Escambia Students Can Now Ride ECAT Buses For Free

May 23, 2018

Escambia County public school students can now ride all ECAT buses and trolleys for free.

Students grades K-12 are now able to use their county-issued student library cards as a free bus pass year round.

In addition, Escambia County Area Transit’s Summer Wheels Youth Pass Program and free Pensacola Beach trolley season will launch Memorial Day weekend and run through Labor Day weekend.

The ECAT Summer Wheels Youth Pass Program will include free, unlimited rides for Summer Wheels Pass holders, ages 18 and under, from Memorial Day, May 28, through Labor Day, Sept. 3.

During last year’s Summer Wheels Youth Pass Program, 781 individuals were issued passes and 9,968 trips were taken. The free bus programs provide youth with the opportunity to explore Pensacola, travel to summer jobs, visit all county libraries and participate in summer camps. ECAT also offers free training for those who are new to the bus system to help read the Ride Guide, plan trips, and review safety.
The free Pensacola Beach Trolley service is funded through the Santa Rosa Island Authority and open to riders of all ages from Friday, May 25 through Labor Day weekend. The trolleys will run seven days a week, from 4 p.m. to midnight. The trolley has 35 stops along the beach, from the Fort Pickens gate to Portofino Island Resort.

To print the Summer Wheels Pass online and to view complete application details, click here (not necessary for Escambia County students with a county-issued library card).

Comments

8 Responses to “Escambia Students Can Now Ride ECAT Buses For Free”

  1. dishearted on May 24th, 2018 1:12 pm

    Amen…( TAXPAYER) the BOCC shows the people of the county just how much they care about the them..this is just a drop in the bucket for what they do to the people..

  2. alex on May 23rd, 2018 11:55 pm

    Karen, does that mean we should all ride free since the buses are running anyway/

  3. Karen on May 23rd, 2018 6:34 pm

    So maybe it’s just me, but am I the only one that thinks that this isn’t going to cost us any more money than it already has because the buses are already continuously running anyways. It’s not really any different than letting people going to the museums for free if they have an EBT card. The service is already being provided you’re just allowing some people to not have to pay for it doesn’t mean it’ll cost more.

  4. John on May 23rd, 2018 2:55 pm

    Great plan! I think it will catch on this summer. Suddenly the school library card is necessary again!

  5. Sage2 on May 23rd, 2018 1:48 pm

    The word FREE has become such a commonplace word. There is nothing FREE! The costs to provide something noted as FREE costs some entity somewhere $$$.

    Calvin Coolidge related…There is no such thing as a free lunch…!

  6. nod on May 23rd, 2018 12:59 pm

    I hope the buses will not be overcrowded because a lot of handicapped use the buses as basic transportation. Also won’t this reduce the income the buses take in? If so will the non bus riders be taxed again to pay for it? I am all for the buses to run , it is very necessary, but letting more people ride free will not pay for it. Hopefully this plan will workout but I am afraid my and many others taxes will be increased to pay for it.

  7. Taxpayers get shaft on May 23rd, 2018 11:51 am

    Well lets see the taxpayers, & at the gas pump get to pay for more people to get a free ride. As if some of them aren’t getting enough of a free taxpayer ride in their lives. Once again the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners find a way to stick it to the hard working, tax payers yet cant be bothered to give the county workers the raises they richly deserve… and I don’t mean the BOCC employees, BOCC always manage to get their raises, even when NOBODY else does. Also you like to raise gas prices w/all your taxes but you don’t pay those taxes when you use county paid for gas. Maybe if ECAT and the BOCC paid taxes to fuel the busses and their cars, we wouldn’t be paying so much at the pump or giving people free rides.

  8. bewildered on May 23rd, 2018 9:19 am

    Great idea. I hope no kids get lost, get sexually molested or get into some other kind of trouble while venturing out on their own. ECAT would be in a heap of legal trouble in today’s society where everything is someone else’s fault and brings in $$$.