MCAT Route Changes Announced

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Bradenton area residents who use Manatee County Area Transit buses to get around might want to make note of some upcoming route changes. The county has announced several tweaks to MCAT fixed routes that will go into place starting Nov. 12.

According to the county, the changes to the routes and schedules are being put into place to enhance service “and improve frequency for the county’s core network of bus routes.”

The changes are as follows:

• Route 3 (Manatee Avenue/State Road 64) – This route will operate with 30-minute frequency on Manatee Avenue. That means more frequent buses traveling the route versus the 60-minute schedule that is now in place. Riders should take note that Route 3 will no longer serve Blake Medical Center.
• Route 4 (9th Street East and West) – Buses traveling eastbound will now connect with Route 3 on Manatee Avenue by way of 59th Street West before returning to Blake via 51st Street West every hour. This route will now serve Blake Medical Center.
• Route 6 (Cortez Road) – This route will now run between Coquina Beach and DeSoto Station with a 60-minute frequency.
• Route 9 (26th Street West) – This route will no longer run on Saturdays. Hourly service will remain in place Mondays through Fridays.
• Route 12 (State Road 70) – This route will serve the State Road 70 corridor from DeSoto Station to the Lakewood Ranch Walmart. It will run with a 60-minute service frequency. MCAT will no longer serve Lakewood Ranch Boulevard or LECOM.
• Route 99 – This route will now end northbound service in downtown Bradenton. The service will continue to operate every 30 minutes between downtown Bradenton and downtown Sarasota along the U.S. 41 corridor. Route 99 will also no longer serve Bay Shore Road directly, which is near the Ringling Museum in Sarasota.

To improve service in the Palmetto area, all routes (1, 13 and the North County ConneXion) will connect to the Downtown Bradenton Transfer Station. Southbound service on Palmetto’s 8th Avenue West also connects to the transfer station.

The Anna Maria Island Tolley service will begin operating every 30 minutes until 7:30 a.m. and then run on regular 20-minute schedule starting at 8 a.m.

To find out more about MCAT route changes or MCTA, visit the county’s website.

Image via Manatee County's Facebook page