Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority

File:PSTA logo.png
Parent	PSTA
Founded	1984
Headquarters	3201 Scherer Drive, St. Petersburg, Florida
Locale	Pinellas County, Florida
Service area	Pinellas County
Service type	bus service
Alliance	Pinellas County Government
Routes	37
Stops	5,109
Fleet	203
Daily ridership	14.5 Million annually
Fuel type	Diesel Hybrid Electric
Chief executive	Brad Miller
Website	psta.net

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) provides public transportation for Pinellas County, Florida. The authority manages a bus system that encompasses 40, including 2 express routes to Hillsborough County, and the Suncoast Beach Trolley (using all Gillig made buses and trolley replicas).

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 In 1996, the agency introduced electronic fare cards (called GO Cards) and began replacing their outdated bus fleets with a combination of New Flyer and Gillig buses.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 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. PSTA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Tampa Bay Regional RT), the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), and the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to conduct an Alternatives Analysis of transit corridors in Pinellas County. The study would focus on the area between downtown Clearwater, Gateway, and downtown St. Petersburg. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recognized the MOU as an excellent example of inter-agency cooperation.PSTA partnered with the MPO, TBARTA and Pinellas County Communications to carry out the region’s first ever eTownHall Meeting on Transit and the Pinellas County Alternatives Analysis. The event was broadcast live on PCC-TV and on the web, and citizens were able to participate online or via telephone. It was the first time that all three technologies were combined for a Town Hall type of event in Pinellas County. In 2010 PSTA added 14 Diesel-Electric Hybrid Buses, bringing the hybrid fleet up to a total of 24 vehicles. These vehicles are branded with the SmartBus logos and are painted a sleek shade of silver.Agency leaders decided that investing in the environmentally friendly and fuel-saving hybrid technology was the best move for both PSTA and the community. As a result, PSTA replaced 10 standard gasoline cars with new Ford Fusion hybrid-electrics. Like their hybrid bus counterparts, the agency has branded its new hybrid sedans as SmartCars.

Fares

New fare changes went into effect on 10-11-2015.

• One-Way Cash Fares
  • PSTA Local Routes: $2.25
  • Local Route Student and Youth Fare (Restrictions Apply): $1.10
  • Discount Local: $1.10 (Proper ID Required)
  • PSTA Express Routes: $3
• PSTA Passes
  • 1-Day Unlimited GO Card
    • Local and Express: $5.00
    • Discount (Proper ID Required): $2.50
  • 7-Day Unlimited GO Card
    • Local and Express: $25.00
    • Discount (Proper ID Required): $12.50
  • 31-Day Unlimited GO-Card uRides for 31 Consecutive Days.
    Not valid on 100X and 300X.
    Valid for: Adult Student, Youth, Senior, Disabled, (with proper ID)* ID Required: Adult Student ID, PSTA Senior/Disabled Photo ID, HART Senior/Disabled Photo ID, PCPT Senior/Disabled Photo ID, Government-issued Photo ID (showing age as of 65 years or older), or Medicare Card. To obtain a PSTA Senior/Disabled Photo ID, present proof of age 65 years or older at a PSTA Customer Service Center. *Reduced Fare now includes adult students, youth 18 and younger as well as people with disabilities and Medicare cardholders.
    • Proper ID Required): $35
  • 20-Ride GO Card
    • Description: Valid for 20 Rides on the 100X and 300X Express Buses
      to Tampa
      ID Required: None Fee $48.00

Platinum Pass -Description: Unlimited Rides for 7 Consecutive Days - for Youth 18 years or younger. Not valid on 100X and 300X. ID Required: PSTA Youth Photo ID, HART Youth Photo ID, Pasco PCPT Youth Photo ID, Government-issued Photo ID (showing age of 18 years or younger), or School Student ID. To obtain a PSTA Youth Photo ID, present proof of age 18 years or younger at a PSTA Customer Service Center.$12.50

• 'The Passport'Description: Unlimited Access on All PSTA and HART Services for an Entire Calendar Month ID Required: None
  • For use on all PSTA and HART Bus, Trolley, and Streetcar Routes. Only $85.00

Bus routes

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

Local

No.	Name	Starting oakhurst rd at 86	Terminus	Operates	Direction	Notes
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.
22	22nd Ave N, Northwest Community Center, Tyrone Square Mall, and 4th & 22nd Ave	22 Ave N	Tyrone Square Mall-St.Petersburg	Monday thru Saturday	Bi-Directional	No 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.
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
61	Indian Rocks Beach/Dunedin	Indian Rocks Shopping Center - Indian Rocks	Palm Lake Village - Dunedin	Daily	Bi-Directional
62	Tyrone Square Mall/The Shoppes of Boot Ranch	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	The Shoppes of Boot Ranch - Palm Harbor	Monday through Saturday Only	Bi-Directional
66	Tarpon Springs/Indian Rocks Beach	Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks - Tarpon Springs	Indian Rocks Shopping Center - Indian Rocks	Daily	Bi-Directional
67	Downtown Clearwater/Downtown Oldsmar via SR 580 & Hercules	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Downtown Oldsmar	Monday through Saturday Only	Bi-Directional
68	Tyrone Square Mall/John's Pass Village	John's Pass Village - Madeira Beach	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional
73	Tyrone Square Mall/Downtown Clearwater via Keene Rd/Starkey Rd/Park St	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Monday through Saturday Only	Bi-Directional
74	Williams Park & Downtown St. Pete/Indian Rocks Beach via Park Blvd	Williams Park - St. Petersburg	Indian Rocks Shopping Center - Indian Rocks	Daily	Bi-Directional
75	Tyrone Square Mall/Gateway Mall	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Gateway Mall - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional
76	Downtown Clearwater/Westfield Countryside via Belcher Rd & Sunset Point	Westfield Countryside - Clearwater	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Monday through Saturday Only	Bi-Directional
78	Downtown Clearwater/Westfield Countryside via SR 580	Westfield Countryside - Clearwater	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Daily	Bi-Directional
79	Downtown St. Pete/Whitney Rd & US 19	Williams Park - St. Petersburg	Whitney Road - Clearwater	Daily	Bi-Directional
90	St. Pete Beach/Downtown St. Pete	Grand Central Station - St. Petersburg	St. Pete Beach	Daily	Bi-Directional	Peak hours only
97	49th St & Carillon/Downtown St. Pete	Williams Park - St. Petersburg	Criminal Justice Center - Clearwater	Weekdays only	Peak direction only	Peak hours only
98	49th St & Carillon/Downtown Clearwater	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Carillon Office Complex - St. Petersburg	Weekdays only	Peak direction only	Peak hours only
444	Pinellas Park Circulator	Chrystal Lakes Manor	Walmart Via US19 Mainlands of Tamararac	Weekdays only	Circulator

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 the Central Avenue Trolley (at St Pete Beach), as well as local routes: 59 (at Indian Rocks Beach), 68 (at Johns Pass) and 90 (at St Pete Beach), for seamless travel to and from other Pinellas destinations.

North County Connector

There are two flex-route cutaway van-operated "Connector" routes that operate in northern Pinellas County. The Dunedin/Palm Harbor Connector runs from Westfield Countryside to the Palm Harbor WalMart (off US 19 and Alderman Rd), with select trips going to the SPC Tarpon Springs Campus, and the Oldsmar/Tampa/Countryside Connector runs from Westfield Countryside to the HART Northwest Transfer Center in Town-N-Country, via Oldsmar and the Shoppes at Boot Ranch. Both connector routes run Monday through Saturday.

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 of different models, Gillig, and Motor Coach Industries.

Transit buses

Year	Builder/Model	Example	Numbers	Length (ft)	Active	Notes
2000	Gillig G27D102N4 Low Floor	200px	2101-2116	40	Y	This fleet is mixed, with some buses painted in the new livery, and some retaining the old colors.
2002	Gillig G27D102N4, G27E102R2 Low Floor	[1]	2201-2210 (40-foot), 2230-2233 (29-foot)	40 and 29	Y	This fleet is mixed, with some buses painted in the new livery, and some retaining the old colors.
2003	Motor Coach Industries Model D-60	200px	2301-2309(40-foot)	40	Y	Express Buses from Pinellas County to Hillsborough County
2005	Gillig G29D102N4, G29B102N4, G29E102R2 Low Floor	[2]	2501-2508 (40-foot), 2510-2517 (35-foot), 2530-2534 (29-foot)	40, 35 and 29	Y	Most of these buses are in the new livery.
2006	Gillig G29D102N4, G29B102N4 Low Floor	[3]	2601-2636 (40-foot), 2650-2661 (35-foot)	40 and 35	Y	All of these buses are in the new livery.
2007	Gillig G29D102N4, G29B102N4 Low Floor		2701-2711 (40-foot), 2712-2718 (35-foot)	40 and 35	Y	All of these buses are in the new livery.
2008	Gillig G27D102N4, G27B102N4 Low Floor 35FT and 40FT	[4]	2801-2815 (40-foot), 2830-2835 (35-foot)	40 and 35	Y	All of these buses are in the new livery.
2009-2015	Gillig G30B102N4, G27B102N4 Low Floor	BRT Gillig Bus	2901-2903 (35-foot hybrid), 2910-2911 (35-foot straight diesel) 10101-101XX (35-foot hybrid) 12101-15113 (40-foot hybrids)	35/40	Y	2901-2909 Hybrid known as the "Smartbus".	2910-2911 Non-Hybrid Clean Diesels Technology.	2010-2015 Also "Smartbus" Hybrids	Gillig G30D102N4 Low Floor
2016 (Planned Purchase)	Gillig Low Floor		16101-16107 (Hybrid, unknown length)	Unknown	N	These buses will also be "Smartbus" Hybrids

Trolley Replicas

Year	Builder/Model	Example	Numbers	Length (ft)	Active	2007	Gillig G29B102N4 Low Floor "Trolley"		720-722	35		Trolley-replica buses, modified by Cable Car Concepts.
2008	Gillig G27B102N4 Low Floor "Trolley"		820-825	35		Trolley-replica buses, modified by Cable Car Concepts. Powered by clean diesel.
2009	Gillig G30B102N4 Hybrid Low Floor "Trolley"		920-926	35		Trolley-replica buses, modified by Cable Car Concepts. 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
1973	General Motors TDH3302A		101-121	30		from Central Pinellas Transit Authority
1975	General Motors T6H4523A		201-214	35		from Central Pinellas Transit Authority
1976	General Motors T6H4523A		1164-1173	35		from St Petersburg Municipal Transit System
1978	General Motors TW7603		401-410	35		from Central Pinellas Transit Authority
1979	General Motors T7W603		1174-1187	35		from St Petersburg Municipal Transit System
1980	General Motors T7W603		601-614	35		from Central Pinellas Transit Authority
1982	General Motors T80604		1200-1224	40		from St Petersburg Municipal Transit System	first 40-foot buses in St Petersburg/Clearwater
1983	General Motors T70604		701-707	35		from Central Pinellas Transit Authority
1985	Flxible 35096-6T		1001-1015	35		First buses bought new by Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority
1983	Flxible 40096-6T		8301-8308	40		Bought used from Hillsborough Area Regional Transit	formerly HART 311, 313-318, 321
1989	Flxible 35096-6T		8901-8915	35
1991	Gillig Spirit		9101-9110	30
1992	Bus Industries of America Orion I/01.502		9201-9210	30
1993	Flxible 35096-6T		9301-9321	35
1994	Gillig Phantom S50T3596		9401-9432	35	1994-
1995	Advanced Vehicle Systems Electric		2001	30			Battery-operated electric bus
1996	New Flyer D40LF	[5]	9601-9615	40	1996–2008		Retired in 2008
1997	New Flyer D30LF, D35LF	[6]	9701-9735 (35-foot), 9750-9759 (30-foot)	30 and 35	1997–2009		Retired in 2009
1998	New Flyer C40LF		9801-9804	40	1998-		CNG fuel
1999	Gillig G21D102N4		9901-9908	40	1999-

External links

• PSTA Website
• Tampa Bay Transit