BRADENTON, Fla. — Take a drive down Manatee Avenue or U.S. 41 in Bradenton any day of the week and the signs of redevelopment and growth will be all around you. But with that progress also comes the growing pains of heavy traffic and limited parking.
The city's Community Redevelopment Agencies is working on changing that.
"The City of Bradenton is trying to develop itself as a livable, walkable area," Bradenton Vice-Mayor Marianne Barnebey said.
Last month, a new ride-share service, Freebee, launched in Bradenton's urban core. The app-based service, which was started and based in Miami, has expanded to more than 30 cities or business districts mostly across the state of Florida.
Freebee delivers an eco-friendly mode of transportation with it's all electric vehicles, made up of mostly Teslas, as is the case in Bradenton.
“The best feature, of course, is that it’s free," Freebee Regional Manager Chris Walker said.
The easiest way to catch a ride with Freebee is to order through the app. It is recommended that you order your ride 15 or 20 minutes ahead of time, especially as demand for the service grows.
But you can also just flag a Freebee down, and they will happily take you where you need to go.
“So Freebee can give you the same service as Uber or Lyft, except it is provided by a public service," Walker said.
Freebee is able to provide the free service by partnering with local municipalities. In Bradenton, the city's three Community Redevelopment Agencies signed a yearly contract for about $324,000.
Bradenton's Freebee service area is made up of the area within the city's three CRA's taking you from downtown to the Village of the Arts, LECOM Park, or the Bradenton Riverwalk.
Barnebey, born and raised in Bradenton, has seen the city's growing pains first-hand.
"I see the traffic issues that we have, and they are challenges. But having Freebee available to our residents and visitors alike, that’s one more or two more cars that’s not going to be on the road," she said.
Also member of the downtown CRA, Barnebey thinks the service will also help with public safety, helping provide anyone drinking with a free way to get around.
"Money you save using a free service, is money you can spend in town at local businesses," Walker said.
Public Art Coordinator for the CRA, Jean G. Farmer, was one of the first to take a ride in Freebee in Bradenton, using it to run a errand during her work day. A local artist who lives in the Village of the Arts, she's also used it to get a ride from home to the Downtown Farmer's Market.
She even has a favorite driver: Kevin.
Kevin Walker loves meeting people as he drives around for Freebee. Since the service is still new, when he doesn't have a rider, he keeps an eye out for anyone walking down the street that looks like they could use a ride.
"They don’t believe it’s free. It’s actually free," he said.
Freebee is already in St. Pete Beach and and has a fixed route in Dunedin. Plans are also underway to bring the free service to Treasure Island.
To find other service areas to use Freebee, you can visit their website: ridefreebee.com/service-areas.
