“You’ll love a bus!” That’s what my dad use to always kiddingly say to me when I was a child. I think it was a marketing campaign or something, because I don’t ever recall riding on a bus – city or otherwise. But for real, you will love a [free] bus….

Did you know Lynx–Central Florida’s fixed-route transportation service which started 46 years ago–offers completely and totally free transportation throughout the downtown Orlando area via LYMMO? Seriously – we wouldn’t throw them under the bus (see what we did there?): Lynx LYMMO is a service available to anyone–residents and visitors alike6. Pretty sweet given the rapid growth and increase traffic in the area, eh?

So, what is LYMMO? LYMMO is a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service. Basically a “rail like” service using rubber tired vehicles. Buses operate in their own right of way providing a non-congested route downtown to major destinations. City Hall, the Courthouse, Church Street. You know – all the places you’d think folks want to go.

Many years ago I worked in the downtown Orlando area and co-workers and I would take advantage of LYMMO on days when we wanted to get out of the office and enjoy one of the nearby eateries. It’s perfect for those who don’t want to deal with the hassle of taking their car out of a garage, or have to pay for parking at work.

Now, there are a few things to consider when looking to take advantage of the LYMMO service:

• There are different lines to get you where you want to go. Keep this in mind as it will be key in deciding which bus to board when waiting for your ride. You have: Orange Line: North Quarter; Orange Line: Downtown; Grapefruit Line: East/West; and Lime Line: Parramore.
• Hours of operation fluctuate. While services do run seven days a week (🙏), hours vary depending on day. For more information on what times the buses run on what days, visit the Lynx website.
• Service(s) can change during special events. This could be any number of things during busy times in Orlando. It’s always a good idea to check with the Lynx bus schedules or even check in with Lynx on Twitter.

Have you ever used Lynx LYMMO to get you somewhere you want to go? If not, think you’d want to give it a try?