Orlando's LYMMO

Reinventing Transit: report case study

A decade ago, Orlando became one of the first cities in the United States to experiment with a Bus Rapid Transit-style system. Originally the city operated a free downtown circulator bus known as the “Freebee.” This system was developed to reduce car travel and congestion in the downtown area, allowing people to park only once per day then ride the bus to different destinations in the city.

In 1997 using a federal grant, Orlando converted the Freebee bus into the LYMMO Bus Rapid Transit system. The LYMMO operates seven days a week and remains a free service, its operations funded through proceeds from downtown parking garages. The initial capital cost of the system was $21 million, the majority of which went towards purchasing vehicles and creating infrastructure such as street reconstruction, shelters and an automatic vehicle tracking system.

LYMMO service features

EmX offers Bus Rapid Transit service along two major corridors, (totaling ~12 miles) featuring:

• Exclusive lanes for the entire route (2.3 miles), including physical barriers from general traffic
• Signal priority
• Stations with large shelters and route information
• Automatic vehicle location (AVL)
• Next bus arrival information at kiosks
• Clean-diesel, low-floor buses manufactured by Gillig
• Distinct marketing and image development through vehicle graphics, stations, ads and business tie-ins
•  Free fare, so no fare collection delay
• Transit TV network

Benefits and performance

LYMMO currently carries an average of 4000 riders per weekday, connecting people to major downtown employment centers including an arena and a courthouse. Ridership increased dramatically after converting the Freebee to the LYMMO.

In addition to increased ridership, a Florida DOT evaluation of LYMMO cited the system’s many community benefits for downtown Orlando including:

• reduced congestion (i.e. vehicular trips)
• lessened demand for parking
• encouraged transit use and walkability
• increased mobility and accessibility to major downtown destinations
• allowed for additional development capacity

Economic benefits are also evident. The City of Orlando has cited LYMMO as part of a development strategy that led to five new downtown office buildings (each 1 million square feet) and six new apartment communities.

Future plans and investment opportunities

LYNX is looking to replace their current LYMMO bus fleet with more fuel-efficient hybrid electric buses. As demand for the service continues to increase, the City of Orlando also wants to expand LYMMO to connect to hospitals, new entertainment venues that are under construction and nearby residential communities. Orlando is seeking New Starts funding for this. Nationwide, expansion of transit services like LYMMO comprise a valuable opportunity for infrastructure investment.

View the report notes.

See more innovative projects included in the Reinventing Transit report.

Posted: 22-Apr-2009; Updated: 05-Feb-2009