ORLANDO -- High gas prices are forcing more people to use the bus, but those same high gas prices are also causing funding problems for the area's major bus service -- LYNX.

Now, Orange County commissioner Linda Stewart has a proposal to provide a dedicated funding source for the agency by adding a penny tax on gas.

Public bus service needs public funding to operate, but there is currently no permanent funding set aside for LYNX. Each year, the service needs to apply to each county for help.

This year, with the demand for bus service increasing, LYNX is facing an $8 million shortfall.

It would take a 4-3 vote in the county commission for the proposal to be placed in front of Orange County voters.  The commission could make the decision themselves, but it would take a 5-2 vote to pass, and that is unlikely to happen.

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