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Route changes coming to Lynx

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Lynx is planning to make route and schedule changes throughout its bus system serving Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties. Most of the changes appear to be minor, with the exception of some routes serving the Disney resort area. Here are the details: ROUTE CHANGES ·          Link 36 – Lake Richmond (Orange County) – Outbound buses will operate via Central Avenue instead of Washington Street between Hughey Avenue and Division Avenue. ·          Link 104 – West Colonial Drive (Orange County) – Inbound buses will operate via Rosalind Avenue, Amelia Street to LYNX Central Station. Outbound buses will operate via Livingston Street, Magnolia Avenue to Robinson Street. ROUTE AND SCHEDULE CHANGES ·          Link 40 – Americana Boulevard/Universal Orlando (Orange County) – Outbound buses will operate via Central Avenue instead of Washington Street between Hughey Avenue and Division Avenue. Minor schedule adjustments.   ·          Link 300 – Downtown Orla

Coronavirus: Lynx bus questions and answers

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What follows are questions that  David Thomas Moran , co-chair of CFL4Transit (Central Floridians for Public Transit), sent to the leadership at the Lynx public bus system.  Check out the answers he received . 1.     How can the community-at-large and CFL4Transit best support LYNX and public transit right now and in the coming months? What are the biggest needs? The best way to help is by sharing the information we are pushing. ·         www.golynx.com/coronavirusinfo   ·         www.facebook.com/golynx ·         www.twitter.com/lynxbusorlando Along with this we need people to understand that if you are sick, you do not ride. We are encouraging essential trips only. 2.     How is LYNX coordinating with public health officials to support the safety and well-being of transit riders and transit operators during the    COVID-19 outbreak? LYNX is following all recommendations set forth by the CDC and local health departments to continue safely moving passenge

Worried about catching coronavirus on Lynx?

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A confined space like a bus can be a great breeding ground for the coronavirus, so we reached out to Lynx to see what steps they are taking to protect the public and employees. Here’s how they responded to us today (March 3): “We are in the process of finalizing our official plan. Rest assured we are monitoring the potential impacts and will respond accordingly. As of today, we have done: 1.        Creating preliminary agency plan for the coronavirus. In process. 2.        Developing plan on increasing the cleaning of its buses. No issues. 3.        Increased the cleaning of our facilities. 4.        Educated staff on the coronavirus. 5.         Participating in the Orange County Emergency Management daily conference call.” By comparison, the NY Daily News reported the Metropolitan Transit Authority in New York City was disinfecting its 6,400 buses every three days.

Please don't leave Lynx out in the cold

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Dang. It’s a shame more Lynx bus riders didn’t participate in a  recently completed survey  of Orange County transportation needs. Survey participants were asked to select their top 5 transportation priorities.  The survey was conducted by Orange County to see where the public wants to spend money if voters in November approve a proposal to add 1-cent to the sales tax to pay for transportation improvements. The good news is that “building a mass transit system (to include buses trains and other modes of transportation)” was ranked as the No. 1 priority. That same priority list ranked improving Lynx service as No. 8. Improving SunRail service ranked No. 4. Priorities 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 focused on improving streets for vehicles. County staff circulated the survey forms at a variety of meetings for months. The survey was widely publicized and could have been completed online. Nearly 11,000 people completed the survey forms. Only 4 percent (about 440) of

Lynx needs to teach SunRail a lesson

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The Lynx bus folks could teach the SunRail commuter train executives a few lessons. Lesson No. 1 is – you gotta be there! On this past Monday – the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday – SunRail let down the people who count on the train for daily transportation. MLK Day bus service at SunRail As SunRail has done for the past 5 MLK holidays – there was no train service on Monday. It is one of seven holidays when SunRail does not run. But guess what? Lynx was on the road – on a holiday schedule – but the buses were running. We watched Monday morning while two Lynx buses pull into the Meadow Woods SunRail station. Even though the parking lot was empty, there was a handful of people waiting for the buses. Lynx has many shortcomings that demand attention, but at least the Lynx bus is there and operating 365 days of the year. We’ve heard from people who use a combination of the Lynx bus and SunRail to get to and from work. When there is no S

Lynx must not think too much of its drivers

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Usually, we write about residents who depend on the Lynx bus for transportation in Central Florida. But this time we’re focusing on the plight of Lynx bus drivers. Recently we noticed a Lynx bus sporting a sign announcing that Lynx wants to hire new drivers. The starting pay: $14 an hour. Seriously? Maybe Lynx management (a public agency) isn’t aware of it, but there is a national campaign seeking a minimum wage of $15 an hour for all workers. Lynx’s ridiculous compensation offer may be one of the reasons the agency is so desperate to recruit that it resorted to ads on the side of its buses. Honestly, $15 an hour isn’t a livable wage. Try paying your rent, utilities, bills and feeding your family on that. No wonder so many people are living in tents and their cars. We’ve heard some Lynx drivers can’t afford a car. Just like many of their passengers – who can’t afford a car – some drivers ride the Lynx bus to work. Let that sink in for a moment…

The public needs to sound off Wednesday to improve Lynx bus service

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If you have difficulty getting from Point A to Point B in Central Florida, then you should attend a very important meeting scheduled for this Wednesday (Aug. 21). The meeting was called by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings to discuss transportation -- everything from roads to SunRail and the Lynx bus system. During his first State of the County address Demings floated the idea of seeking voter approval for a 1-cent sales tax increase in Orange County to help pay for needed improvements to public transportation. In that speech, Demings said, “I am convinced that now is the time for us to seek multi-modal transportation options that will increase frequency of public transit so more people will use it,” Mayor Demings said. “Now is the time to collectively arrive at a comprehensive solution that will foster an environment where a transportation network is fully funded. I invite our community to consider support of a sales tax referendum to prepare for the future today