LynxedTogether

Ever since SunRail started serving our community, people have asked if Lynx is coordinating its buses with SunRail. Lynx and SunRail officials have repeatedly said that they are coordinating bus and train arrival times. Coordination is the key to what transportation wonks call an “intermodal” system. In other words, a system where people can seamlessly transfer from one mode of transportation to another, such as from a bus to a train and vice versa. Bus leaves right before SunRail arrives Yet we have continued to hear Lynx riders complain that the bus they needed pulled out of the train station just before their train arrived. For the first time this past Monday (Sept. 17) we decided to check it out for ourselves. We arrived at the Sand Lake Road SunRail station before sunrise. Lo and behold two buses pulled in. A couple of people got off. Then the buses left. As the buses pulled away we could hear the public address system on the platform announce that the...

Say goodbye to Lynx Express 208. For the past 4 years, Express 208 shuttled passengers between the Lynx Intermodal Station in Kissimmee and the Sand Lake Road SunRail station. Next Monday (July 30) the 208 is going away because it’s being replaced by the SunRail station. Next week SunRail trains will be providing service down to the Kissimmee Intermodal Station. The Lynx express bus service will no longer be needed. As a reminder, all bets are off on the weekend because SunRail does not run on Saturdays and Sundays. One other noteworthy Lynx service change involves the Fastlink 418 that many people rely on to reach the Veterans Affairs hospital in Lake Nona. Until now, it was common for people headed to the VA hospital to catch SunRail to Sand Lake Road where they could pick up the 418. However, as part of Lynx periodic reshuffling of routes to maximize resources and prepare for expanded SunRail service -- as of July 15 -- the 418 no longer stops at the Sand Lake Roa...

Tri-County Transit was re-branded as Lynx 25 years ago. They painted many of the buses funky tropical colors to add some pizzazz. That was probably the first time elected officials in Orlando took public transit seriously. Yet Lynx continues to drag along because frankly, we don’t know of any elected officials who ride the bus, except maybe for a news media photo opportunity. Lynx may as well be a homeless guy panhandling at the side of the road – all the suits see him but ignore him. But Lynx is not a homeless guy. It’s an integral part of Central Florida service economy. If hourly workers can’t get to work, the theme parks, convention center, hotels and so forth are out of business. Granted SunRail is the new shiny toy in Central Florida’s public transit arena. Lynx may not seem as sexy and cool as SunRail, but every day Lynx gives 80,000 more rides than SunRail. (That’s not a typo). Many Lynx routes run on weekends and late at night. SunRail does not. ...

Many service changes are proposed for Central Florida’s Lynx bus system this summer. Several substantial changes are being made to bus service in South Orange County and Osceola County in coordination with the expansion of SunRail train service from South Orange to Poinciana this July. There are also some schedule adjustments being proposed for Seminole County. Public hearings on these changes will be held later this month in Orlando, Kissimmee and Altamonte Springs. Check LynxTogether Events for more details. People can also make public comments on these changes by visiting  www.golynx.com  and leave your thoughts at the “Contact Us” page. Those comments will be received through May 30. The Lynx board will approve these changes during their meeting May 24. The approved changes will go into effect July 15. Here are the proposed changes NEW ROUTES ·         Link 155 – The Loop/Buena Ventura Lakes/Osceola Par...

Will the Poinciana SunRail station be a winner or a loser? Making it easy for people to get to the train station is key, and Lynx plays a big role in that equation. The experience of the last four years has shown that the end of the line stations – DeBary and Sand Lake Road – have been two of the busiest in the SunRail system. DeBary – the only SunRail station in Volusia County gets passengers from the Votran bus system. The Sand Lake Station in south Orlando is supported by 6 Lynx bus routes. Bus loop at the Poinciana train station At this writing, the bus situation is not nearly so bright for the nearly completed Poinciana station. That station at the intersection of Old Tampa Highway and Poinciana Blvd. is in Osceola County, relatively close to Polk County. In case you’ve never been there, the Poinciana station that will become the southern end of the line for SunRail is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. (OK there is a Home Depot, a soft-drink bottling plant...

While attending a local meeting recently we heard a young woman who lives north of Apopka say she had to ride a bicycle almost 5 miles to the closest Lynx bus stop. To her, visiting downtown Orlando’s Lake Eola seemed more exotic than going to Disney World. Since you’re reading this blog, you know that getting around Central Florida is a hardship for tens of thousands of residents who depend on Lynx for transportation. It’s enough to make you want to curse out the people who run Lynx.  Realistically, though, it’s not their fault. Lynx has never been properly funded to provide decent transportation for our community. Blame the local, state, and federal elected officials who have been shortchanging the bus system for decades. When is the last time you saw a politician riding the Lynx bus? It never happens, unless they need a photo opportunity. Somehow the politicians and community leaders found the money to expand the airport; build two basketball arenas; overhaul ...