Eco-Friendly Ride Service Expands
By Lisa Neff
A zero-emission fleet is expanding its range of zero-fare service in the Bradenton-Palmetto area.
Freebee, a ride-share service expanded this spring from a Bradenton zone to include parts of Palmetto, offering on-demand eco-transport five days a week.
Freebee is eco-friendly, as in 100% electric transportation, and its economical, as in free to riders.
Hours of operation for the Bradenton-Palmetto Freebee zone, as of March 19, are 8 a.m-8 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday and there’s no service Monday-Tuesday.
A smartphone app, Ride Freebee, connects riders and drivers. Riders install the app, follow the simple prompts to create an account and, when in the zone, tap “Request A Ride” on the homescreen.
A dropped pin on a map gets the driver to a pickup location, which might be a hot spot in Bradenton’s Village of the Arts, a theater or park near the riverfront, a restaurant or bar or a major hotel, including the new Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa.
On a recent Saturday evening, vacationers Maynard and Tammy Washington of Atlanta booked a Freebee to get them to a Marauders baseball game at LECOM Park.
Then they booked two more rides, one to get them to dinner in downtown Bradenton and another to get them to their hotel.
“Nothing against Uber. I use it. But when you are on vacation the ride-share trips can add up,” Tammy Washington said. “So a complimentary ride is just great.”
Palmetto’s and Bradenton’s community redevelopment agencies are making the service available, contracting with Freebee, which operates similar services in Virginia and in Florida, from Aventura to West Miami.
The Palmetto CRA announced expansion plans earlier this year in a bulletin, describing a number of goals:
• Enhance connectivity between Bradenton and Palmetto, particularly across the bridge.
• Promote sustainable transportation.
• Promote accessible transportation.
• Reduce traffic congestion.
• Improve mobility for residents.
• Support local businesses.
Freebee doesn’t just get people to businesses, it helps businesses within the zones advertise on the app, including displaying profiles and special deals.
How’s it work? A person can go on the app, see an offer for a sweet deal on ice cream at a Village of the Arts shop, tap “take me here” and then tap “redeem deal” while at the store.
Freebee launched in Bradenton in February 2024, with the city’s CRA citing the same goals as the Palmetto CRA: “Freebee provides a convenient, eco-friendly alternative to traditional transportation methods. Whether you’re heading downtown, to LECOM Park, or the Village of the Arts, you’ll now have an easy, completely free way to get around — no more batting traffic or searching for parking!”
The Bradenton launch came after a record year for Freebee, which posted a 50% increase in ridership and a 33% increase in market growth in 2023.