Need help using Broward County Transit buses in Fort Lauderdale

Need help using Broward County Transit buses in Fort Lauderdale

I have searched the forum and have found little or no information on using public transport in Fort Lauderdale.

We are from Holland and looking to stay in Best Western Airport/Cruise port on completion of our cruise. The hotel is located on the 84/Marina Blvd and we are thinking not renting a car this time, because we are only staying one night. After the cruise we will take a taxi and after the hotel stay we can use the hotel shuttle to the airport.

We are planning to make use of the Broward County Transit busses, to go to the Sawgrass Mills Mall during the day. We have already found out that bus line 6 should get us to Broward Central Terminal and there we should take bus 22 to Sawgrass Mills, so far the easy part.

The questions we would like help with are:

• Are we correct that bus 6 and 22 are the way to go, I can’t figure out how long the bus 6 is taking to get us to the Broward Central Terminal, but it looks like the ride on the 22 takes about an hour?

• Are we correct that (visible in Google earth) there are southbound and northbound bus stops just in front of the Best Western Hotel ? In Google earth the stop is indicated as stop 4984, but I cannot find any reference on the Broward County Transit website.

• What fares are possible for us, are we correct to have identified on the Broward County Transit website that there are “all day passes” for $4,- and if so, can they be bought on the bus?

I hope somebody with good inside knowledge of the Broward County Transit busses can help us.

I think that not renting a car is a mistake. You can get a rental off hotwire for as little as $20 a day. Even double that you are still getting a deal.

Your hotel is not in a pedestrian friendly area. You will spend hours and untold aggravation just trying to get out to the mall.

I cannot think of one compelling reason to sit on a bus all day. You aren't saving enough money.

Also, if you are going to shop, you can always run out to your car and drop your bags off and come back in the mall.

I think that not renting a car is a mistake. You can get a rental off hotwire for as little as $20 a day. Even double that you are still getting a deal.

 

Your hotel is not in a pedestrian friendly area. You will spend hours and untold aggravation just trying to get out to the mall.

 

I cannot think of one compelling reason to sit on a bus all day. You aren't saving enough money.

 

Also, if you are going to shop, you can always run out to your car and drop your bags off and come back in the mall.

Thank you for your input, appreciate the tip, but Hotwire is not for Dutch citizens, which I am, and prices from budget rental negotiators in Holland start at around $80 for a day and a half, which this amounts to, so not cheap, that is why we are negotiating a bus option. We have the free hotel shuttle included back to the airport, so we only need the short taxi ride to our hotel and not to the airport, which is needed to pick up a rental car!

Alphen - try the Broward County Transit website: http://www.broward.org/BCT/VisitorInfo/Pages/VisitorInformation.aspx. I bet the hotel could also give you info. Enjoy your visit and cruise!

Alphen - try the Broward County Transit website: http://www.broward.org/BCT/VisitorInfo/Pages/VisitorInformation.aspx. I bet the hotel could also give you info. Enjoy your visit and cruise!

I would NOT count on the hotel giving you bus information. They might be helpful but very few people in Fort Lauderdale have ever been on a bus (myself included) and very few tourists use the buses. Most people do not even notice where the bus stops are, as some of them are just designated by a sign (some have benches or shelters).

The ride from S.R. 84 to the central terminal is only about 3 miles.

There should be a stop either right outside the hotel or very close. Just look for a bus sign with the number 6 on it. But make sure that you go to the bus stop on the SOUTH side of the street, which I think is ACROSS the street from the hotel.

There is an all day pass. I think you can purchase this on the bus but I'm not sure. 7 day passes and 10 ride passes are also available but you might have to purchase these online or at the terminal. If you are a senior and have proof, you can get a discount even on one way fares.

Perhaps the best solution to your question might be to think outside the box...

First...Public transportation in America is nothing like Europe, especially the buses. Riding them can sometimes be a downright scarey experience for us locals so I can only imagine what it would be like for someone from a foreign country. :eek:

Second...I know that Best Western hotels are very popular in Europe, but in America they are generally near the bottom in terms of quality. The Best Western you have chosen is nothing special, it's OK, but it's not in a very good location. It's a relatively safe area, but it's not tourist friendly and rather isolated for what you want to do. Perhaps if you considered a different hotel and a different shopping mall it may solve your transportation problem.

I live not too far from Sawgrass Mills Mall and other than going in and out of one of the anchor stores I've never even been inside the mall. There's nothing there I can't get elsewhere. I know it looks impressive on the Internet, but I just don't understand the attraction. Instead, why don't you consider staying at the Hampton Inn in Plantation? This Hampton Inn has a free shuttle from Port Everglades to the hotel. After you clear customs call them and they will pick you up at the port. And of course they have a free airport shuttle to the Ft Lauderdale Airport. It's a nice hotel located a pleasant walk from two upscale shopping malls, Broward Westfield and The Fountains.

http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/florida/hampton-inn-ft-lauderdale-plantation-FLLPTHX/index.html

http://www.westfield.com/broward/

http://www.shopthefountains.com/

For a day and a half, even at $80 I'd go with the car.

The bus is just so inconvenient and a giant PIA.

Good luck with this!

BTW, there are hotels at Sawgrass, why don't you just book one out there?

Addendum to my post above...

Provided that you take my advice above and stay at the Plantation Hampton Inn and you will be here Monday-Saturday, you can catch the free Plantation Tram "B" bus at Broward Westfield Mall and the very next stop will be the BCT West Terminal. From there it is very easy to catch a Broward County Transit bus to Sawgrass Mills Mall and it will be a much shorter trip.

http://www.plantation.org/Planning-Zoning/Plant-Tram/

Perhaps the best solution to your question might be to think outside the box...

 

First...Public transportation in America is nothing like Europe, especially the buses. Riding them can sometimes be a downright scarey experience for us locals so I can only imagine what it would be like for someone from a foreign country. :eek:

 

Second...I know that Best Western hotels are very popular in Europe, but in America they are generally near the bottom in terms of quality. The Best Western you have chosen is nothing special, it's OK, but it's not in a very good location. It's a relatively safe area, but it's not tourist friendly and rather isolated for what you want to do. Perhaps if you considered a different hotel and a different shopping mall it may solve your transportation problem.

 

I live not too far from Sawgrass Mills Mall and other than going in and out of one of the anchor stores I've never even been inside the mall. There's nothing there I can't get elsewhere. I know it looks impressive on the Internet, but I just don't understand the attraction. Instead, why don't you consider staying at the Hampton Inn in Plantation? This Hampton Inn has a free shuttle from Port Everglades to the hotel. After you clear customs call them and they will pick you up at the port. And of course they have a free airport shuttle to the Ft Lauderdale Airport. It's a nice hotel located a pleasant walk from two upscale shopping malls, Broward Westfield and The Fountains.

 

http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/florida/hampton-inn-ft-lauderdale-plantation-FLLPTHX/index.html

 

http://www.westfield.com/broward/

 

http://www.shopthefountains.com/

Interesting perspective, the reason we are looking at Best Western is because of a lot of Best Western Points I am having, so we are staying for free. We have stayed at the Hampton jut behind the Best Western last year, pre cruise.

The Hampton you have pointed out, is surely a nice alternative, Sawgrass is not an absolute must, it is just the shopping and I have seen plenty of shops in Broward Westfield and The Fountains. We enjoyed the convenient shuttle from last year’s visit, so this is surely a nice option. Although we can’t stay for free, not having to pay taxi fares helps a lot as well and everything we were looking for, is withing walking distance.

Thanks for the info, we will look into this with a new and fresh eye.

For a day and a half, even at $80 I'd go with the car.

 

The bus is just so inconvenient and a giant PIA.

 

Good luck with this!

 

BTW, there are hotels at Sawgrass, why don't you just book one out there?

Thanks for the info, it is the combination with airport and or everglades shuttle we are looking for and preferably Best Western (points), but we may look at the Hampton at Plantation that has been suggested.

Thanks for all the help, I am beginning to get the picture that public transport in the US is not so popular. ;)

Let me be the lone voice in support of the poor BCT.

As it so happens, I have used the bus in Fort Lauderdale. While it was at least 10 years ago, I do remember it being quite easy and efficient. We were able to buy a one-day pass right on the bus, which we made good use of. We ended up going to Aventura Mall, stopping along the way for some antiquing along Route 1. I think the best way to plan your bus trips is to use Google Maps - they will provide the public transportation directions with all transfers and times.

One thing I do agree with what was previously posted, forget about getting info on the bus from your hotel - ours didn't have a clue, despite the fact it ended up there was a bus stop right across the street!

Interesting perspective, the reason we are looking at Best Western is because of a lot of Best Western Points I am having, so we are staying for free. We have stayed at the Hampton jut behind the Best Western last year, pre cruise.

 

The Hampton you have pointed out, is surely a nice alternative, Sawgrass is not an absolute must, it is just the shopping and I have seen plenty of shops in Broward Westfield and The Fountains. We enjoyed the convenient shuttle from last year’s visit, so this is surely a nice option. Although we can’t stay for free, not having to pay taxi fares helps a lot as well and everything we were looking for, is withing walking distance.

Thanks for the info, we will look into this with a new and fresh eye.

The money you will save on taxis and buses would pay about half the room rate at the Plantation Hampton Inn. Save your Best Western points for a better property on another trip.

I have also used the BCT to get around. In fact, when we cruised last spring, the only hotel we could book for an affordable rate was in the Galt mile area, a very expensive taxi ride. We had no trouble taking the bus from airport to hotel and back to the cruise port area. From there we took a taxi into the port. They have a great map on the website and the information was accurate for us.

Hi Alphen,

A European perspective.........

The bus trip to Sawgrass was a nightmare. We were staying on East Sunrise and the bus stop was right across the road. However, the bus journey took well over an hour. Calling into lots of suburban areas off the main road. Interesting enough to see, but after the second one......!!

Trip back seemed to take forever. Also, it was full to capacity and quite uncomfortable.

We now just go to Galleria Mall. Plenty of shopping including Macey's.

Don't think we would bother trying Sawgrass mall again.

Hi Alphen,

 

A European perspective.........

The bus trip to Sawgrass was a nightmare. We were staying on East Sunrise and the bus stop was right across the road. However, the bus journey took well over an hour. Calling into lots of suburban areas off the main road. Interesting enough to see, but after the second one......!!

Trip back seemed to take forever. Also, it was full to capacity and quite uncomfortable.

We now just go to Galleria Mall. Plenty of shopping including Macey's.

Don't think we would bother trying Sawgrass mall again.

Thanks for posting.

Sawgrass Mills Mall, over rated, over priced and over hyped.

Hi Alphen,

 

A European perspective.........

The bus trip to Sawgrass was a nightmare. We were staying on East Sunrise and the bus stop was right across the road. However, the bus journey took well over an hour. Calling into lots of suburban areas off the main road. Interesting enough to see, but after the second one......!!

Trip back seemed to take forever. Also, it was full to capacity and quite uncomfortable.

We now just go to Galleria Mall. Plenty of shopping including Macey's.

Don't think we would bother trying Sawgrass mall again.

I agree 100%. You do not want to travel on the #22 bus. Also. Sawgrass Mills is overrated in my opinion.

If you want to go to a nice mall, and want to get there by bus, here's what I'd do:

I'd take a taxi cab from your hotel to the Fort Lauderdale Airport. From the airport, I'd take the #1 bus to the Aventura Mall. The #1 takes you right to the Aventura Mall food court. Just make sure that, once at the airport, you make sure that you are boarding the southbound #1 bus. It is the southbound bus that takes you to Aventura Mall from the airport.

To get back to your hotel, take the #1 bus northbound from the Aventura Mall back to Fort Lauderdale airport. And then from the airport, take a taxi cab back to your hotel on Marina Mile.

Aventura Mall is an upscale mall that has department stores such as Macy's, Nordstrom, JC Penney, and Sears. There are countless other stores and restaurants.

Go to: http://www.broward.org/bct for bus schedules. You are looking for the #1 bus schedule and map.

I hope this helps.

Didn't at first realize that this thread had been resurrected from 2 years ago......but my advice still stands. Hopefully it will help someone else.