Manatee County Area Transit (MCAT) provides public transportation for

Manatee County, Florida Manatee County is a county in the Central Florida portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 US Census, the population was 399,710. Manatee County is part of the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county ...

and is operated by the county. the system had about riders per weekday as of .

Fares

The regular bus fare is $1.50 on all local fixed routes. Discounted fares of $0.75 are available for students, disabled (with mobility card), seniors, medicare card holders, and active duty and military veterans. There is no fare for children 5 years or younger and seniors 80 and older. There is no fare for the Anna Maria Island Trolley and the Sunday Beach Express. Discounted fares are not available for the Longboat Key Shuttle. Unlimited ride cards ("M Cards") are available for purchase for 1 day, 7 day, or 31 days. Regular and discounted rates are available. There is also a 31-day regional pass ("R Card") available for purchase. This pass is good for unlimited rides on both MCAT and SCAT (Sarasota County Area Transit) buses. Riders can also purchase and access their bus passes using the

Token Transit Token may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Token, a game piece or counter, used in some games * The Tokens, a vocal music group * Tolkien Black, a recurring character on the animated television series ''South Park,'' formerly known as ...

mobile ticketing app for both local and regional fares. A Mobility Card will be provided to the rider by MCAT when a disability or Veteran status is present to serve as documentation and proof for the discount card. The Mobility Card will alleviate the need to carry medical or Veteran documentation that qualifies the rider for the discount card. This is a separate card from the M Card and will need to be carried with the M Card in case verification is needed. Mobility Cards can be obtained by presenting a letter from a physician or Veteran eligibility paperwork to the Downtown Station and Desoto Station Ticket Sales Offices.

Bus routes

Most local fixed route bus services operate Monday through Saturday from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Skyway ConneXion service operates on weekdays ONLY, no service on Sundays and holidays. The Anna Maria Island Trolley operates daily from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The Beach Express operates Sundays and holidays from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Fixed route and Handy Bus service ends at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The Longboat Key Shuttle service will end at 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The Anna Maria Island Trolley service operates all holidays. Service will end at 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The Beach Express operates on all Sundays and Holidays.

Bus Fleet

Mcat bus at station boarding passengers banner

MCAT's fleet consists of

Gillig Gillig (formerly Gillig Brothers) is an American designer and manufacturer of buses. The company headquarters, along with its manufacturing operations, is located in Livermore, California (in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area) ...

Phantom, Low Floor, Low Floor BRT, and Replica Trolley. They operate both clean-diesel and diesel-electric hybrid buses. In 2018, MCAT was awarded $1.9 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration to replace or rehabilitate their fleet of buses.

References

External links

Manatee County Area Transit
Transportation in Manatee County, Florida Bradenton, Florida Bus transportation in Florida {{Florida-transport-stub