Lynx (stylized as LYNX) is a bus system run by the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority, serving the greater
Orlando
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
area in
Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
,
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, an ...
, and
Osceola
Osceola (1804 – January 30, 1838, Asi-yahola in Muscogee language, Creek), named Billy Powell at birth in Alabama, became an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfather was a S ...
counties with limited service to
Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk:
* Polk County, Arkansas
* Polk County, Florida
* Polk County, Georgia
* Polk County, Iowa
* Polk Count ...
. Bus routes are referred to as ''Links''. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of .
History
![Lymmo bus stop, Orange Ave and Church St, Orlando](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Lymmo_bus_stop%2C_Orange_Ave_and_Church_St%2C_Orlando.jpg)
The Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority was formed in May 1972 under the name
Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
-
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, an ...
-
Osceola
Osceola (1804 – January 30, 1838, Asi-yahola in Muscogee language, Creek), named Billy Powell at birth in Alabama, became an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfather was a S ...
Transportation Authority (OSOTA). The bus service was originally named Tri-County Transit, or TCT for short. The authority changed its name in 1994 via a public naming contest and started doing business as Lynx.
The agency opened
LYNX Central Station (LCS) in November 2004 and a new operations center called Lynx Operations Center (LOC) in 2007.
LYNX also opened through a partnership with the city of Kissimmee the Osceola Satellite Facility (OSF) to operate their Kissimmee routes Link 10, 18, 26, 55, 56, 57, 108, 306, 407, and 426. The only Kissimmee route that does not operate from OSF is ''FastLink 441'' which is fully run out of LOC.
Services
Other LYNX services include a commuter assistance Vanpool program; Access LYNX paratransit service; NeighborLink (formerly PickUpLine) community circulators; and the Road Rangers roadside assistance program on
Interstate 4
Interstate 4 (I-4) is an Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Florida, maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Spanning along a generally southwest–northeast axis, I-4 is entirely concurrent wi ...
between
Kissimmee
Kissimmee ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a Principal City of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area, wh ...
and
Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County near the Atlantic coastline, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. Daytona Beach is approximately nort ...
, sponsored by
State Farm
State Farm Insurance is a large group of mutual insurance companies throughout the United States with corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois.
Overview
State Farm is the largest property and casualty insurance provider, and the la ...
.
Routes
LYNX operates a total of 84 bus routes in the Orlando area, serving Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties with limited service to Polk County. LYNX routes include Link local bus routes, Disney Direct commuter service to
Walt Disney World Resort
The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake, Florida, Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando ...
, FastLink
limited stop
In public transit, particularly bus, tram, or train transportation, a limited-stop (or sometimes referred to as semi-fast) service is a trip pattern that stops less frequently than a local service. Many limited-stop or semi-fast services are a com ...
bus routes, the LYMMO
zero-fare
Free public transport, often called fare-free public transit or zero-fare public transport, refers to public transport funded in full by means other than by collecting fares from passengers. It may be funded by national, regional or local gover ...
service in
Downtown Orlando
Downtown Orlando is the historic core and central business district of Orlando, Florida, United States. It is bordered by Marks Street in the north, Mills Avenue (SR 15) in the east, Orange Blossom Trail (US 441) in the west, and Kaley Avenue in th ...
, and NeighborLink community circulator buses providing curb-to-curb service through advance reservations.
Bus stop signs were designed with a
lynx
A lynx is a type of wild cat.
Lynx may also refer to:
Astronomy
* Lynx (constellation)
* Lynx (Chinese astronomy)
* Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory
Places Canada
* Lynx, Ontar ...
paw in place of the traditional bus stop signs, which show a bus; although newer signs have been placed, adding the paw to the traditional sign. Also, the route numbers are usually attached to the bus stop signs.
Fares
The standard adult one-way fare is $2 with free single transfers valid for 90 minutes (not valid on the same Link or for round trips). LYNX runs the
zero-fare
Free public transport, often called fare-free public transit or zero-fare public transport, refers to public transport funded in full by means other than by collecting fares from passengers. It may be funded by national, regional or local gover ...
LYMMO Bus in
Downtown Orlando
Downtown Orlando is the historic core and central business district of Orlando, Florida, United States. It is bordered by Marks Street in the north, Mills Avenue (SR 15) in the east, Orange Blossom Trail (US 441) in the west, and Kaley Avenue in th ...
, connecting many downtown destinations to parking and the
LYNX Central Station by controlling
traffic signals
Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – known also as robots in South Africa are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order to control flows of traffic.
Traffic lights ...
on a three-mile route along a fully separate right-of-way or a combination of separate right-of-way and mixed traffic. All LYNX buses, except the Lymmo, have bike racks (2 – 3 bike capacity) for use at no extra charge. A single transfer to another route is available for free, but must be used within 90 minutes of paying cash fare. A rolling 24-Hour Pass costs $4.50 and must be purchased on board the bus. Lynx offers a rolling 7-Day Pass for $16 and a rolling 30-Day pass for $50; these passes may be purchased at the Lynx Central Station, online, the app, and at various retailers in the Orlando area.
A Lynx Discount Fare ID allows for discounted fares for children ages 7 to 18, high school students, senior citizens over age 65, and persons with disabilities. The discount fare costs $1 for a single ride, $2.25 for a rolling 24-Hour Pass, $8 for a rolling 7-Day Pass, and $25 for a rolling 30-Day Pass.
Under 7 can board for free with fare-paying rider; 3-kid-limit applies.
Images
File:Orlando Lynx Bus.jpg, Lynx bus
File:Lynx Bus 01.jpg, Lynx bus wrapped
File:Lynx stop (3427780278).jpg, Lynx bus stop sign
File:OrlandoLYNXStop, AmSouth Building.jpg, Lynx bus stop sign
References
External links
*
National Transit Database ridership profile for Lynx
{{USBRT
Government agencies established in 1972
1972 establishments in Florida
Organizations based in Orlando, Florida
Bus transportation in Florida
Transportation in Orange County, Florida
Transportation in Osceola County, Florida
Transportation in Seminole County, Florida
Transportation in Orlando, Florida
Transit authorities with natural gas buses
Transit agencies in Florida
Zero-fare transport services