If approved at a public hearing in June, some — but not all — riders of Sarasota County’s Breeze OnDemand transit system will pay more to let someone else do the driving.
Sarasota County Commissioners last week advanced to a public hearing a new fare structure, adding a mileage charge and increasing the base fare from $2 to $3. But, as part of the changes, companions who book the same ride at the same time will no longer pay their own fare, but a flat $1 fare. Passengers who ride as part of the transportation-disadvantaged program would still pay $1.50 regardless of distance. Changes would take effect July 1.
When launched in 2021, the on-demand system — run similar to services such as Uber or Lyft but within three defined zones around the county — operated on money saved by eliminating unproductive bus routes. Now, four years later, with 386,000 trips conducted in 2024, costs to run the service exceed the level of savings found by killing off the fixed routes, such as a route that served Longboat Key…