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One Size Does Not Fit All
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n an area as diverse geographically as Polk County, the public transportation needs and wants of each community can be very different. Therefore, the old template of one bus size fits all does not work anymore, according to Commissioner Lindsey. “We in Polk County have recognized this and have made tremendous strides,” he said. “We are all proud of the progress that has been made. It’s been a community effort. Polk County has a population that also fluctuates with tourists and winter visitors. This enhances our service needs.” Lindsey said that today, the public is seeing an evolution taking place in Polk County when it comes to the different sizes of buses being used. “The larger buses are appropriate in key corridors, but they are not always the best option for traveling down side streets that include many neighborhoods,” Lindsey said. Therefore, smaller buses are being used in many areas of Polk County. This includes the Polk Transit “Citrus Flex” program that features smaller 15 to 22 passenger cutaway buses. These vehicles service traditional bus stops in the area and also pick up riders at specific locations along a designated zone who make reservations in advance. Phillips explained that Citrus Flex is a shared-
ride service. Therefore, customers need to be prepared for the possibility of multiple drop-offs and pickups, before reaching their destinations. Along with using smaller buses on certain routes, Polk Transit officials have also worked to help the fleet better reflect the communities being serviced within the county. This involves certain buses featuring specific themes. For example, there is now what is known as the Polk County Public Servants Bus, which has a bus wrap honoring local fallen heroes. This includes Lakeland Police Department Officer Arnulfo Crispin, who was killed in the line of duty in 2011. “The bus is used for regular service and shows our commitment to the community as a public transportation provider. We also hope it helps people heal,” Phillips said. Another bus in service at Polk Transit is what Phillips referred to as the “Taxpayer Bus.” “We do have advertisements on our buses, but we also like to use buses to inform our community in other ways. The taxpayer bus, for example, features graphics on its outside that shows last year (Citrus Connection) came in $240,000 under budget, reduced its cost per operating hour by 8.6 percent and increased ridership by 27.8 percent,” Phillips said. “Not a lot of people within our community know this, so we decided to put these facts on the side of a bus. It lets our taxpayers know how we are doing.”
According to Phillips, officials at Citrus Connection have also been able to save significant money by having a modular unit moved next to its administrative headquarters in Lakeland. The unit is where board members now meet. “We were paying $65,000 a year to rent office space. A cost-benefit analysis was conducted on the modular unit, showing we could purchase the unit with a one-time capital cost of the same amount, $65,000, instead of renting the office space,” Phillips said. “Our board members said they did not mind meeting in the modular unit, therefore, we are now saving taxpayers $65,000 a year. And the modular unit looks nice.” Efforts have also been made to keep up the image of public transportation buses in Polk County. To help with this, Citrus Connection held a “Art In Transit” week in 2012, with plans for another such event in 2013. Riders during this week experienced unique art-related activities that took place in different buses. This included carica-
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