Seminole commissioners blasted Lynx bus service Tuesday for inefficiencies before approving a new $14 million contract for the upcoming year and committing to look at ways to cut costs to the county.

“As a business man, I can tell you, this is not efficient for Seminole County,” Commission Chair Jay Zembower said. “The model is antiquated. It’s outdated. … At $14 million, I think we could get a frequent card with Uber and run people all over where they want through this region.”

Zembower made the comments during a presentation by Lynx officials during the county commission meeting.

Proposals offered by Lynx to cut costs include discontinuing underperforming routes with few riders — primarily in the Lake Mary and Sanford areas. Those routes could be replaced with on-demand flex service — such as Lynx’s NeighborLink or a similar private service — where people request a ride by cellphone or the Lynx website.

Commissioners also leaned toward contracting with a private microtransit service, such as Freebee, which provides door-to-door car trips to certain locations — such as hospitals, shopping centers, SunRail stations or larger Lynx bus stops — within a designated zone. Freebee currently operates in Kissimmee surrounding downtown and Osceola Regional Medical Center.

“Some of the routes do very well, and some routes, frankly, don’t do very well,” said James Boyle, who oversees planning and development for Lynx. “But when you talk about discontinuing fixed-route service, it’s a big deal. … There’s no doubt people are going to be impacted.”

Commissioner Amy Lockhart, who represents the county on Lynx’s board of directors, said it’s about making the system more efficient.

“We’re wanting to change it to make it exceedingly better,” Lockhart said. “We want to change it so that it’s much more user friendly and gets people to where they want to go with a lot less aggravation.

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“And at the same time, save Seminole County taxpayers millions of dollars.”

Commissioner Bob Dallari loudly shouted “Amen.”

Lynx currently runs 11 bus routes in Seminole. It also operates two NeighborLink zones in Oviedo and Sanford along with a paratransit service for riders with disabilities that would not allow them to ride regular buses.

In 2024, the average weekday ridership in Seminole was 6,644, or 2.1 million for the year, according to Lynx. Ridership equates to when someone steps onto a bus (but a person could step onto several buses a day), officials said. Ridership has steadily dropped since its peak of 4.2 million trips in 2012. County officials said it’s likely because SunRail commuter train began operating in 2014.

Routes with the most riders travel along the county’s busiest corridors — including U.S. Highway 17-92 and State Road 436.

Boyle said about 35% of Seminole riders work in the service industry and many take Lynx buses to jobs in the tourism corridors of Orange County — such as along International Drive.

Lynx’s total annual budget for this fiscal year is just over $208 million, which includes about $77.8 million in ridership revenue. Of the remaining $130.3 million, Seminole and Osceola each chip in just under 11%. Orange County and the city of Orlando — which have significantly more routes and riders — contribute a total of about 78%.

Lynx officials recommended discontinuing routes with fewer riders along State Road 46. Those would be replaced with NeighborLink service.

Officials proposed reducing bus hours, fewer services on Sundays and adjusting the frequency of buses arriving at stops along those routes. Proposals included combining routes along State Road 434. NeighborLink zones are proposed for areas in Winter Springs and Altamonte Springs.

By implementing those changes, the county could cut its Lynx bill nearly $3 million next fiscal year, according to Lynx data.

Even so, any changes would need approval by Lynx and the county commission. That likely wouldn’t happen before next fall. Officials said the public would have a chance to weigh in at community meetings.

Commissioners plan to continue conversations with surrounding counties and transit organizations about partnerships. They directed staff to provide information at the Dec. 10 commission meeting about contracting with a private microtransit service.

Officials said the county will be reimbursed if it hires a private service to take over some Lynx routes before its contract with the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority ends Sept. 30.