The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is the independent agency responsible for public transit in the city of Jacksonville, Florida, and roadway infrastructure that connects northeast Florida."FAQ" Jacksonville Transportation Authority website However, they do not maintain any roadways. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of .

History In 1955, the Florida Legislature established the Jacksonville Expressway Authority. They owned and maintained roads and bridges in Duval County, including several toll bridges, mostly across the St. Johns River. In 1971 the Authority merged with City Coach Company and several smaller private bus companies to form the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.

The following were built by the Expressway Authority or Transportation Authority:

Union Street Expressway and Mathews Bridge, 1952-1953 Interstate 95 from exit 348 to exit 358, including the Fuller Warren Bridge and Trout River Bridge, 1954-1960 Interstate 10 from ? to I-95, 1957-1960 Roosevelt Expressway, 1960 Arlington Expressway, 1961 Haines Street Expressway and 20th Street Expressway, 1961-1962 Southside Boulevard, 1962–63 Hart Bridge, Hart Bridge Expressway and Emerson Expressway, 1967 J. Turner Butler Boulevard, 1972-1979 JTA Skyway, 1984–1989; phases II & III were completed in 2000 Dames Point Bridge, 1985-1989 aka Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge

Tolls were charged on the Mathews Bridge, Fuller Warren Bridge, Trout River Bridge and Hart Bridge, and on J. Turner Butler Boulevard. Tolls were removed in 1988, and the Florida Department of Transportation now maintains the bridges and freeways.Jacksonville Transportation Authority - About Us - History

Responsibilities The mission of the JTA is to improve Northeast Florida’s economy, environment and quality of life by providing safe, reliable, efficient and sustainable multimodal transportation services and facilities.

Roadway infrastructure The JTA develops and implements construction and financing plans for state and city roads, bridges and interchanges in conjunction with the city government and the Florida Department of Transportation. This was the original role of the Expressway Authority.

Public transit

As of 2026, JTA operates 174 vehicles on 30 routes in regular bus service. The fare is $1.75 per rider. JTA also operates five once-daily early-morning express routes which originate from an outlying area and go directly to their destination with no intermediate stops, then return in late afternoon. Those fares are $1.50 per rider.

Trolley-replica buses run on the Bay Street, Beaver Street, Riverside, and the Beach trolley."Trolley Schedules" Jacksonville Transportation Authority website Stadium shuttles transport riders from suburban, downtown and Park-n-Ride locations to Jacksonville Jaguars football games and other events at EverBank Stadium.

In 2016, JTA opened the first line on the First Coast Flyer, its bus rapid transit (BRT) system. The Red route opened in 2018, replacing the Beach Shuttles. All four planned routes are now in operation."First Coast Flyer" (2016). www.jtafla.com. Jacksonville Transportation Authority. Retrieved May 11, 2018.

JTA Connexion is a paratransit for the disabled and elderly, provided by private vendors with specially equipped vehicles and drivers.

JTA runs the Jacksonville Skyway, a people mover system which travels from the King Street parking garage across the St. Johns River and through the central business district. JTA is undertaking a project to convert the Skyway into an autonomous vehicle network. (2016). www.jtafla.com. Jacksonville Transportation Authority. Retrieved May 11, 2018. The first part of Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation service began in 2025.

Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center (JRTC): JTA opened a new intermodal transit center in May, 2020, bringing together Jacksonville Skyway, JTA bus, First Coast Flyer, intercity bus, and rail service in one facility. JRTC replaced the aging and overcrowded Rosa Parks Transit Station. JRTC is situated across the street from the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center."JRTC" (2016). www.jtafla.com. Jacksonville Transportation Authority. Retrieved May 11, 2018.

Since 2016, JTA has also operated the St. Johns River Ferry a vehicle and pedestrian ferry that operates between Mayport and Fort George Island.

First Coast Commuter Rail: JTA is undertaking evaluations for a future commuter rail system. (2016). www.jtafla.com. Jacksonville Transportation Authority. Retrieved May 11, 2018.

Hurricanes The JTA has the responsibility to identify, plan and prepare Jacksonville's hurricane evacuation routes. The JTA and the city of Jacksonville established a Hurricane Preparedness Plan that will provide emergency evacuation/patient transport and move civilians and/or emergency service personnel with mass transit."History" Jacksonville Transportation Authority website

Routes

On December 1, 2014, JTA underwent a complete system redesign called Route Optimization. This was to provide more frequent, more direct, and more reliable service. The current routes as of 2025 follows. However in 2026, due to a projected $17.5 budget deficit in FY2027, five fixed bus route would be eliminated. https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/05/29/jta-cutting-services-increasing-fares-to-make-up-for-projected-budget-deficit/

Local bus routes 1 North Main 3 Moncrief / Dunn Ave 4 Kings Road 8 Beach Blvd / Town Center 10 Atlantic Blvd 11 A. Philip Randolph 12 Myrtle / Lem Turner 13 Commonwealth / Lane 14 Edison / Normandy 16 Riverside / Wilson 17 St. Augustine / San Jose 18 Atlantic / Monument 19 Arlington 21 Boulevard / Gateway 22 Avenue B 23 Townsend/Southside 24 Mayport 25 San Jose / University Hub 27 Philips Hwy / Avenues 28 Southside / Sunbeam 30 Cecil / Blanding (renamed from 30 Cecil on December 5, 2016; sections replaced by ReadiRide Southwest on December 3, 2018) 31 Park/Blanding 32 McDuff 50 University 51 Edgewood 53 Commonwealth / Cassat 80 NAS Shuttle 81 Dinsmore Shuttle 82 Amazon Shuttle 102 First Coast Flyer Green 105 First Coast Flyer Orange 107 First Coast Flyer Blue 109 First Coast Flyer Red 202 Mayport Express 205 First Coast Flyer Red Beaches Express (Pilot Route; Monday-Friday)

Express routes Clay Express Select Nassau Express Select St Johns Express Select

Ferry routes St. Johns River Ferry

First Coast Commuter Rail

First Coast Commuter Rail is a proposed commuter rail system serving Jacksonville and northeast Florida. It is currently in the planning stages, having completed the first step of a feasibility study and currently pursuing an alternatives analysis.

A feasibility study was completed in November 2009 for the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA). James Boyle, JTA's regional transportation planner, has since said that there are no fatal flaws in the study.

JTA hired a consultant to conduct a feasibility study in early 2008 at the cost of $400,000. It was completed in November 2009. The study looked into 7 routes, most along existing freight rail right of ways. Three of these, north to Yulee, Florida, southwest to Green Cove Springs, Florida and the southeast to St. Augustine, Florida, were selected for in depth study. In 2010, JTA allocated $1 million for an Alternative Analysis study on the proposed system. This is a required step to participate in the Federal Transit Administration's New Starts program.

In May 2013, St. Augustine City Commission voted in a resolution supporting the proposal of a commuter train service on the southeast corridor. JTA said that the federal government could fund half of the southeast corridor project, estimated to cost about $193.3 million. The proposal still needs approval from St. Johns County, The North Florida Transportation Planning Organization board, and the Jacksonville Transportation Authority board.

As of 2023, First Coast Commuter Rail is still in the planning stages and no funding has been identified for its implementation.

All routes in the in-depth study start in downtown Jacksonville and head out in one of three directions: North (to Yulee), South (to Green Cove Springs), and Southeast (to St. Augustine).

The North Corridor originates in Downtown Jacksonville, and heads North along the abandoned S-Line to the CSX Kingsland division line to Yulee. The Kingsland division line is a remnant of the Seaboard Air Line's mainline. The route passes two miles (3 km) from Jacksonville International Airport.

The Southwest Corridor originates in Downtown Jacksonville, and heads South along the CSX A-Line to Green Cove Springs.

The Southeast Corridor originates in Downtown Jacksonville, and heads Southeast along the Florida East Coast Railway's main line to St. Augustine, closely following U.S. 1, known as Philips Highway in Jacksonville and Ponce de Leon Boulevard in St. Augustine . The proposed route would share the railbed with the northernmost part of a freight rail line to Miami. The heavily trafficked corridor already serves 17 regularly scheduled interregional freight trains per day, a figure which does not include Amtrak service, unscheduled freight trains, and other services. The 2009 feasibility study estimated that this route could carry an estimated 5,469 passengers in 2020 on trains between Jacksonville and St. Augustine. Travel time is estimated at 51 minutes end to end, comparable to travel time by car. Notable proposed stops along the route include J. Turner Butler Freeway, The Avenues, Race Track Road/Nocatee, the massive mixed-use residential/commercial development at Palencia, West St. Augustine, Northeast Florida Regional Airport, St. Johns County Government Complex, and its terminus in Downtown St. Augustine.

By 2023, planning for the Southeast Corridor had progressed to the planning phase with a potential of four stations along the route: the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla, Avenues Walk, Racetrack Road, and St. Augustine.

Governance The JTA is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors. The mayor of Jacksonville appoints three members who must be confirmed by the Jacksonville City Council; the Florida Governor appoints three members who must be confirmed by the Florida Senate. Each member serves a four-year, unpaid term and can be re-appointed for a second term. If a member serves eight consecutive years, they must rotate off the board. From its membership, the Board elects its own Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer for one year terms. The seventh member is the District Two Secretary from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) who serves as long as s/he is employed in the position. That individual is responsible for the FDOT activities within the 18 counties of the district, including administrative, planning and operations."Board of Directors" Jacksonville Transportation Authority website

As of September 2022, members included Ari Jolly, chair; Debbie Buckland, vice chair; G. Ray Driver, secretary; Abel Harding, treasurer; Greg Evans, FDOT District Two Secretary; Kevin Holzendorf, board member; and Aundra Wallace, board member.

Revenue Originally, when a bridge or roadway was completed, a toll was imposed at that location to create a revenue stream to repay bonds used to fund construction. State and federal tax money was used for specific capital projects, such as interstate highways.

Gas surcharge