Category: Press Releases

In honor of Mobility Week in Florida, a statewide initiative to promote safe, multimodal transporation choices such as biking, walking and riding transit, Collier Area Transit is offering FREE RIDES all day on Saturday, November 4, 2023. Leave the cars at home and let Collier Area Transit take you where you want to go, for FREE.

Download the Transit app to view route schedules and to plan your trip so that you can sit back, relax and let CAT drive you to your destination.

Try Transit in Collier County on Saturday, November 4th!

Collier Area Transit’s Perk Pass Program allows eligible employers to offer a discounted monthly bus pass to their employees. The reduced cost, $29.75, is a 25% savings compared to the regular $40 fee. An employee bus pass issued under the terms of this program may be used for the unrestricted travel seven days per week, excluding the 6 major holidays identified within our schedules as well as express routes.

To receive your Perk Pass transit pass, complete a registration form and submit it at the time of purchase. Those who enroll can input their RideCAT account information on the registration form and have the pass sent to their RideCAT mobile account. For those wanting a physical card, if you are a first-time buyer or have lost your Smart Card, the purchase of a new card will be necessary at a cost of $2.00.

Collier Area Transit’s Perk Pass Program is available to employers with over 250 employees in Collier County. The program reduces the fare for a monthly bus pass to employees by 25%, resulting in savings on auto maintenance, fuel, and time back in an employee’s commute.

There are multiple benefits other than just the savings on the pass; those who use public transportation typically have a healthier lifestyle, taking 30% more steps daily than those who rely on cars, which may result in reduced healthcare costs as well. Those who participate will also contribute to the reduction of air pollution and congestion on the local roads in Collier County.

Perk Pass EMPLOYER Enrollment Form

Perk Pass EMPLOYEE Enrollment Form

Follow your ride in real-time with the Transit app. Get real-time information, alerts, service updates and directions all from the Transit app on your mobile device.

It’s simple and easy to use. Skip the Map and Get the App! Download it today in the Apple Store or Google Play Store.

In honor of Earth Day, CAT is offering FREE RIDES all day on all fixed-route buses. Save time, money, gas and the planet by riding public transit.

Did you know that public transit is 10x safer than traveling by car? You’re 90% less likely to be in an accident on public transit.

Did you know that the average person can save over $10,000 every year by switching to public transit?

Did you know that a 10-mile commute on existing transit vs. driving in a car alone saves 20lbs of CO2 emissions per day?

Try Transit and save time! Work, study or just relax and reclaim that time wasted behind the wheel when you ride transit.

We’ve made changes and upgrades to our CATConnect rider program to serve you better.
Automated Reminders
Riders receive an interactive voice response call the night before and day of scheduled rides.
New Payment Option
Riders can create an account and make deposits to avoid carrying cash or worrying about ride fares.
APP Is Coming Soon!
A new mobile app that makes booking, canceling and paying for a trip easier for our riders is coming soon!

Students! Buy your Summer Paw Pass today! This summer, students ride CAT for $30 with unlimited rides, from June 1st – August 31st, 2023, with a Summer Paw Pass. Passes can be purchased on the rideCAT app, in the transfer stations or online at rideCAT.com. Summer Paw Pass holders will also receive these special offers:

Present your SUMMER PAW PASS at Naples Botanical Garden for
Complimentary general admission June 1 – August 31, 2023;
No reservations required.
Please note free Garden entry applies to Summer Paw Pass holder only, not entire party.

Present your SUMMER PAW PASS at Naples Zoo and receive
$1.50 OFF Adult Admission
$1.00 Child Admission
Use code NZCAT
Expiration 8/31/23

CAT turned 20 in Febraury 2021! Collier Area Transit (CAT) celebrated 20 years of service in Collier County. A special celebration was held at CAT’s headquarters at 8300 Radio Road. The theme of CAT’s 20th Anniversary celebration was 20 Years of Movement, which included a Transportation Show, displaying various forms of transportation throughout the years. The public was invited to attend.

Collier County’s Deputy County Manager, Mr. Dan Rodriguez, was the Masters of Ceremony, with Commissioner Rick Lo Castro, District 2, giving Opening Remarks, an Invocation by Pastor Grant Thigpen, and “America the Beautiful” and “The National Anthem” sung by students of Gulf Coast Charter Academy South. Speakers also included Mr. Jamie French, Public Services Department Head, Ms. Michelle Arnold, Director of Public Transit and Neighborhood Enhancement and Mr. Omar De Leon, Transit Manager.

Collier Area Transit began service in February 2001, with seven trolley-wrapped buses traveling five fixed routes, six days a week. Today, CAT services 18 fixed-routes, 1 beach route, 1 express bus route and over 580 bus stops throughout Collier County. CAT has provided over 18.4 million cumulative trips to residents and visitors since 2001. CAT also provides door-to-door service for those with disabilities, who are unable to use the fixed-route system, through it’s CAT Connect Paratransit service.

After a year’s hiatus, Collier Area Transit’s (CAT) Beach Bus is back for the season with a new, realigned route that will shuttle passengers from the Conner Park Parking Lot on Bluebill Avenue to Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park and to Vanderbilt Beach, Starting Monday, February 20th through April 29, 2023, every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The Beach Bus service will consist of a free trolley traveling on Vanderbilt Drive from Vanderbilt Beach to Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park stopping at Conner Park, to pick up beachgoers. The Beach Bus will no longer be offering Flag-Down service due to a multitude of construction projects along the route that could cause safety issues.
The Beach Bus will operate from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, then again from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM. The FREE service will be offered Fridays through Mondays with a 30-40 minute frequency. Catch a FREE ride every weekend on CAT’s Beach Bus and view in real-time the Beach Bus’s location on the rideCAT app by viewing Route 29 or by viewing the real-time route information located on rideCAT.com.