About LakeXpress
Lake County’s public transportation service, LakeXpress, began operation on May 21, 2007; however, the planning for the new fixed-route system started nearly two years prior.
On July 1, 2005, County staff reviewed the draft of the 2005 Transit Development Plan (TDP). The TDP outlined possible alternatives for future transportation services, including a fixed-route system. A Transit Operation Plan (TOP) was prepared by a consultant, which outlined the concept for the proposed fixed route based on using paratransit costs as matching revenue. In addition, the TOP included details on route placement based on demographics, days and hours of service, a complete budget, proposed passenger fares and projected ridership for the first three years.
After the details were fine-tuned, the county began acquiring the assets needed to begin the new service. Five Blue Bird buses were purchased using federal grants. Several public meetings were held to seek input from the public on how the service should be constructed. name “LakeXpress” was selected for the new fixed route.
Service started with 10 driver runs covering the five-day workweek for routes 1 and 2. Due to the round-trip length of Route 1, which was more than 70 miles round trip, four buses were required to maintain the scheduled one-hour headway. One bus was used for Route 2. Route 3 started on July 1, 2008.
The County does not use County employees to provide the LakeXpress service. MV Transportation provides the LakeXpress service under a contract with the County. The contractor is reimbursed at an hourly rate for the service it provides. In addition, County funds are used to provide fuel.
A survey conducted for the 2008 TDP reported that 98 percent of survey respondents rated LakeXpress service either very good or good. The survey also indicated that the main reason for riding the bus is “I don’t drive” and that a majority of passengers used LakeXpress for work trips.
According to the 2008 TDP, “For a system with less than a year of experience, the public perception of the service is excellent with only minor concerns identified. While these items are relatively minor, they will require additional funding to remedy in a period of significant fiscal constraints. Most riders LakeXpress patrons use the service to get to work and are of working age (25-59 years of age). The survey indicates that the LakeXpress is filling a critical local need for those members of the community that are most in need financially.”
A detailed description of the routes:
Route 1: Four buses service Route 1. Route 1 is a cross-County connection and travels primarily west to east from Spanish Springs Station in The Villages to Eustis. Route 1 meets the Sumter County buses in The Villages. Traveling south, it connects to Route 2 at Citizens Boulevard and U.S. Highway 27 in Leesburg. Riders can transfer from Route 1 to Route 2 or continue on Route 1. All transfers are free.
Route 1 departs Citizens Boulevard and heads east to Eustis. It provides service to major facilities such as Lake Square Mall, Lake-Sumter Community College, Florida Hospital Waterman and provides transfers to Route 3 at Eustis Square (shopping plaza) on Ardice Street. Route 1 continues northeast through major portions of Eustis including the downtown area and the Eustis Community Center.
Route 2: The Leesburg Circulator serves the major activity centers in Leesburg. Its boundaries are north to Wal-Mart on U.S. Highway 27 at the municipal limits of Leesburg and Fruitland Park, south to State Road 44, east to Leesburg Regional Medical Center and west to County Road 468.
Route 3: The Mount Dora Circulator travels through Mount Dora on a 14.3-mile loop. The boundaries are northeast to Limit Avenue, south to Camp Avenue, west to Donnelly Street (including historic downtown) and east to Wardell Street.
LakeXpress operates 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday-Friday. All routes operate on a one-hour headway schedule.