Longboat Key will have bus service

Sarasota County leaders reassured the Longboat Key Town Commission there are no plans to end bus service to the island, but the service could look different in the future.

“We are committed to providing transportation services to Longboat Key,” said County Director of Governmental Relations Rob Lewis, who also serves as interim director of Sarasota County Area Transit.

But, Lewis said, ridership on Sarasota County Area Transit’s Route 18, which runs from downtown Sarasota to Town Center on Longboat Key, is at an all-time low.

Ridership on Route 18 averages seven passengers per revenue hour, SCAT said. The route, which is scheduled to take 25 minutes each way, makes five stops: First Street and Lemon Avenue; St. Armands Circle; Mote Marine Laboratory; Harbourside Drive and Bay Isles Parkway.

“We are in the midst of providing alternative transportation options,” Lewis said. “To Lido, too.”

Manatee County previously ran fixed-route service but ended it in early 2017 in favor of an on-demand system that generally required users to call ahead for service, though other passengers could hop on if they spotted a bus at a stop. At roughly the same time, SCAT curtailed its Longboat route from a northern terminus on Coquina Beach to Bay Isles. Manatee’s service comes as far south as Bay Isles, allowing for riders to connect between services.

Any changes to Longboat Key and Lido bus routes will be coordinated with the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization’s multimodal Active Transportation Master Plan, the state Department of Transportation, Sarasota’s Transportation Master Plan, the Barrier Island Traffic Circulation Study and with Manatee County when it prepares its Transportation Development Plan sometime next year.

Sarasota County Commission Chair Nancy Detert said any changes to Longboat’s bus schedule – on the Sarasota side of the border – is not a sign the county is privatizing its bus service. The commission, however, voted unanimously in July to solicit bids from private companies interested in operating SCAT. A list of interested operators could be ready for the county to consider by the end of the year.

Sarasota County leaders reassured members of the Longboat Key Town Commission there are no plans to end bus service to the island, but the service could look different in the future.

“We are committed to providing transportation services to Longboat Key,” said County Director of Governmental Relations Rob Lewis, who also serves as interim director of Sarasota County Area Transit.

But, Lewis said, ridership on Sarasota County Area Transit’s Route 18, which runs from downtown Sarasota to Town Center on Longboat Key, is at an all-time low.

Ridership on Route 18 averages seven passengers per revenue hour, SCAT said. The route, which is scheduled to take 25 minutes each way,  makes five stops: First Street and Lemon Avenue; St. Armands Circle; Mote Marine Laboratory; Harbourside Drive and Bay Isles Parkway. 

“We are in the midst of providing alternative transportation options,” Lewis said. “To Lido, too.”

Manatee County previously ran fixed-route service but ended it in early 2017 in favor of an on-demand system that generally required users to call ahead for service, though other passengers could hop on if they spotted a bus at a stop. At roughly the same time, SCAT curtailed its Longboat route from a northern terminus on Coquina Beach to the current one at Bay Isles. Manatee's service comes as far south as Bay Isles, allowing for riders to connect between services.

Any changes to Longboat Key and Lido bus routes will be coordinated with the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization’s multi-modal Active Transportation Master Plan, the state Department of Transportation, Sarasota’s Transportation Master Plan, the Barrier Island Traffic Circulation Study, and with Manatee County when it prepares its Transportation Development Plan sometime next year.

County Commission Chair Nancy Detert said any changes to Longboat’s bus schedule – on the Sarasota side of the border – is not a sign the county is privatizing its bus service. The commission, however, voted unanimously in July to solicit bids from private companies interested in operating SCAT. A list of interested operators could be ready for the county to consider by the end of the year.