LYNX requests $109 million from Orange County as transit ridership climbs

LYNX officials told the Orange County Board of County Commissioners on July 16 that the transit agency is seeking roughly $109 million in local partner funding for fiscal year 2027 as it manages rising ridership and the cost of replacing an aging fleet.

James Boyle, LYNX chief development officer, said FY25 was “a good year” with about 18.9 million passenger trips on routes that operate wholly or partially inside Orange County and roughly 53,000 daily boardings across county services. Boyle credited the county’s Accelerated Transportation Service Program (ATSP) for increasing frequency on many routes — Sunday service moved from hourly to half-hourly in several corridors and weekday frequencies were increased on others — and said the changes produced ridership increases of about 30–45% on affected routes.

Lenny Antman, LYNX chief financial officer, gave the budget details. He presented a proposed FY27 operating budget of $226.8 million, a 4.5% increase over FY26 (he noted the ongoing operational increase would be 3.46% if a $2.3 million county-funded planning study for I‑Drive were excluded). The capital program is proposed at $194.8 million and remains largely federally funded, Antman said.

Antman described the agency’s revenue mix: roughly 75% local funding (including partner contributions), about 9% customer fares and the remainder from federal and state sources. He pointed to a $1.1 million reduction in the state block grant and said LYNX will offset some decreases with other grants and reserve use; the fiscal plan includes $11.1 million in stabilization and reserve draws.

On the capital side, Antman said more than half of the FY27 program is vehicle purchases (122.6 million dollars, including 120 fixed-route vehicles), but noted vehicle delivery timelines have stretched from 9–12 months to 18 months–2 years. He also highlighted $45.7 million for facilities and $19 million for passenger amenities, much of it tied to the ATSP shelter program (he said earlier that 69 shelter sites were complete in Orange County with 31 under construction and 165 in permitting or planning).

Commissioners asked about Seminole County’s decision to curtail fixed-route service and adopt microtransit. Boyle said LYNX staff continue to coordinate with Seminole but that fixed-route cuts there reduced shared administrative allocations; the LYNX board approved an updated funding policy that reallocated overhead across paratransit and fixed-route services, yielding a net $1.9 million decrease in Orange County’s annual ask after Seminole’s service changes.

Questions also focused on bus electrification and fuel costs. Antman said LYNX has 14 Proterra electric buses purchased through the City of Orlando but is replacing some with CNG due to manufacturer and operational challenges; the agency is testing a Gillig battery-electric bus with promising results. Antman noted most of LYNX’s fleet is increasingly CNG, which has been less sensitive to diesel price swings.

What’s next: commissioners asked staff and LYNX to continue coordinating on the proposed funding and to return with any follow-up material; the board signaled support for continued investment but emphasized the need to review details as budget hearings continue.