Collier County Commissioners have given the green light to begin shuttle service to some of the county's most popular beaches: Vanderbilt Beach and Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park.
"Parking here is always really hard," said Mackenzie Allen, a Naples native who was visiting Vanderbilt Beach on Friday. "That's our problem most of the time."
The shuttle service is planned to begin in February through the end of tourist season, and will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. One-way fare will cost $1.50 for adults, while riders under 18 will pay only 75 cents.
While some beachgoers told Fox 4 that a shuttle service would bring too many people to beaches that are already crowded, Allen is used to that.
"In season, it's going to be crowded anyway," she said.
Other coastal counties such as Lee, Sarasota and Manatee Counties have shuttle routes to their beaches. Collier plans to lease a trolley-type bus for its service, which can carry about 35 people at a time, and could move 200 to 300 people per day.
The $550,000 to start the bus route will come from state grants and tourist tax revenue.
