complaints.

The About ART and Fixed Route Bus pages both say eight routes, while the schedule list on the fixed route page shows Routes 1 through 7 (About ART page; Fixed Route Bus page). A St. Lucie County news release dated September 21, 2026, says fixed routes 5 and 8 were combined into an expanded Route 5 from October 1, so that one route links Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie and Tradition at full-service hours, with the Saturday service Route 8 did not previously have (September 21, 2026 news release).

Rides On Demand is ART's app-booked, curb-to-curb shared service in three zones of Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce, running Monday through Friday from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 7:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. (Rides On Demand page).

Zones and meet-up points are quoted from the St. Lucie County Rides On Demand page. A trip that starts and ends in one zone is booked door to door; a trip between zones is booked to a meet-up point and then onward to the final address. Rides may be shared with other passengers, vehicles are ADA-compliant, the app shows real-time arrival predictions, and riders without a smartphone can book at 772-462-1778, option 1. Instructions are posted in English, Spanish and Creole.

Area Regional Transit runs two door-to-door services for riders who first complete an eligibility process: ADA paratransit within three-quarters of a mile of local bus routes, and non-ADA demand response over a larger area (Paratransit page).

The St. Lucie County paratransit page lists an Eligibility Specialist at (772) 462-1778, option 3, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., an application with a General Medical Form and supplemental forms, and reservations at (772) 462-1778, option 1, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Paratransit page). Trips can be booked up to 14 days ahead, with one to two days ahead recommended; same-day trips are not available. Approved riders can also book through an online Passenger Portal, and riders are asked to be ready at least sixty minutes before the scheduled appointment.

The same St. Lucie County page defines the pickup window as 15 minutes before to 15 minutes after the scheduled time, with the driver waiting up to 5 minutes inside it; cancellations go to 772-462-1778, option 2 (Paratransit page). As the designated Community Transportation Coordinator, St. Lucie County also coordinates or provides trips for people who qualify as transportation disadvantaged because of age, income or disability and cannot drive or have no access to other transportation (About ART page).

Under the St. Lucie County paratransit policy, a rider who books ten or more trips in a calendar month and no-shows or late-cancels at least 10% of them, while also reaching three penalty points, receives a suspension notice (Paratransit page).

The schedule is quoted from the St. Lucie County paratransit page, which counts each no-show as one penalty point and each late cancellation as one-half point, starts every suspension on a Monday, and reviews appeals within two weeks with a written answer by mail. Missed trips caused by a medical or family emergency, sudden illness, an appointment that runs late, or a driver who arrives outside the window or leaves early are not counted.

The St. Lucie County page defines a late cancellation two ways in different paragraphs: one passage says a cancellation made less than 1 hour before the scheduled pickup time, at the door, or a refusal to board, while the policy section says a cancellation less than two hours before the start of the 30-minute pickup window (Paratransit page).

The Port St. Lucie Intermodal Facility, called the Community Hub by the city, is located at 395 SE Deacon Avenue, opposite the City Municipal Complex and the Port St. Lucie Community Center (City of Port St. Lucie Community Hub page).

The City of Port St. Lucie page describes the hub as a collaboration between the St. Lucie County Transit Division and the city, with 4 open bus bays, 24 free car parking spaces and a connection point for four fixed routes that serve the city (Community Hub page). Phase I, completed in 2013, added the bays, a passenger platform, parking for 24 cars, a pedestrian link to the Community Center and a 1,200 square foot covered seating area.

For Phase II the Port St. Lucie page says the covered seating will be replaced with an air-conditioned building with public restrooms, and lists shade structures, informational signage with QR codes, public art, a play area, workout stations and new bike parking among the amenities under consideration, after public input workshops held in 2022 (Community Hub page). The hub is also a Rides On Demand meet-up point between Zones 1 and 2 (Rides On Demand page).

Area Regional Transit lists (772) 462-1778, with option 1 for reservations, 2 for cancellations, 3 for paratransit eligibility and 4 for information and comments (Paratransit page; Fixed Route Bus page).

The St. Lucie County news release on the route merger also points riders to 772-462-1778 and the Area Regional Transit page (news release). The About ART page links a GTFS data feed that powers transit information in Google Maps, Apple Maps and other trip-planning apps, an annual progress report for county fiscal year October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025, and a Transportation Disadvantaged Service Plan dated February 2026 (About ART page). The county's Transit Division handles service planning, the transit taxing unit's finances, grant oversight, infrastructure, outreach and contractor oversight.

Live bus positions and trip planning are on the St. Lucie County My Ride tool rather than on this page (Fixed Route Bus page). Last verified: October 22, 2026, for St. Lucie County transit by rereading the About ART, Fixed Route Bus, paratransit and Rides On Demand pages, the September 21, 2026 route merger release and the City of Port St. Lucie Community Hub page.