CASSELBERRY, Fla. — Seminole County’s on-demand transit service, Scout, is still seeing wait times above the county’s goal after the county switched from LYNX bus routes to the new service.
According to data from Seminole County, the longest wait time recorded for Scout was 2 hours and 28 minutes. The average wait time during the week of June 8 is about 42 minutes, while the county’s goal is to bring average waits below 30 minutes. Some riders who rely on Scout to get to work say the service remains unpredictable.
Sheila Long, who lives in Casselberry and works in Lake Mary, said her commute is about a 20-minute drive. With Scout, she said she has to start much earlier.
“With this service I have to get up at least 2 hours earlier to try to make it to work on time with them,” Long said.
Long said she likes the idea behind Scout, but the arrival time can fluctuate after she books a ride.
“It says two stops before me, 15 to 25 minutes, but it has said that for at least 15 minutes now,” Long said while waiting for a ride.
On Thursday, Long booked her Scout ride shortly after 7 a.m., which county data identifies as part of the morning peak travel period. She waited roughly 50 minutes, above the current monthly average provided by Seminole County.
“The only thing that you can count on is it being unpredictable,” Long said.
Seminole County Board of Commissioners Chair Andria Herr said Scout is a form of public transportation.
“What Scout is not, it is not a replacement for Uber or Lyft,” Herr said. “We are not competing with commercial market. If you want 2-minute wait time, you use the commercial market. If you have time in your day and want to be more fiscally responsible in your spending, or you can’t afford to spend it, we are here for you.”
The county has increased Scout’s fleet from 35 vehicles to 42. More vehicles are expected to be added this summer, bringing the total to 49. County officials also said a software update was made last month to improve efficiency.
“I think we need to be responsible about getting people to and from work,” Herr said. “I think we had some glitches in the beginning.”
County data shows average wait times have improved since February. The average wait was 53 minutes in February, then continued to drop a total of 10 minutes by May. During that same period, ridership increased from 23,000 passengers in February to 30,000 passengers in May.
County leaders said they stand behind the decision to move to Scout and said the service is on pace with what they expected for vehicles. They also said riders are no longer waiting at bus stops in Florida weather, but ridership has been greater than anticipated. Long said riders who depend on Scout for daily commutes need more improvements.
“People that are already struggling, don’t go out of your way to make their life harder,” Long said.