A local public transit program is being called a success after two years of a trial run.

LeeTran said the ULTRA On Demand Transit program is working and may be expanded.

LeeTran offers door-to-door service in most of Bonita Springs and Lehigh Acres. A mini-van or a 10-passenger van pick up a rider and take the person right to the destination. The charge: $3 for most rides, but only $1.50 for trips from home to the bus transfer station in Lehigh.

"Like they pick you up at your house and it's cheaper than Uber," LeeTran rider Trevon Vaughn said. "That's kind of like the thing to do."

LeeTran said nearly 110,000 people used an APP such as the Ultra On Demand Transit version to book door-to-door trips in the past two years.

"I mean,  I love it," LeeTran Director Dominic Gemelli said. "I love the fact that we can improve peoples' quality of life, so that they can get to point A to B. If not for us, people could not get to their doctors or the grocery or work." 

Now LeeTran would like to expand the ULTRA service, possibly to Cape Coral and San Carlos Park. But several government bodies, including the Lee County commission and the state transportation department, must approve, and that could take a year or more.

Tim Bedford of Fort Myers says he'd love to use the ULTRA program. He says he does not drive because of his autism.

"Yeah if they can get it to work and they would get you to places faster, and for only 3 dollars, an excellent deal," Bedford said.

"So we are trying to reduce traffic congestion and gas emissions," Gemelli said. "There is a lot of upside to that." 

Lee Tran said eventually the service could be offered to the Shell Point community, and to students and employees at Florida Gulf Coast University. It's all part of hoped-for public transportation improvements over the next several years.

Mike Walcher is a reporter with WGCU News. He also teaches Journalism at Florida Gulf Coast University. WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you. FGCU holds the broadcast license for WGCU. WGCU is a member-supported service of FGCU.