ORLANDO, Fla. – On Sunday, Lynx launched its newest express bus route from the Orlando International Airport to Disney Springs and back via the tourist district for just $2.
Route 311 takes one hour, one way, makes three stops (Destination Parkway, Sand Lake SunRail Station, Florida Mall), runs every half hour from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. and replaces another popular bus route that served Central Florida’s hospitality industry.
Lynx spokesperson Matt Friendman said Link 311 is a “great route for anyone wanting to have an express type route from OIA to Disney Springs.”
Who is actually using the new bus route?
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
News 6 rode the route Monday morning from Disney Springs to MCO to find out.
The 11:40 a.m. bus left on time to the minute. It arrived at its first stop, Destination Parkway, early and it pulled into the Orlando International Airport – the last stop on route 311 – at 12:40 p.m. as scheduled.
The ride was efficient, easy and relatively quick, considering that much of the ride is on Interstate 4 through the congested Disney and Universal Studios area.
But at the three stops in between, the bus picked up a total of only six riders. One was flying out of MCO, one was transferring to another bus at MCO’s Terminal A and the rest work at the airport.
None were tourists.
Rose and Pauli used to take the Link 111 route which shuttled them from Destination Parkway to their jobs in security and hospitality at the airport within an hour. They took one bus each way.
Link 311 replaced 111.
Now, Rose and Pauli must take two buses to get home at night because their work shifts don’t end in time to make the last bus which leaves the airport at 10:15 p.m.
“The other one was way better,” Pauli said in Spanish.
Rose said having to take a second bus home adds an extra hour to her already hour-and-a-half-long commute. And after the second bus drops her off, she must now pay for a ride-share to take her from the bus stop to her extended stay motel because buses don’t run regularly late at night.
“It’s so much more difficult,” Rose said. “I’m living in a hotel and so I’m spending $20 sometimes to get to work because now I’m wondering if I’m ever going to get to work. It’s a lot for me.”
News 6 asked Lynx about the new route’s negative impact for some and how it plans to fill the mostly empty buses.
“We promote this through our partners like the theme parks, OIA and on social media,” Friedman said.
Lynx is spending $3.5 million for the next five years for the new 311 route paid for by Orange County taxpayers through the Accelerated Transportation Safety Program.
According to the City of Orlando, “LYNX accommodates an average of 90,000 passenger trips per day, over an area of approximately 2,500 square miles” but the routes aren’t always direct or efficient.
In 2020, News 6 reported on a Lynx rider who was spending seven hours per day to get to and from work.