Manatee County bus routes to change

Manatee County Area Transit will modify several routes and bus schedules for fixed route bus service beginning Nov. 12. Changes include:

• Route 3 from Manatee Avenue to State 64 will operate with 30-minute frequency, which means more frequent buses than the current 60-minute routes. Route 3 will no longer serve Blake Medical Center.

• Route 4 from Ninth Street East and West traveling eastbound will now connect hourly with Route 3 on Manatee Avenue via 59th Street West before returning to Blake Medical Center.

• Route 6 on Cortez Road will operate between Coquina Beach and DeSoto Station with 60-minute frequency. 

• Route 9 on 26th Street West will no longer operate on Saturdays. Hourly service will remain available weekdays. 

• Route 12 will serve the State Road 70 corridor from DeSoto Station to the Lakewood Ranch Walmart with 60-minute service frequency.  MCAT will no longer serve Lakewood Ranch Boulevard or LECOM.

• Route 99 will end northbound service in downtown Bradenton.  Service will continue to operate every 30 minutes between downtown Bradenton and downtown Sarasota along the U.S. 41 corridor. Route 99 will no longer directly serve Bay Shore Road near the Ringling Museum in Sarasota.

• All Palmetto-area routes (1, 13 and the North County ConneXion) will connect with the downtown Bradenton transfer station.  Southbound service on Eighth Avenue West in Palmetto also connects to downtown Bradenton.

• Anna Maria Island trolley service will now operate every 30 minutes until 7:30 a.m. and then begin regular 20-minute service at 8 a.m.

Information: Call 941 749-7116 or go to mymanatee.org/mcat.