SCAT looks to
add shelters, buses
The need for additional bus shelters and new buses dominated Tuesday’s workshop with SCAT officials and county commissioners.
Sarasota County Area Transit general manager Glama Carter said there are 2,000 bus stops in the county, and only 138 of those have shelters. She said the average cost of building a shelter at a bus stop ranges from $30,000 to $40,000, which includes an average land-acquisition cost of $6,000; $15,000 to $25,000 in design, permitting and construction; $6,000 for the shelter structure itself and bench; and a $2,000 installation cost. The maintenance cost for each shelter is estimated at about $4,000 per year.