MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — On Nov. 1, anyone can ride a Manatee County Area Transit bus in Manatee County for free.

This comes after the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners passed a pilot program that will allow this change for 18 months.

Erlinda Barente says she enjoys riding the bus.

“I love riding the bus, even if I don’t need to go anywhere,” she said.

She goes somewhere different every day, such as doctor appointments or running errands.

One day, Barente initially wanted to go to the beach, but she said decided not to go because her ticket was too much money to spend on a couple of hours of sand and sun.

Instead, she said she will wait for a better opportunity to use the ticket.

“I’ve been in Sarasota today, I’m just waiting for another bus,” she said.

Barente is homeless, so the bus is her only way of transportation. But for her, and so many others in similar situations who need to use the bus, the cost adds up.

“Everybody is so happy about the bus fare,” she said about the pilot program.

She says the free fare will help her and other people save money, especially those who need to use the buses and can’t afford other transportation services.

“Maybe we are homeless, but we are people,” she said.

But Barente will wait all day for the bus if she has to, because for her and many others, it’s the only way they can get from place to place.

This new pilot program is aimed at expanding the use of mass transit and reducing operational costs by making rides free for everyone.

There will, however, be fares collected in Sarasota County such as the Route 99 bus that travels from downtown Bradenton to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport and downtown Sarasota.