Polk County — Many families in Polk County are transportation disadvantaged and cannot get to doctor’s appointments, jobs, and school events. In parts of the county, taxi services charged extremely high rates to families that had limited transit options. In 2013, PEACE urged Tom Phillips, Executive Director of Polk Transit to expand routes in underserved parts of the county. Two new bus stops were added to route 416 in Haines City in August 2013, including one at the health department clinic; since its founding, there have been over 70,000 rides. Route 32/33 S. Florida/Carter Road was converted to a flex service, which picks people up from their homes, serving those with physical limitations. Route 39 Bradley was also created as a Flex Service and began accepting riders in January 2014.
