See Anna Maria Island on the Island Trolley

Anna Maria Island is beautiful and both residents and visitors love to walk our beaches and explore the island. While many things are within walking distance, not everything is. In those instances, the Island Trolley could be a great answer to your needs.

What is the Island Trolley?

The Island Trolley is a bus service offered by the Manatee County Area Transit (MCAT). These air-conditioned trolleys are free of charge and run on continuous looping routes on Anna Maria Island 365 days a year.

How does the Island Trolley work?

Several trolleys continuously loop routes on the island. Riders can travel from Coquina Beach on the southern tip of Bradenton Beach up to the City Pier in the City of Anna Maria on the island’s northern end. There are 35 northbound stops and 35 southbound stops, making the trolley a great way to reach any part of the island. Because there is no charge, riders can hop on and hop off at any stop, as often as they want! There are few places on the island where you are more than two to four blocks from a stop.

What is their schedule?

Trolley service begins at 6:00 am and the trolleys start from both ends of the loop. The trolleys then run at 20-minute intervals until 9:00 pm. They then run at 30-minute intervals until 10:30 pm. Please note that traffic or weather can make those times vary. But don’t worry, they’re coming!

If you’d like a map and schedule that you can download, just click here.

Bicycles welcome!

We hope you take the bikes that are included with your luxury vacation home out to explore the island. If you are out riding and the weather decides not to cooperate or you find you went a little further than you planned, we have good news! The Island Trolley has a bike rack on the front that will accommodate single-seat, two-wheeled bikes 16 inches or larger.

There’s an app for that!

MCAT provides a free app that will help you find the nearest trolley stop. It will even tell you where the trolley is in real-time and how long it will be before it gets to your chosen stop. Android users can get the app at the Google Play Store and iOS users can visit the Apple Store. Once you have it installed, select Manatee County as the transit authority and then pick the trolley route.

For those who don’t want to install the app, the stops all have a QR code you can scan using your phone that will tell you the estimated arrival time of the next trolley. You can also call MCAT at 941-749-7116 during their regular business hours, 7:00 am to 6:00 pm, Monday through Friday, for real-time information on the trolley.

If you want to know more about getting around the island or want suggestions on places to go, we are here to help. Contact us at Serendipity and our local experts can help make your visit to our island a memorable one.