SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – You probably recognize the name SCOUT by now or you’ve seen the vehicles out on the road. Seminole County’s new transportation service has already completed more than 20,000 rides since it first launched in October.
Our News 6 team took a test ride in November after we heard about long wait times. A trip booked at 1:58 p.m. led to an hour and 36-minute wait before pickup. By the time SCOUT picked up additional passengers on the way, the total journey stretched to nearly two hours.
On Monday, we followed up to see how the county is dealing with the high demand and learned they’re already adding more vehicles to improve service.
“Our vendor Freebee is doing a couple of different things,” Commissioner Amy Lockhart explained. “We have new vehicles being purchased, seven new additional vehicles. More staff is being added.”
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In May, the county contracted with Freebee to develop a service starting with 35 vehicles that would take people where they need to go within several zones. The additional 7 vehicles that will soon hit the road bring the total up to 42.
Riders will also find a new feature in the app called the "wait time planner." It allows them to enter their pickup and drop off locations and choose “Leave Now” or “Leave Later.” The planner then will give the rider an estimated wait time, along with information showing estimates during peak times throughout the day.
When our News 6 team booked another test ride at 12:35 pm Monday, SCOUT showed up in just 4 minutes. On the way to our destination, we met Timothy Hamilton who said he uses the service five days a week to get to his job in Sanford.
“It’s better than Uber,” said Hamiton. “And cheaper.”
Hamilton said he likes SCOUT because of the convenience and the lower cost. He pays a $3.50 fare to get to work.
When asked how long he waits for a ride on a typical day, he said it’s usually longer in the mornings.
“It might say 60 minutes,” said Hamilton. “The wait is probably 30 minutes at the longest.”
Commissioner Lockhart said SCOUT was never intended to replace Uber or Lyft, where people can expect to be picked up within 11 or 15 minutes. It’s designed for people who use the bus service regularly and now won’t have to stand at a bus stop anymore to get to where they need to go within Seminole County.
Since the October launch, the county has been working to better refine the service as they get feedback. Lockhart says the data they receive is an advantage moving forward.
“We know exactly the type of person who is riding, where they’re coming from, where they’re going,” said Lockhart. “We’ve been able to eliminate a problem that was originally found that you had to wait until you got to the Sunrail station to call for the vehicle, and then if it took 30 minutes, you were sitting at the Sunrail station waiting. Now, we’ve got a great system in place where that geolocation has been expanded for the Sunrail stations.”
[BELOW: News 6 tests new SCOUT rideshare service in Seminole County]
Lockhart called the demand for SCOUT so far “incredible.”
“It’s far more than we anticipated,” said Lockhart. “SCOUT was originally planned to be the replacement for riders who were currently utilizing fixed bus routes for LYNX, and what we found is that there was a whole gap of people that have decided, ‘Wow. This is something I can utilize because I didn’t live within a mile of a bus stop that I could walk to.”
Lockhart said scaling the service up appropriately is a priority, especially ahead of the new year, when most fixed bus routes will be eliminated. The additional vehicles that have been purchased should be in service by then.
“We’ve learned so far about 30% of our riders right now would be considered part of a vulnerable population, whether that’s income constrained or a senior or someone with a disability,” said Lockhart.
“People who need to get to the grocery store or get to a doctor’s appointment,” our Seminole County Community Correspondent Catherine Silver replied.
“Correct,” said Lockhart. “Or they just want to be able to get to church on a Sunday morning, and they’ve had to rely on neighbors or family to take them and maybe they’re elderly and haven’t been able to go on their own.”
Hamilton said he plans to keep using SCOUT to get around.
“Way better than the bus,” said Hamilton. “It comes to your front door, you know, it picks you up at the house. The bus, you got to come you and be standing out by the side of the road.”