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Public Transportation In North Escambia Could Be Cut Back
March 12, 2010
The only Escambia County Area Transit route that serves North Escambia will be cut back if proposed changes in the county’s public transportation routes are made.
The Saturday transit bus that serves Century, Molino and Cantonment would be eliminated due to low ridership if the plan presented to the Escambia County by ECAT is approved. The route would also no longer service the “Park-n-Ride” lot at the old Winn Dixie in Cantonment.
The “Route 60″ bus makes three weekday trips with stops between Century and the ECAT transfer center where it allows riders to connect to the rest of the ECAT network. It currently makes the run twice on Saturdays.
Most of the proposed changes across the county are simple route changes or service additions, with just a few routes seeking service cuts.
According to an ECAT memo from General Manager Kenneth Gordon, the route changes in the county are designed to improve safety, improve on-time performance, improve connectivity between routes, provide service to under-served areas, reduce complaints and improve operating efficiencies.
ECAT is required to present proposed route changes to the Board of County Commissioners for discussion and public input. After the board discusses the plans on March 11, a 30 day period for public comment will be allowed and then then plan will go back to the commission.
The North Escambia to Pensacola Route 60 bus in the most expensive bus per hour in the entire public transportation system in the county.
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.
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.
Pictured above middle: The “Route 60″ Century and Molino to Pensacola ECAT route map. Pictured below: A timetable for the bus. Click to enlarge.
Comments
7 Responses to “Public Transportation In North Escambia Could Be Cut Back”
The dollar signs on cool cats shades says it all.
i’d gripe if i rode.
i don’t
so i won’t
David knowing public transportation isn’t for everybody
What will all these people do that ECAT said was riding the bus do when they wanted more money from the county for operations. Well I guess ECAT lied isn’t that against the law. SHAME,SHAME.
Sounds like EVERYONE needs to CLEAN HOUSE OF POLITICANS!! GO VOTE!! GET INVOLVED!! ASK QUESTIONS!!!!! FIND PEOPLE TO RUN WHO ARE IN IT FOR THE PEOPLE AND NOT WHAT THEY CAN GET OUT OF IT!!!!!!!!! THAT IS PART OF THE REASON THE WORLD IS IN THE MESS IT IS NOW BECAUSE WE JUST SIT BACK AND WAIT FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT!!! NO OFFENSE!!! BEEN QUILTIY OF IT MYSELF!!! NOW IS THE TIME TO CHANGE BEFORE ALL MORALS OF THIS COUNTRY ARE LOST!!!!!!
“There, bu’m the Grace Of God go you & I.”
Who Cares??? Don’t you know “NO ONE” rides that bus anyway!! What is there to fight?
This is terrible news! Another step in dismanteling Century and driving regular folks out of the North End.
If they can’t have consolidation, then back to Shut-down.
What happened to the “shuttle-bus” grant? How can the Escambia AL bus system work with more buses & more routes?
We have to fight this.