Century & Molino To Pensacola Bus Is ECAT’s Most Expensive

January 18, 2010

The Escambia County Area Transit bus that runs from Century and Molino to Pensacola is the most expensive bus per person and the most expensive bus per hour in the entire public transportation system in the county. But to those that ride it, the “Route 60″ bus in the one of the most important buses in the ECAT network.

The “Route 60″ bus makes three weekday trips between Century and the ECAT transfer center where it allows riders to connect to the rest of the ECAT network. It makes the run twice on Saturdays.

The bus costs $11.15 per passenger to operate, according to ECAT numbers from the last fiscal year — a decrease from $16.27 the previous year. That’s the most expensive cost per passenger by far over any other bus in the system, with every other route falling below $8 per person (except for a free tourist route). The next most expensive route per person is a crosstown/airport route that costs ECAT $7.82 per person. The Century and Molino to Pensacola bus is also the most expensive per hour to operate in the ECAT system, at $60.67, down from $78.29 per hour the previous year.

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The bus provides transportation to and from Pensacola for Century and Molino residents that otherwise might not have a way to get to and from Pensacola, according to several riders.

A total of 9 ,430 riders took the Route 60 bus over a one year period, up from 7,819 the previous year. That compares to 162,403 on a Davis Highway area bus.

In order to reduce, ECAT has purchased two smaller, more fuel efficient buses to use on the Century to Pensacola route.

For a printable pdf Route 60 map, schedule and rate information, click here.

Pictured above middle: The “Route 60″ Century and Molino to Pensacola ECAT route map. Pictured below: A timetable for the bus. Click to enlarge.

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Comments

2 Responses to “Century & Molino To Pensacola Bus Is ECAT’s Most Expensive”

  1. bama54 on January 18th, 2010 7:48 am

    I say use a mini-van if the county is to continue to support the ECAT system. We have talked about ECAT until I thought the “CAT” in ECAT was dead!! I guess if you had jobs, and Wal-Mart type business in the middle of the county, it might help defray the cost?? “Sorry” this would mean County Consolidation!!

  2. Oversight on January 18th, 2010 6:42 am

    Sure it’s expensive! It’s a 60+ mile round trip to Wal Mart in Ensley from Century, and those huge buses suck fuel down at the rate of 3-4 miles per gallon. I doubt there is another route in the ECAT system that covers as many miles on a single trip. Based on the low rider ship, why doesn’t ECAT use a smaller bus for this essential route?