Manatee commissioners OK free MCAT bus rides for those 80 and over

MANATEE -- Those 80 and over will be riding free on county buses after the Manatee County Commission today OK’d the arrangement.

County Commission Chairman Carol Whitmore proposed allowing free rides on all MCAT buses on grounds of public safety, and other commissioners went along with the plan.

Older people tend to lose their quick reflexes, and it can affect their driving, Whitmore said after the meeting. She noted that free bus transportation would “get them out” of their cars.

She said she thought Manatee might be the only county in the state with such a policy, but she wasn’t sure about that.

Manatee County seniors 60 and older now pay 60 cents per trip, while those under 60 pay a regular bus fare of $1.25 each trip, said Nick Azzara, the county’s information outreach coordinator.

Whitmore said she had not heard what date the new bus pricing arrangement would take effect.

Sara Kennedy, Herald reporter, can be reached at (941) 745-7031.

This story was originally published September 20, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Manatee commissioners OK free MCAT bus rides for those 80 and over."