Bus Fares to Rise in October

Starting Oct. 3, riders of Sarasota County Area Transit will have to dig deeper in their pockets for fares. Buyers of single tickets will take the biggest hit, with fares jumping to $1.25 from the current $0.75. 

Other big SCAT hikes, however, were trimmed by the Sarasota County Commission. SCAT managers wanted to bump the cost of a monthly pass to $55 from today’s $40 charge, but commissioners trimmed that back to $50.

A one-day pass for unlimited rides anywhere in the system was proposed to jump to $5 from $3, but commissioners cut a dollar off that. The new one-day, go-anywhere rate will be $4.

For seniors and people with disabilities, the one-month pass will soon be $25, up from the current $20 but lower than the $27 SCAT originally requested.

Other proposed fare increases were untouched. Para transit fares will go to $2.50 per ride, up from $1.50. A seven-day pass will be $20, a five-dollar increase from $15 today.

Later this year, SCAT will introduce a student pass available for spring, summer and fall semesters, costing $30 per anyone with a valid student ID. 

Commissioners with the option of cutting SCAT service or increasing the rates to raise an additional $900,000. But when confronted with the decision Tuesday, commissioners asked SCAT managers to look at the financial consequences of reducing the increase for one-day and monthly passes. 

SCAT director Tony Beckford came back on Wednesday to say, “The impact is negligible.” He said the impact on the monthly pass was only $14,000. “And the $4 number [for a daily pass] was so small, we didn’t even compute it,” Beckford said.

During the Tuesday public hearing on the proposed fare increases, commission chair Nora Patterson said, “We’ve been taking millions from the general fund to keep SCAT going. Now we have indications we’ll be facing a more prolonged downturn in county revenue, which is why we’re at a crossroads. I feel like our backs are to the wall when we look at the future, that’s my feeling. But hopefully we’ll be able to keep our SCAT service going.”

Sarah Blanchard, a SCAT transportation planner, opened the public hearing by saying the system “has one of the lowest fares in the state and the nation.” The increase will bring the rates in line with similar-sized Florida communities, she said.

“I’m glad the numbers worked out,” Patterson said. “It’s a bargain considering what we’re trying to achieve.”

The vote to bump the fares passed 4-1, with commissioner Christine Robinson in the minority.