CAT Buses (Tamiami, Naples, Immokalee: condo, costs, shop)

[tmozer]

In my shopping travels up and down Airport Road I see the nice looking CAT (Collier - I forget what the A stands for - Transportation) buses making stops. Are they cheap to ride? Do that go to some of the beaches?

[RMD3819]

Collier County : Collier Area Transit (CAT)

[tmozer]

Thanks for the link. From their map, it is hard to tell how close to the beach the bus runs. It looks like a short block. True?

[RMD3819]

It is 8 blocks at the shortest point which 8th St N by Naples Hospital-downtown. This is one block west of US 41-which is also called 9th st N in that area.

That map is grossly not to scale. It would be a much, much longer walk (for me, anyways) to any beach access point from any of the bus stops on US 41.

[mytimenow]

It is pretty far to the beach from the closest stop on 41. If you have a bicycle, you can take it on CAT, that is what I do in season then I don't have to worry about parking. Some of the City Beaches I like to go to don't have that much parking. Its an easy ride to the beach or the pier or the cove or wherever you want to go in City of Naples. I understand some of the bike stores now have a map of safe bike routes in Naples, you might want to stop by any of them and pick that up too.

[EnjoyCoast]

So, do any one ride a bike for their route work?

[tmozer]

I drove from our condo to the beach at the end of Vanderbuilt (sp) Beach Road yesterday. It was exactly 4.2 miles. Definately doable on my bike, but the CAT bus might be a safer alternative. VB is the closest for me. What are some other alternatives that are not too much further?

I did get my parking sticker so, if I drive, the only issue might be full parking lots. I usually like to head to the beach early. So, if I could arrive by 9 am, should I find ample parking at most Collier County beach lots?

[RMD3819]

I would think you could find parking at that time.

[Hawthorne341]

I like the look of those CAT buses too... what would it take to get Collier and Lee county transit systems combined into one? Imagine cutting the overhead of administration to reinvest in the actual transit. Plus, there would be better economies of scale to cut costs further.

Plus, I think the split at the county line (and NO service between Bonita Beach Rd and Immokalee) is a terrible waste that makes the system useless to a lot of people. What about people in Bonita that want to get down to Mercato, 5th Ave, or anything else?? What about people in Naples that want to get up to Coconut Point??

Naples-Ft Myers long distance routes go without saying as well... Can I get some thoughts on a "Tamiami Transit" idea to link the north-south routes with an integrated system? (Not to mention a connection to FLL) And what would it take to override the good-old-boy network that brought us the interstates and ripped up the rail line to Naples?