SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Seminole County bet on building up their own public transportation system over buses when they launched "SCOUT."
You’ve probably heard the name and seen the vehicles out on the roads by now or used them yourself since most LYNX bus routes were discontinued earlier this month. But what about all of the empty bus stops where the LYNX service no longer stops?
News 6 is learning the county will likely have to pay thousands of dollars to remove them. Both LYNX and Seminole County shared a letter that was sent to the county manager by the LYNX CEO on Jan. 16 regarding the removal costs.
It states in part, “Over the past several months, our respective staff have been working closely to ensure a seamless transition of service from LYNX Fixed Route Bus and Neighborlink to SCOUT.”
It continues, “County staff has indicated that county resources could be utilized to help remove all the bus stop poles after the January 11, 2026, service change. I am requesting the County’s assistance in getting the bus stop poles removed.”
The letter also includes a breakdown of costs identified by LYNX for all bus shelters, trashcans, and more, with $663,680 as the total for all removals.
A spokesperson for LYNX told our News 6 team Thursday that the letter is not a bill, and that the county has been aware there would be exit costs associated with transitioning out of service since 2024.
At a commission meeting this week, county leaders said they were seeking clarification from LYNX regarding the letter and removal costs.
“We continue to work with LYNX staff,” said County Manager Darren Gray. “We said that we would assist and help with our staff to take out some of the pole signs and things. Where the cost is coming to be more I guess would be the shelters, removing those, because there is still a life to those shelters.”
The letter from LYNX does mention that several of the bus shelters have not met the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) required useful or service life cycle. There is a requirement that any capital asset that is bought with those funds and is still useful either needs to be used by another entity, or the cost of the remaining useful life must be paid back.
Thursday, our News 6 team saw a crew already at work using a crane to remove one of the bus shelters along First Street in downtown Sanford. The cost associated with removing a shelter can range from $2,375 to $3,150, according to the removal costs outlined in the letter. There is also a transport cost of $1,300, and additional costs to remove amenities such as trash cans, bike racks, and benches.
“We are working with their staff very well on this,” Gray told the commission. “We just don’t have a clear answer of actually what our exposure will actually be for cost at this point.”
It’s not the only cost the county is contemplating regarding LYNX. Commissioner Amy Lockhart said there is also a discussion happening regarding the funding model for LYNX. The majority of LYNX’s funding comes from their partners in Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties, along with the city of Orlando.
“I think the estimate is to charge an additional $1.5 million to Seminole County. There is no additional services for that,” said Lockhart. “I believe it’s going to be based more on the ACCESS LYNX paratransit numbers as opposed to the fixed route.”
Seminole County started exploring options outside of LYNX service after analyzing the roughly $17 million they were paying annually for 11 fixed routes, two “NeighborLink” Zones, and paratransit service, and considering if the cost would be sustainable in the future.
They estimated up to 4,200 people used the LYNX service in Seminole County each year. Last week, more than 900 rides were booked on SCOUT in a single day. The public micro-transit service now operates in zones throughout the county, along with a reduced number of fixed bus routes and the LYNX paratransit service.
“We’ve all anticipated this happening, and so let’s just cut to the quick and let staff talk to LYNX and figure out: are we going to work well in the sandbox or are we going to cut the line?”