Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority

Founded	1982
Headquarters	3201 Scherer Drive, St. Petersburg, FL
Locale	Pinellas County, Florida
Service type	bus service
Routes	37
Fleet	205
Web site	psta.net

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) provides public transportation for Pinellas County, Florida. The authority manages a bus system that encompasses 34 local routes, two express routes, and the Suncoast Beach Trolley (using a fleet of replica trolleys that consist of Optima and Gillig-made vehicles).

History

PSTA began in the early 1900s as the St. Petersburg Municipal Transit System (SPMTS). The system began with a streetcar line to Gulfport and eight buses to run several routes throughout the St. Pete area. By 1928, ridership on the system hit 4.2 million. In 1949, the Gulfport streetcar system was closed, marking the end of streetcar service in Pinellas County. Meanwhile, transit service elsewhere continued to expand.

In 1970, the Central Pinellas Transit Authority (CPTA) was formed, serving the Clearwater area and northern Pinellas. The agency was fully established by 1973 and operated 9 routes with a fleet of 21 buses. The CPTA saw 900,000 riders in its first year of service. In 1975, SPMTS begins paratransit services and both agencies continue to expand their fleet. In 1978, tourist trolley service (using trolley-replica buses) began in downtown St. Petersburg and became successful. By the 1980s, the two agencies formed a cooperative agreement, which allowed the expansion of routes throughout Pinellas County.

In October 1984, the two companies merged to create the PSTA. In the years following their merger, PSTA operated nearly 80 routes with a fleet or nearly 130 buses. The agency begins installing electronic fareboxes and completed its central Pinellas operations center, as well as several bus terminals. In 1990, PSTA obtained its first express route, previously operated by Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART). Also in 1990, PSTA established a cross-county bus route via US 19.

Massive expansion and improvements took place during the 1990s and well into the 2000s. PSTA constructed its Williams Park terminal in downtown St. Pete in 1994. In 1996, the agency introduced electronic fare cards (called GO Cards) and began replacing their outdated bus fleets with a combination of New Flyer and Gillig buses. In 2001, the Suncoast Beach Trolley began service along the gulf coast beaches and in 2003, PSTA purchased a fleet of motorcoach buses (from Motor Coach Industries) to operate its express routes. Additional capital improvements were made during the early 2000s as well, including the renovation of the Park Street Terminal. In 2001, the website PSTA.net debuted.

In 2004, HART and PSTA began an intersystem passport to allow patrons from either county to use each other's bus systems without paying additional fares. A year later, PSTA's current operations center opened near Roosevelt Boulevard. In 2006, PSTA expanded its fleet with the purchase of 48 Gillig low-floor buses. HART and PSTA agreed to honor each other's reduced fare photo permits. In 2007, PSTA introduced an online trip planning system. This system allowed patrons to better plan out their trip throughout the PSTA system. In 2009, the interface was scrapped in favor of a partnership with Google, which HART began partnership back in 2007. This newest alliance allows patrons to seamlessly plan their trips on both the PSTA and HART systems.

Fares

New fare changes went into effect on October 3, 2010.

• One-Way Cash Fares
  • PSTA Local Routes: $2.00
  • Local Route Student and Youth Fare (Restrictions Apply): $1.25
  • Discount Local: $1.00 (Proper ID Required)
  • PSTA Express Routes: $3.00

• PSTA Passes
  • 1-Day Unlimited GO Card
    • Local and Express: $4.50
    • Discount (Proper ID Required): $2.25

• • 7-Day Unlimited GO Card
    • Local and Express: $20.00
    • Discount (Proper ID Required): $12.50

• • 31-Day Unlimited GO-Card
    • Local and Express: $65.00
    • Discount (Proper ID Required): $35.00

• • 20-Ride GO Card
    • Express ONLY: $48.00

• • Intercounty PSTA/HART Monthly Passport: $85.00
    • For use on all PSTA and HART Bus, Trolley, and Streetcar Routes.

Bus routes

PSTA operates 34 routes that traverse Pinellas County and 2 express routes that connect into downtown Tampa.

Note: The table below is under construction

Local

No.	Name	Starting Point	Terminus	Operates	Direction	Notes
1	Gateway Mall/Tyrone Square Mall	Gateway Mall - St. Petersburg	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Monday through Saturday Only	Bi-Directional
4	4th Street	Goodwill Industries Suncoast Facility - St. Petersburg	25 Way/Roy Hanna Drive - St. Petersburg	Daily (Frequent Weekday Service)	Bi-Directional	Buses run every 20 to 30 minutes on weekdays
5	Tyrone Square Mall via 5th Ave N	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Williams Park Transit Center - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional	Limited Sunday Service
7	Tyrone Square Mall via Central Plaza Terminal	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Williams Park Transit Center - St. Petersburg	Daily (Frequent Weekday Service)	Bi-Directional
11	Carillon/Pinellas Point	PSTA Headquarters - St. Petersburg	25 Way/Roy Hanna Drive - St. Petersburg	Weekday Service Only	Bi-Directional
14	Palms of Pasadena Hospital	Williams Park Transit Center - St. Petersburg	Palms of Pasadena Hospital - South Pasadena	Monday through Saturday Service Only	Bi-Directional
15	Gulfport	Williams Park Transit Center - St. Petersburg	Gulfport Casino - Gulfport	Daily	Bi-Directional
18	Clearwater/Bay Pines VA Medical Center/St. Petersburg via Seminole Blvd/Tyrone Square	Williams Park Transit Center - St. Petersburg	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Daily (Frequent Weekday Service)	Bi-Directional	Buses leave every 20 to 30 minutes during weekday peak hours. Limited Sunday Service.
19	US 19	46th Ave & 34th St - St. Petersburg	Huey Ave & Tarpon Ave - Tarpon Springs	Daily (Frequent Weekday Service)	Bi-Directional	Buses leave every 20 to 30 minutes during weekday peak hours. Limited Sunday Service.
20	Pinellas Point/Tyrone Square	Roy Hanna Dr & 25 Way S - St. Petersburg	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional	Limited Sunday Service.
23	Tyrone Square Mall via 22nd Ave S/Gulfport	Williams Park Transit Center - St. Petersburg	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional	Limited Sunday Service.
30	30th Ave N Circulator	Northeast Shopping Center - St. Petersburg	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Monday Through Saturday Limited Service (Circulator)	Bi-Directional
32	Downtown St. Petersburg Circulator	Williams Park Transit Center - St. Petersburg	Arlington Ave/11th St - St. Petersburg	Monday Through Saturday Limited Service (Circulator)	One-Way Directional Loop
CAT	Central Avenue Trolley	The Pier - St. Petersburg	9th Ave and Gulf Way - Pass-A-Grille	Daily	Bi-Directional	Extended weekend service; frequent weekday service
38	Downtown St. Pete/Tyrone Square Mall via 38th Ave N	Williams Park - St. Petersburg	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional
52	Downtown St. Pete/Downtown Clearwater via E Bay/W Bay Dr	Williams Park - St. Petersburg	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Daily	Bi-Directional	Late service on weekdays.
58	Gateway Mall/Redington	Gateway Mall - St. Petersburg	Gulf Blvd & Park Blvd - Redington Shores	Daily	Bi-Directional
59	Williams Park/Indian Rocks Beach via MLK St & Ulmerton Rd	Williams Park - St. Petersburg	1 St & 4 Ave - Indian Rocks Beach	Daily	Bi-Directional	Serves the St. Petersburg Greyhound station.
60	McMullen Booth Frontage Road/Downtown Clearwater	McMullen Booth Frontage Road - Clearwater	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Daily	Bi-Directional

• Route 61 - Indian Rocks Beach/Dunedin
• Route 62 - Tyrone Square Mall/The Shoppes of Boot Ranch
• Route 66 - Tarpon Springs/Indian Rocks Beach
• Route 67 - Downtown clearwater/Downtown Oldsmar via SR 580 & Hercules
• Route 68 - Tyrone Square Mall/John's Pass Village
• Route 73 - Tyrone Square Mall/Downtown Clearwater via Keene Rd/Starkey Rd/Park St
• Route 74 - Williams Park & Downtown St. Pete/Indian Rocks Beach via Park Blvd
• Route 75 - Tyrone Square Mall/Gateway Mall
• Route 76 - Downtown Clearwater/Westfield Countryside via Belcher Rd & Sunset Point
• Route 78 - Downtown Clearwater/Westfield Countryside via SR 580
• Route 79 - Downtown St. Pete/Whitney Rd & US 19
• Route 90 (Commuter Shuttle) - St. Pete Beach/Downtown St. Pete
• Route 97 (Commuter Shuttle) - 49th St & Carillon/Downtown St. Pete
• Route 98 (Commuter Shuttle) - 49th St & Carillon/Downtown Clearwater
• Route 444 (Circulator) - Pinellas Park

Note: Commuter Shuttles and Circulators run on a limited timetable (typically only at peak times).

Express services

No.	Name	Starting Point	Terminus	Operates	Direction	Notes
100X	St. Petersburg/South Pinellas Express	Gateway Mall, St. Petersburg	Marion Transit Center, Tampa	Weekdays Only	Bi-Directional	Operated by PSTA
200X	Clearwater Express	Marion Transit Center, Tampa	Eddie C. Moore Complex Park-N-Ride, Clearwater	Weekday Rush Hours	Peak Direction	Operated by HART.
300X	Central Pinellas Express	Ulmerton Park-N-Ride, St. Petersburg	Marion Transit Center, Tampa	Weekdays Only	Bi-Directional	Operated by PSTA

Suncoast Beach Trolley

PSTA Suncoast Beach Trolley connects patrons to the Pinellas Gulf Coast Beaches via trolley-replica buses (similar to HART's downtown trolleys, but rubber-tired). The Suncoast Beach Trolley also connects to local bus routes 35 (at St Pete Beach), 58 (at Park Blvd), 59 (at Indian Rocks Beach), 68 (at Johns Pass) and 90 (at St Pete Beach), for seamless travel to and from other Pinellas destinations.

Connection to PCPT

In addition to the cross-bay express routes, PSTA also provides connections to Pasco County Public Transportation (PCPT) bus routes 18 and 19 via PSTA routes 19 and 66.

Active Fleet

The PSTA bus fleet encompasses several different models, including those from New Flyer, Gillig, and Motor Coach Industries.

Transit buses

Year	Builder/Model	Example	Numbers	Length (ft)	Active	Notes
2000	Gillig Low Floor 40FT		21XX	40		This fleet is mixed, with some buses painted in the new livery, and some retaining the old colors.
2002	Gillig Low Floor 30FT and 40FT	[1]	22XX	30 and 40		This fleet is mixed, with some buses painted in the new livery, and some retaining the old colors.
2005	Gillig Low Floor 30FT, 35FT and 40FT	[2]	25XX	30, 35 and 40		Most of these buses are in the new livery.
2006	Gillig Low Floor 35FT and 40FT	[3]	26XX	35 and 40		All of these buses are in the new livery.
2007	Gillig Low Floor 35FT and 40FT		27XX	35 and 40		All of these buses are in the new livery.
2008	Gillig Low Floor 35FT and 40FT	[4]	28XX	35 and 40		All of these buses are in the new livery.
2009	Gillig Low Floor BRT Hybrid 35FT	[5]	29XX	35		Known as the "Smartbus".
2010	Gillig Low Floor BRT Hybrid 35FT	Picture Unavailable	101XX	35		Known as the "Smartbus"

Express coaches

Year	Builder/Model	Example	Numbers	Length (ft)	Active	Notes
2003	Motor Coach Industries D4500CT		23XX	45

Trolley replicas

Year	Builder/Model	Example	Numbers	Length (ft)	Active	Notes
	Optima American Heritage Streetcar AH-28	[6]	1XX and 2XX	35		These buses ran on the Suncoast Beach Trolley line from the late 1990s until 2009, when they were replaced by Gillig Low Floor Trolley-replica buses. However, they are still leased out by PSTA to St. Petersburg Trolley and the Gulfport/St. Pete Beach trolley who use them on their routes.
2007	Gillig Low Floor "Trolley" 35FT		7XX	35		Trolley-replica buses.
2008	Gillig Low Floor "Trolley" 35FT		8XX	35		Trolley-replica buses. Powered by clean diesel.
2009	Gillig Hybrid Low Floor "Trolley" 35FT		9XX	35		Trolley-replica buses. Powered by the same Advanced Hybrid drive train as the SmartBus. Distinguishable by a white roof.

Retired Fleet

Year	Builder/Model	Example	Numbers (if available)	Length (ft)	Time in service	Number of buses in fleet	Notes
1996	New Flyer DLF40	[7]	96XX	40	1996–2008		Retired in 2008
1997	New Flyer DLF30	[8]	97XX	30	1997–2009		Retired in 2009

External links

• PSTA Website
• Tampa Bay Transit