SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Seminole County is looking at a major overhaul of the LYNX transportation service next year. The Board of County Commissioners wants to cut costs and one way they can do that is by cutting routes. But the Board also thinks there is a better way to serve the community as they consider alternative options.
Tuesday, they made it clear that the current system needs improvements, and they are long overdue.
“Years ago, we jokingly said maybe we should just do Uber for everyone in Seminole County. It might be cheaper,” said Commissioner Amy Lockhart.
Right now, Seminole County pays about $17 million annually for its LYNX service, which includes 11 fixed routes, two “NeighborLink” Zones, and paratransit service.
“Just let that sink in for just a second,” said Commissioner Jay Zembower. “That’s a lot of money.”
Staff from the county and LYNX presented the board with options for moving forward. The proposal includes cutting some fixed routes that are not utilized much by riders.
LYNX would maintain service in key corridors like S.R. 434 and Hwy 17-92 and discontinue secondary routes in Lake Mary and Sanford.
A summary of the proposed changes are below:
- Combine current Links 34 & 103 into one route, operating on Hwy 17-92 from Sanford SunRail Station to Fern Park
- Combine current Links 23 and 434 into one route, operating on S.R. 434 from UCF Superstop to Rosemont Superstop (note: Link 23 would operate between Rosemont Superstop and Winter Park)
- Frequency adjustments to Link 436N on weekday evenings and Saturday
- No changes to current Links 1,106, and 436S
- Discontinue Lake Mary and Sanford secondary routes
- Links 45, 46E, 46W discontinued and replaced by “NeighborLink” On-Demand Service
- Adjust span of service on several routes to match ridership demand
- Links 103 & 434
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LYNX would rely on micro transit options like “NeighborLink” to fill the gaps where underperforming routes would be discontinued.
LYNX staff said they could save $3.85 million annually just from reducing the number of fixed routes alone.
After listening to the presentation, commissioners did not hold back their thoughts on the current service.
“As a businessman, when I looked at all the modeling and what’s happening, this is not efficient for Seminole County,” said Zembower.
Most commissioners praised Commissioner Amy Lockhart for first asking questions about the LYNX service and how the county could better meet the taxpayer’s transportation needs.
“I’m going to tell you that I sit here rather embarrassed, having sat on your board for a year thinking that this work was actively being done by LYNX on our behalf and finding out it really wasn’t,” said District 5 Commissioner Andria Herr.
Herr specifically asked why underperforming routes weren’t identified years ago and why something wasn’t done about it.
A spokesperson for LYNX responded to the board’s criticism in an interview following the presentation.
“Listen, we’re going to listen to whatever our funding partners want us to look at,” said spokesperson Matt Friedman. “So, this is just another discussion and it will ultimately come down to what Seminole County wants and the decision really has to be based on what is best for their constituents and our riders.”
Friedman also said that LYNX has conversations throughout the year with staff and the board, and they will continue to have an open dialogue.
“Pick up the phone, send us an email, ask and we’ll meet with you,” said Friedman.
News 6 also spoke with Lockhart after the meeting Tuesday. She also serves on LYNX’s Board of Directors alongside leaders in Orlando, Orange County, Osceola County, and Florida’s Department of Transportation.
“Doing things the way we’ve always done them is just, it’s a habit, it’s a pattern, and I don’t think that the folks at LYNX — who have been running LYNX for years are certainly our partners — are doing anything wrong. They’re just doing it the way they’ve always done it,” said Lockhart. “What we’re looking for in Seminole County is to do something new, something that’s more innovative, the frankly is being done in other places around the country.”
Seminole County officials now need to decide how they want to develop a more efficient transportation system that will better serve citizens and cost less.
The board agreed to continue conversations with regional transit entities and other counties and look for other funding sources while they consider their options moving forward.
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