Alexander Esposito, CEO, Circuit

In an interview with Invest:, Alexander Esposito, CEO of Circuit, discussed the company’s key achievements, including cost-efficient operations, tailored community mobility solutions, sustainability initiatives, and emerging trends in urban micromobility that are shaping the future of the industry.

What were the most significant milestones and achievements for Circuit over the last year?

Over the past year, we launched new services in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Hollywood, while partnering with various hotels, offices, and apartment complexes. On the technology side, we rolled out over 15 app updates, continuously refining the user experience, wait times, ETAs, and operational efficiency.

I’m particularly proud of our focus on reducing the cost per rider, which measures what cities or properties pay relative to ridership. Through improvements in technology, routing, and operations, we’ve achieved some of the lowest cost-per-rider metrics in the state among public and private operators.

We’ve also developed new products and features, including a full customer portal, where cities can view demand and service insights, and other features that integrate property-specific services into our model. For instance, hotels or apartment complexes can fund branded vehicles, adding supply to the system, reducing wait times, and improving service quality, especially in high-demand scenarios. These partnerships are a great way for us to expand the supply of vehicles in our operating areas and handle the strong demand we see from riders. We’ve also tested a few new vehicle types – from Sedans and Vans to fixed-route EV Buses and autonomous vehicles. 

Finally, we’ve enhanced wait times and ETAs by leveraging advanced routing technologies and expanding our fleet in collaboration with private partners, significantly improving the rider experience.

How do you adapt your services to meet the unique needs of the regions you serve?

One of Circuit’s defining aspects is our focus on community mobility. We specialize in sustainable, efficient, short-range transportation, rather than long-range trips. We believe microtranist is best when it’s “micro” and isn’t set up to compete with other longer-range options. We like to complement existing transit services whenever we can. 

We operate as a full turnkey provider, supplying electric vehicles, managing W2-employed drivers, and offering rider and driver apps with supporting technologies. This model allows us to tailor services to each community. Hiring local drivers, for example, helps create location-specific solutions that meet unique needs.

Our partners can customize services by adjusting coverage areas, vehicle types, and hours of operation. We also analyze data and conduct rider surveys to refine and improve continuously, ensuring we meet community expectations.

While we leverage insights from existing operations, we understand every market is unique. For instance, our hometown taught us to adapt based on real-world rider behavior rather than assumptions. This humility and flexibility guide us in every new market.

How do you balance the needs of your customers while keeping riders satisfied?

Our revenue model revolves around three main customer groups: transportation customers, advertisers, and riders. Transportation customers, cities, counties, hotels, and apartment complexes pay for our shuttle services. Advertisers partner with us to promote their brands sustainably, while riders, though the smallest revenue stream, are our most important stakeholders.

If riders aren’t satisfied, it affects everyone: cities, advertisers, and private partners. That’s why we prioritize their experience. When partnering with a hotel or city, we’re ultimately working for the riders.

A good analogy is Apple’s rise in the business world. Initially, Apple struggled with corporate IT departments and a B2B model, but as employees embraced their products, workplace adoption followed. Similarly, focusing on riders drives satisfaction across all stakeholders.

How does flexibility in your services help you navigate challenges and uncertainties?

Flexibility has been key to our success. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we quickly adapted to provide rides to grocery stores, pharmacies, and testing centers instead of train stations, ensuring we continued serving communities despite shifting needs. In Hollywood, for example, the team was delivering grocery boxes in partnership with Feeding South Florida.

Our services are designed to remain efficient and scalable, enabling us to handle uncertainties confidently. Transportation evolves rapidly, so we focus on both immediate improvements and long-term innovation.

In Florida, rapid growth has created challenges with traffic, parking, and connectivity. We’ve positioned ourselves as a solution to these issues, and as cities expand, these challenges and opportunities will only grow.

How does sustainability factor into your operations?

At Circuit, sustainability isn’t an add-on, it’s integral, and frankly, electric vehicles are also less expensive to operate.. Adding cars to existing services or launching new ones means moving more people with 100% electric vehicles, creating an immediate environmental impact without needing a separate sustainability division. The nice part is we don’t need to deviate from our path to make an impact – as we grow, we’re creating more jobs, moving more passengers, and reducing more emissions.

We’re also exploring the broader impact of our services. For example, when someone uses Circuit to connect to a train station instead of driving the entire way, the environmental benefits go beyond the short trip we provide. This reduces car trips, emissions, and traffic congestion.

Our data platform measures these impacts, analyzing trips to transit hubs and reductions in unnecessary driving, like circling for parking. Our pooling algorithm is especially impactful, combining passengers heading in the same direction to reduce overall miles driven. In some cases, this has a greater impact than simply using electric vehicles.

Sustainability is about more than cutting emissions. Less traffic improves air quality, quality of life, and community health. Knowing our services contribute to these outcomes makes our work deeply rewarding.

What emerging trends in urban mobility will shape the future of the micromobility industry?

The future of mobility is connected, shared, and electric. Single-occupancy vehicles don’t belong in downtown areas. While cars are great for long trips, like driving from West Palm Beach to Lake Okeechobee, they’re not ideal for short distances within a city.

The industry has matured, and there’s no silver bullet company to solve every transportation challenge. Instead, we’re seeing specialization: some companies excel at running long-range, big bus services, others at scooters, and Circuit at short-trip on-demand microtransit. This allows the industry to focus on its strengths.

In the past, a flood of innovation led many companies to overreach, and some failed for lack of focus. Now, we’re entering a more thoughtful phase, where public and private sectors value partnerships. Cities see private companies as experts, and companies recognize the need to align with public goals.

Autonomous vehicles will also play a significant role. While so far, we’ve only run a few tests, we’re in discussions with companies about pilot projects. Autonomous technology won’t suit every use case but could be ideal for specific applications like trucking, airport shuttles, or premium services.

The industry is in an S-curve. After an initial rush of excitement and skepticism, the real winners are emerging. These are companies and solutions that effectively address specific problems. This clarity will shape the next wave of innovation and growth.

What are your top priorities for the next few years?

Over the past year, we launched new services in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Hollywood, partnering with hotels, offices, and apartment complexes. On the technology front, we rolled out about a dozen app updates, refining the user experience, and operational efficiency will always be a top priority. We’ll continue to roll out new features to keep our City partners happy, and we’ll always be working to improve the rider experience.

I’m particularly proud of our focus on reducing the cost per rider, a key metric for what cities or properties pay relative to ridership. By improving technology, routing, and operations, we’ve achieved some of the state’s lowest cost-per-rider metrics for on-demand systems, both public and private. Many people don’t realize that public transportation services aren’t profitable, but they’re also a great investment that a city can make as it relates to growth, development, job creation, and economic activity. So it comes down to: How much did this service cost? How many people used it? We like this metric because it combines both efficiency and high demand from riders.

We’ve also developed new products integrating property-specific services into our model. For instance, hotels or apartment complexes can fund branded vehicles, adding supply to the system, reducing wait times, and improving service quality, especially in high-demand scenarios.