As planned, Pacific Beach's previously-free shuttle, which San Diegans voted to name the Beach Bug, will start charging $2.50 starting on Monday.
The good news is the popular bug will set a cap on costs at $5 for two or more riders.
Since its debut back in July, the bug has been a crowd-pleaser, serving more than 9,000 people in just its first few weeks.
A spokesperson told NBC 7 that the top reported uses for the bug include social/recreational trips, errands and connecting to transit.
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Shuttling around San Diego County
The shuttles run primarily in the beachside business and residential area of the Pacific Beach neighborhood, but they also take riders to the Balboa Avenue Transit Center and connect to the UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley.
The Beach Bug was intended to "reduce demand for parking near coastal attractions, make it more convenient to take public transit to the beach and support the city's Climate Action Plan goals," a city statement reads.
Data collected from the shuttles in Pacific Beach so far indicate that the average wait time is 10 minutes. NBC 7 spoke with a shuttle driver, Aaron Tredo, who said that in his experience, the service has been well-received among riders.
“They talk about how convenient it is not having to drive around and find parking,” Tredo said. “I help people with their laundry, their groceries. Instead of walking x amount of blocks or miles, they call us, and we take them right to their door.”
Riders should not forget the Beach Bug's forefathers, F.R.E.D. (Free Ride Everywhere Downtown) which launched in 2016, helping to pave the way for the Beach Bug.
In turn, the Beach Bug may have paved way for two other city's free shuttle services: National City's FRANC, and Carlsbad's Good Ride, both which launched last month.
Circuit and SANDAG collaborated to run the four all-electric shuttles taking riders in Pacific Beach. The Beach Bug was funded by SANDAG and parking meter revenue collected from on-street parking meters in the city of San Diego.
For more information on the Beach Bug, click here.
