A bus will loop between Bradenton and the beach beginning Saturday, Dec. 4, providing free rides on and off Anna Maria Island.
Manatee County Area Transit’s fare-free Beach ConneXion will operate weekends and holidays from December through April.
The hours will be 10 a.m.-6 p.m., with passengers boarding at the Manatee Avenue bus stop east of 75th Street West in Bradenton, the Manatee Public Beach in Holmes Beach and several stops along Manatee Avenue/State Road 64 between the turnarounds.
Parking on the mainland will be available at the Beachway Plaza in the 7300 block of Manatee Avenue.
The shuttle will add to other MCAT services on Manatee Avenue and helps riders connect with the fare-free island trolley that operates seven days a week between Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach and the Anna Maria City Pier in Anna Maria.
For more information about the services, go online to mymanatee.org or call the county at 941-748-4501.