ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County commissioners are expected to decide Tuesday whether to move forward with a feasibility study for bus rapid transit as part of a proposal aimed at improving public transportation in the Orlando area.
The proposal, called the STAR plan, or Sunshine Transit Advancement Revolution, was brought forward by Sunrise Movement Orlando. The group has identified eight high-volume corridors it says need transit improvements, including Colonial Drive, OBT and I-Drive.
The effort comes as Orlando ranks eighth worst for public transit among the 50 largest urban areas, according to the Consumer Affairs Research Team.
The STAR plan is modeled in part after work in Miami-Dade County, which reviewed five major corridors and launched its first bus rapid transit corridor in South Miami-Dade County in 2025.
“Miami mirrors what Orlando could be,” said Giancarlo Rodriguez, hub coordinator for Sunrise Movement Orlando.
Rodriguez said the transportation challenges affect residents across the region.
“No matter if you are from the east side or the west side, the transportation crisis is real here in Orlando, and it is time to find a solution that delivers for the people,” Rodriguez said.
Bus rapid transit uses features intended to make bus service faster and more reliable. In Miami-Dade County, riders use platforms similar to train stations, and buy tickets before boarding, which helps speed up the boarding process. Buses also use dedicated lanes in both directions.
When a bus approaches an intersection, the system can alert the traffic light to change during peak travel times. Gate arms also go down to allow buses to cross safely.
“With our BRT system, it works like a train,” said Alejandro Barrios, assistant director of construction.
Miami-Dade transit leaders said the investment has improved service in the corridor.
“We have seen our on-time performance increase pretty dramatically within the corridor, and we are saving people about 30 minutes per direction, which is incredible,” said Stacy Miller, director and CEO. “Think an hour of your life.”
Ridership is up 150% along the South Miami-Dade County corridor. Riders traveling the 20-mile stretch can now make the trip in about 50 minutes, saving nearly an hour round trip.
Sunrise Movement Orlando said similar improvements could help Orange County residents who face long travel times on public transportation.
“Often times if I want to go somewhere, especially if it is close by, maybe 20-minute drive, if I do take the bus, it might be over an hour, sometimes two hours,” said Christina Bertrand, outreach coordinator for Sunrise Movement Orlando.
Orange County Commissioner Kelly Semrad said traffic and transportation are issues the county needs to address.
“We need to do something about our traffic,” Semrad said. “Our tourism economy is going to hurt if we don’t, our people are frustrated while sitting in traffic, and it is time that we address the issue with a citizen-led initiative instead of a government pushdown policy.”
Sunrise Movement Orlando brought the STAR plan to Semrad. The group hopes to use a mix of state, federal and local funding sources, though it is too early to determine how much the projects could cost.
If commissioners approve moving forward Tuesday, the feasibility study would examine whether bus rapid transit is the best option for Orange County and how much it would cost.