Kissimmee expands service area of Freebee downtown transport

  • The City of Kissimmee has expanded the service area for its Freebee micro-local transport system around downtown Kissimmee and the surrounding area and to other local points of interest. GRAPHIC/CITY OF KISSIMMEE
    The City of Kissimmee has expanded the service area for its Freebee micro-local transport system around downtown Kissimmee and the surrounding area and to other local points of interest. GRAPHIC/CITY OF KISSIMMEE

If you work, live or spend extended time in downtown Kissimmee and its nearby blocks, you’ve seen the wrapped Tesla sedans roaming about.

They make up the Freebee ride share service, an app-based ride-share service providing that “last mile” of transport from the Sunrail and bus Intermodal Station to popular destinations like Valencia College, City Hall, the Osceola County Courthouse, Kissimmee Lakefront Park, HCA Florida Osceola Hospital and other spots within the Kissimmee Medical Arts District.

The City of Kissimmee announced this week the area served will expand. Boundaries will now stretch out of downtown to John Young Parkway on the west, but will include the Post Office, ball fields, park and city community center on Oak Street, and stretch north to Vine Street, while still including Valencia College and AdventHealth Hospital.

Three Teslas and one ADA-accessible van tailored for disabled riders provide access for all the visitors and residents of Kissimmee. The program, launched in January 2023, replaced the Kissimmee Connector, a free LYNX bus route connecting bus and SunRail train riders from the downtown transportation hub to offices and health care facilities around town. It lasted four years before city officials cited costs for switching — by September 2022 it carried about 17 riders per day, a cost of about $60 per rider under the deal with LYNX. The city said an on-call system requiring routes only when called for fit the area’s needs better with mass transit ridership still coming back from COVID-19 trends.

"Expanding the Freebee transportation service underlines our commitment to providing accessible, eco-friendly, and efficient transportation options for our residents," City Manager Mike Steigerwald said. "We aim to ensure that all residents have easy access and alternate forms of transit to important destinations within our community."

Freebee operates Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. While the service began exclusively as an app-based service, city leaders pushed for a call-in component for those — like some seniors — who don’t have smartphones and can’t or won’t be able to access the app. Freebee can now be accessed by phone at 855-918-3733.