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 re ...

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, ...

, 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

The Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority was formed in May 1972 under the name

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 between Kissimmee and Daytona Beach, sponsored by State Farm.

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 and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

, FastLink limited stop 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 gove ...

service in Downtown Orlando, and NeighborLink community circulator buses providing curb-to-curb service through advance reservations. Bus stop signs were designed with a lynx 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

LYMMO Bus in Downtown Orlando, connecting many downtown destinations to parking and the LYNX Central Station by controlling traffic signals 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