LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — A new LeeTran station in Lehigh Acres is changing how people in the community connect to the rest of Lee County, offering shaded seating, bathrooms, WiFi and security.
Located off Sixth and Williams, the Lehigh Acres Park and Ride Transfer Station provides riders with two route options: an express route straight to the Edison Mall or a local route to the Edison Mall with stops beginning at East 12th and Joel.
"We would expect to see our ridership increase with us," said LeeTran Director Dominic Gemelli. "We're trying to bring something that's a little bit more available to them, to the public, something that they can get to easily enough and then utilize."
Take a look at the brand new LeeTran station in Community Correspondent Ella Rhoades' report:
For riders like Elisa Carillo, who doesn't own a car and walks most places in Lehigh Acres, the station makes a significant difference compared to other bus stops in the area.
"Pues, esta más bonita ya no sabía que estaba esto aqui. Ella me dijo monta de aqui que voy a la nueva estacion,"
("Well this is nice, I didn't know that this was here. She told me to ride the bus from here, so I came to the new station,") Carillo said.
LeeTran representatives said the station aims to improve accessibility for people in Lehigh Acres all while helping alleviate traffic in the area.
"We really are trying to put our best foot forward for Lehigh Acres to give the most mobility options that we can," Gemelli said.
He discussed the project in December 2023 with Lehigh Acres Communnity Correspondent Ella Rhoades.
Lee County leaders say the new station serves an area where the county reports high ridership numbers.
Rhoades also asked for an update on the potential route connecting Lehigh Acres and Immokalee.
Gemelli said LeeTran meets with Collier County often to discuss it, but they still don't know when riders can expect to see the route.
Carillo emphasized the new station's importance for the community.
"Importante por no tiene carro y va a hacer mucha falta," ("It's important cause a lot of people here don't have cars and people will miss out a lot,"), she said.
The facility features bus route information available in English, Spanish and Creole.
Find information on how to purchase LeeTran bus tickets here.
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