Patronage trendsAt the beginning of October, the company moved away from hourly service between South Florida and Orlando. The company reports on the investor relations portion of its website that long-distance passengers have generated a 68% increase in baggage fees. A paywalled Wall Street Journal article says Brightline ridership “continues to underperform,” compared with estimates when the bonds were first sold. Still, Forbes reports tourism officials estimate it could cost the U.S. $11 billion in travel business. It offers free shuttles to major sporting and concert events in South Florida, where highway traffic congestion shows no sign of subsiding.