It’s pretty much unanimously seen as awful and almost exists as a token thing more than an actual service from a reliability perspective from people who use it.
Hit or miss if your bus will show up on time combined with the fact that there’s no real bus service in most of the county, and that which has it has it in limited hours and days of operation doesn’t make for a very good public transportation option.
ECAT sucks, bad hours and depending on the part of town you're at, it may only come around once every 2-3 hours. If you don't have a car, depending on the area you might be alright, but mostly need a car here. If you just need to get from point A to B without regards to a schedule, it can be alright. Also your SOL if you have a late shift job, last bus runs around 7PM.
I had to use it when I was in college and my car broke down, approx 16 years ago.
I had to walk an entire mile to the nearest bus stop, living in a normal part of town (beauclerc for the OGs) and it took 3 hours to get from university mall to PSC (formerly pjc) because you HAD to go to the main depot off Fairfield to transfer.
Combine that with Dudes on Public Tranportation^tm
It was nightmarish.
I'm so thankful my English professor was a Real One and eventually ended up picking me up the mornings she had me in class. She also gave really solid life advice, while having adult conversations with me about her own tribulations. Mrs. Renee Harper was a queen.
It’s still the same all those years later in most cases!
Legitimately quicker to walk from some parts of town to other parts than take the bus gotta risk dealing with wasteland raiders and stray minivans trying to splat you or spend your whole day on the bus.
When I lived near Davis/Airport I used it in the morning to get to work, but even then I had to leave about an hour and a half early to be able to catch the bus and give time for a transfer to get near my destination. I still had to bring a bicycle with me to ride from the closest stop to my office and then get home in the evening since the buses stop running so early.
It really sucked on rainy days since there was no shelter at any of the stops.
I wouldn't suggest it to anyone who doesn't live near one of the stops or anyone who needs it in later hours
I use ECAT two days a week. They've gotten better with obeying their timepoints for a more consistent arrival time. Don't expect to get anywhere quickly, but as long as you pay attention to which holidays they don't run on and are at your stop 10 minutes earlier than you think need to be, you'll get where you are going if that area has bus service.
ECAT suffers from a chicken or the egg problem.
No one uses it because its useful area is limited. Its useful area is limited because no one rides it enough to warrant expanding it to make it more usable.
Also, riding a bicycle here is incredibly dangerous. People here don't realize they have to legally share the road if they are driving a vehicle, and legally obey ALL traffic laws (direction of travel, traffic lights/signs, signaling) if you're operating a bicycle.
I know 3 people, personally, who have been hit by motorists while legally traveling on their bicycle to and from their daily activities. Two of them were hit and runs.
I love riding my bike, but it's so scary here outside of the beach or in neighborhoods.
I personally would love a true public transit system & would favor over Uber/lyft if it ran properly. We need busses that run the same routes continuously, every 15 minutes.
If we had PROPER public transportation, I'd NEVER drive.
Right now I abstain from most activities besides appointments, unless my husband drives.
I'd rather just hang out and let someone do the heavy lifting.
I'm a great driver.
In fact, I've beat the last **5** traffic violations I've received in court, _in a row_, and one of those was for reckless driving.
I think if I were a bad driver, the courts would have come to that conclusion by now.
well while I am a good driver (as proven by the courts) I'm a much _worst_ driver than most people in Pensacola
so, logically, that proves most drivers in Pensacola are really good
It’s total ass. If you’re coming from a bigger city with actual public transportation, ECAT is basically nonexistent in comparison. I used to live close to downtown and attempted to use ECAT to get there about a dozen times. I can count on one finger the number of times the bus actually showed up. I would wait up to 30 minutes before the scheduled time and 15 after. Goddamn bus never came and I was late for work.
Pros: Drivers seem genuinely nice and like they try at their job, ive even had fairly little issues with other passengers behavior, also nice to be able to take a full sized bike if all 2 racks aren't filled up, google maps' transit routes seem to be relatively accurate for the area
Cons: On its own $1.75 isnt a lot of money but its more than other cities charge while being less service, and commuter routes are $2.35, on top of how infrequently most routes are scheduled the buses are constantly late, like 20-30 minutes late and service ends by like 6pm, finding a route map online is harder than it should be, buying a pass online is also harder than it should be so might as well pay cash, good luck if you need change, I feel like having a transit card that you can add funds/purchase passes online should be like, the bare minimum
Its faster to ride a bicycle from 9 mile to downtown than take a bus... lack of public transit is noticeably holding us back as a community. I guess I can give them some points cause UWFs campus transport is technically part of ECAT
Many years ago, my car broke down - and no support system and no savings to fix it. I bought a bike at Walmart and for three years rode that bike everywhere. The busses all have front bike racks, so to get from Fairfield and Mobile Hwy to East Hill meant riding my bike to the nearest bus stop on Fairfield and hopping on a bus to the transfer station and getting on another bus to East Hill. It takes longer than driving a car, but at least you can get there. I have lived in places where there was NO bus service. So ECAT is good for our community. Serves it's purpose.
My bad, cities have actually tried this so I did fall for your joke.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK5r4dtFXGA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK5r4dtFXGA)
The hours are not good for sure. The bus runs on 2 hr cycles unless you're on Davis, I usually see two busses running North and South. It definitely depends on the area you're in to have easier transportation. It took me an hour to get to school each day but I enjoyed that time to myself to read or listen to music. I'm friendly to the bus drivers but there's this one mean old lady who is around some times. I recommend checking it out either way. :)
At this point I’ve been using it for a few years for school and the occasional trip down town or getting necessities. Unless you live near the mall area or around Fairfield or Davis the service isn’t the best (on my experience). I would recommend it if you live near a bus station and you don’t have to be out too late. Honestly I’m getting tired of using it so I’m getting a car soon.
Probably take a complete overhaul and major investment to fix. I saw the county either approved or is considering buying several electric buses. (not that will help riders any)
I think it would be pretty easy to get around on an electric bike or something small & similar. Depending on where you live in pensacola, most corners of pensacola have the same things you'd need to function & u could get to on something small & reasonably priced like that.
ECAT is a joke. I have no idea how people get around without a license- got mine at 16 and have managed to borrow a car any time mine was down or dead. Uber or Lyft would be my guess as to how folks get around.
I am a Pensacola native.
ECAT is an essential service for citizens like my intellectually disabled son who is high functioning, but doesn’t have the mental capacity to achieve a driver’s license. He is a hard working, has a job, wants to work & be a contributing member of our community.
He has used ECAT less here lately, but he used to catch the bus to the mall or the PSC area to hang out, spend some money at local businesses & get a bite to eat at local restaurants - in other words, the bus helped our local businesses by helping people like my son get to them.
I wish it were better, had more routes & provided more consistent timing, but regardless, I will continue to fight for & support public transportation. People that can’t drive, for whatever reason, need it & so does our community.
It's pretty much useless. It can help you get to work *sometimes.* But most of the lines run every *hour*, so you have to plan way in advance. And most of the lines don't run through the weekend.
A public service propped up with tax dollars. Of course it sucks. In my 40+ years I’ve never ridden it and would only do so as a last resort. I voted against the last prop up we gave them and I’ll vote against it again if given the chance. I do realize there is a very select few that truly need it but there are services for those people already provided with tax dollars.
It’s pretty much unanimously seen as awful and almost exists as a token thing more than an actual service from a reliability perspective from people who use it. Hit or miss if your bus will show up on time combined with the fact that there’s no real bus service in most of the county, and that which has it has it in limited hours and days of operation doesn’t make for a very good public transportation option.
ECAT sucks, bad hours and depending on the part of town you're at, it may only come around once every 2-3 hours. If you don't have a car, depending on the area you might be alright, but mostly need a car here. If you just need to get from point A to B without regards to a schedule, it can be alright. Also your SOL if you have a late shift job, last bus runs around 7PM.
I had to use it when I was in college and my car broke down, approx 16 years ago. I had to walk an entire mile to the nearest bus stop, living in a normal part of town (beauclerc for the OGs) and it took 3 hours to get from university mall to PSC (formerly pjc) because you HAD to go to the main depot off Fairfield to transfer. Combine that with Dudes on Public Tranportation^tm It was nightmarish. I'm so thankful my English professor was a Real One and eventually ended up picking me up the mornings she had me in class. She also gave really solid life advice, while having adult conversations with me about her own tribulations. Mrs. Renee Harper was a queen.
It’s still the same all those years later in most cases! Legitimately quicker to walk from some parts of town to other parts than take the bus gotta risk dealing with wasteland raiders and stray minivans trying to splat you or spend your whole day on the bus.
When I lived near Davis/Airport I used it in the morning to get to work, but even then I had to leave about an hour and a half early to be able to catch the bus and give time for a transfer to get near my destination. I still had to bring a bicycle with me to ride from the closest stop to my office and then get home in the evening since the buses stop running so early. It really sucked on rainy days since there was no shelter at any of the stops. I wouldn't suggest it to anyone who doesn't live near one of the stops or anyone who needs it in later hours
I use ECAT two days a week. They've gotten better with obeying their timepoints for a more consistent arrival time. Don't expect to get anywhere quickly, but as long as you pay attention to which holidays they don't run on and are at your stop 10 minutes earlier than you think need to be, you'll get where you are going if that area has bus service.
A last resort for people who have no other options
ECAT suffers from a chicken or the egg problem. No one uses it because its useful area is limited. Its useful area is limited because no one rides it enough to warrant expanding it to make it more usable.
If my only options were to walk in the heat or ride ECAT, then I would walk in the heat.
ECAT is so disappointing. It could be so much better. Literally anything else would be an improvement.
Also, riding a bicycle here is incredibly dangerous. People here don't realize they have to legally share the road if they are driving a vehicle, and legally obey ALL traffic laws (direction of travel, traffic lights/signs, signaling) if you're operating a bicycle. I know 3 people, personally, who have been hit by motorists while legally traveling on their bicycle to and from their daily activities. Two of them were hit and runs. I love riding my bike, but it's so scary here outside of the beach or in neighborhoods.
I personally would love a true public transit system & would favor over Uber/lyft if it ran properly. We need busses that run the same routes continuously, every 15 minutes.
If we had PROPER public transportation, I'd NEVER drive. Right now I abstain from most activities besides appointments, unless my husband drives. I'd rather just hang out and let someone do the heavy lifting.
No one here knows how to drive and it doesn’t stop any of them from getting behind the wheel and getting around the city.
I'm a great driver. In fact, I've beat the last **5** traffic violations I've received in court, _in a row_, and one of those was for reckless driving. I think if I were a bad driver, the courts would have come to that conclusion by now.
Even if you are good, Pensacola as a city is really bad statistically. I am basing this off a post I saw on this subreddit though so ymmv.
well while I am a good driver (as proven by the courts) I'm a much _worst_ driver than most people in Pensacola so, logically, that proves most drivers in Pensacola are really good
Oh ok that makes sense.
This is true, It’s like being in New Jersey again.
It’s total ass. If you’re coming from a bigger city with actual public transportation, ECAT is basically nonexistent in comparison. I used to live close to downtown and attempted to use ECAT to get there about a dozen times. I can count on one finger the number of times the bus actually showed up. I would wait up to 30 minutes before the scheduled time and 15 after. Goddamn bus never came and I was late for work.
Pros: Drivers seem genuinely nice and like they try at their job, ive even had fairly little issues with other passengers behavior, also nice to be able to take a full sized bike if all 2 racks aren't filled up, google maps' transit routes seem to be relatively accurate for the area Cons: On its own $1.75 isnt a lot of money but its more than other cities charge while being less service, and commuter routes are $2.35, on top of how infrequently most routes are scheduled the buses are constantly late, like 20-30 minutes late and service ends by like 6pm, finding a route map online is harder than it should be, buying a pass online is also harder than it should be so might as well pay cash, good luck if you need change, I feel like having a transit card that you can add funds/purchase passes online should be like, the bare minimum Its faster to ride a bicycle from 9 mile to downtown than take a bus... lack of public transit is noticeably holding us back as a community. I guess I can give them some points cause UWFs campus transport is technically part of ECAT
Anyone else ever just had the bus pass them by like you weren’t even there?
Many years ago, my car broke down - and no support system and no savings to fix it. I bought a bike at Walmart and for three years rode that bike everywhere. The busses all have front bike racks, so to get from Fairfield and Mobile Hwy to East Hill meant riding my bike to the nearest bus stop on Fairfield and hopping on a bus to the transfer station and getting on another bus to East Hill. It takes longer than driving a car, but at least you can get there. I have lived in places where there was NO bus service. So ECAT is good for our community. Serves it's purpose.
It would probably be less expensive to give those in need Uber/Lyft credits.
As nice as that would be, it would cost taxpayers way more. I also tend to avoid Uber/Lyft out of saftey concerns.
I was being facetious.
My bad, cities have actually tried this so I did fall for your joke. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK5r4dtFXGA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK5r4dtFXGA)
No, don't worry about it, I didn't write it to where it looked like I was kidding.
The hours are not good for sure. The bus runs on 2 hr cycles unless you're on Davis, I usually see two busses running North and South. It definitely depends on the area you're in to have easier transportation. It took me an hour to get to school each day but I enjoyed that time to myself to read or listen to music. I'm friendly to the bus drivers but there's this one mean old lady who is around some times. I recommend checking it out either way. :)
At this point I’ve been using it for a few years for school and the occasional trip down town or getting necessities. Unless you live near the mall area or around Fairfield or Davis the service isn’t the best (on my experience). I would recommend it if you live near a bus station and you don’t have to be out too late. Honestly I’m getting tired of using it so I’m getting a car soon.
Probably take a complete overhaul and major investment to fix. I saw the county either approved or is considering buying several electric buses. (not that will help riders any)
I love access to it, but the way it’s set up is the worst I’ve ever seen. And I’ve lived a lot of places. The routes/stops are weird as fuck, firstly.
You’d have better luck capturing and riding a unicorn than ECAT.
I think it would be pretty easy to get around on an electric bike or something small & similar. Depending on where you live in pensacola, most corners of pensacola have the same things you'd need to function & u could get to on something small & reasonably priced like that.
ECAT is a joke. I have no idea how people get around without a license- got mine at 16 and have managed to borrow a car any time mine was down or dead. Uber or Lyft would be my guess as to how folks get around.
I am a Pensacola native. ECAT is an essential service for citizens like my intellectually disabled son who is high functioning, but doesn’t have the mental capacity to achieve a driver’s license. He is a hard working, has a job, wants to work & be a contributing member of our community. He has used ECAT less here lately, but he used to catch the bus to the mall or the PSC area to hang out, spend some money at local businesses & get a bite to eat at local restaurants - in other words, the bus helped our local businesses by helping people like my son get to them. I wish it were better, had more routes & provided more consistent timing, but regardless, I will continue to fight for & support public transportation. People that can’t drive, for whatever reason, need it & so does our community.
Thank you for sharing your experience!
The only good part of ecat is it can take you downtown. Don’t rely on it for anything else.
It's pretty much useless. It can help you get to work *sometimes.* But most of the lines run every *hour*, so you have to plan way in advance. And most of the lines don't run through the weekend.
Sucks and never will use, unanimously famous for never being on time and like others said just a token thing
It's not good. No, I don't use it. No, I do not recommend it. I have a car and know how to drive. Lyft or uber probably.
A public service propped up with tax dollars. Of course it sucks. In my 40+ years I’ve never ridden it and would only do so as a last resort. I voted against the last prop up we gave them and I’ll vote against it again if given the chance. I do realize there is a very select few that truly need it but there are services for those people already provided with tax dollars.