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Two weeks after local business owners requested it, Citrus Connection unveiled plans for a six-month pilot of a ‘Dixieland Squeeze’ that could launch as soon as December.
“I’ve never seen so much community excitement for transit, so I’d say the probability of this happening is high,” Citrus Connection General Manager Tom Phillips said.
The Squeeze currently provides free rides on eight-passenger golf carts around downtown Lakeland, with weekend service to Florida Southern College and the RP Funding Center.
The Dixieland Squeeze
The route: The proposed Dixieland route would run from Swan Brewing on West Pine Street to Cob & Pen at West Hancock Street, using Missouri and New York Avenues. Stops would include Hillcrest Coffee, Union Hall, The Pink Piano and Good Thyme.
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The route avoids South Florida Avenue because the golf carts are only “street-legal” on roads with speed limits of 35 miles per hour or less, Phillips said.
Riders could cross the street to reach spots like By the Chef Pizza and The Wine Garden. They could transfer to the downtown Squeeze at the RP Funding Center or the “super stop” at Lemon Street and Kentucky Avenue.
The schedule: During the pilot, the Dixieland Squeeze would run Fridays and Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
The route takes about 30 minutes, so with two carts, one would arrive every 15 minutes, Transportation Planner Maurice Fair said.
The cost: The pilot would cost about $40,000 for drivers, fuel, training and marketing. Citrus Connection wouldn’t need new vehicles since its current gas carts will be replaced next month by four new electric shuttles, Phillips said.
If the route is successful, ongoing operating costs would be about $76,600 a year.
Who would pay?
Phillips said he’ll meet with businesses this week to discuss the route and possible partnerships or advertising support.
Citrus Connection often covers the lion’s share of pilot costs, but projects are more likely to succeed when local entities have “skin in the game,” he said.
The Lakeland Downtown Development Authority sponsors the Lunch Squeeze. There is a Dixieland Community Redevelopment Agency that works to improve the neighborhood.
Citrus Connection, which serves all of Polk County, has a $29 million annual budget.
Could on-demand Squeeze rides be next?
Phillips and his team told the Citrus Connection board on Wednesday that having to transfer shuttles to go from Dixieland to downtown would make the service less convenient.
As the Squeeze expands, he said it might be more efficient to replace fixed routes with an app-based, on-demand model — like Uber or Lyft, but with a limited menu of stops.
The concept is still in the early stages and it depends on whether people use the Dixieland Squeeze, but they shared a sample map of how it could work.
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Will the Squeeze pick up at a free parking lot or garage that would regularly have available spaces?
Linda Roddenbery