SCAT officials seek public feedback before presenting to commissioners

Unsafe bus stops, routes where buses run infrequently and routes that don’t run early or late enough were some of the complaints voiced during a series of Sarasota County Area Transit network redesign open houses.

The purpose of the open houses was to gain feedback on the county’s bus system, which has sparked concern throughout the past year as county leaders explored the possibility of privatizing part of SCAT’s services.

Although county commissioners determined privatizing the system would not lead to sufficient savings, a solution has yet to be met. SCAT leaders are set to go before the board in January.

Before they do that, though, leaders wanted to hear from residents and regular SCAT users.

“We want to get input on our transit system because we are looking at a redesign of our entire system to get better mobility for the community,” said Sarah Blanchard, a SCAT planner. 

One of those needs, Marcelle Crago said, is a better way to look at bus routes. Navigating through the county website can be difficult, she said, and she proposed a smartphone app where SCAT users could plan their route and monitor buses in real time.

Crago said she would like to start using SCAT daily to help cut down her personal carbon emission use, but the infrequency of buses has kept her from doing so.

“I want to be a regular SCAT user because it would help reduce my carbon, and it’s a win-win,” she said. “But to wait for one bus every hour — it’s just not doable.”

Additionally, Crago said she would like to see the addition of electric buses.

Others say the network is experiencing a Goldilocks problem: Buses are too big or too small.

“You’ve got small buses on the rush hour route on the main corridor and large buses on the other routes,” said Fred Bigio, vice chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee for Public Transportation.

SCAT spokeswoman Lisa Potts said county staff will receive all the input from the four open houses and consider it before going before the board in January. Those who were unable to make the open houses can still give input by calling 861-5000.