Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) provides public transportation for Pinellas County, Florida. The authority manages a bus system that encompasses over 40 bus routes - including 2 express routes to Tampa, 3 flex-route neighborhood connectors (the PSTA North County Connector), the Central Avenue Trolley, and the Suncoast Beach Trolley.

Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority

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	40
Stops	4602
Fleet	210
Daily ridership	38,711
Fuel type	Clean Diesel, Diesel-Electric Hybrid, Battery Electric
Chief executive	Brad Miller
Website	www.psta.net

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 commuter buses 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.[1] 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.
• In 2012, PSTA launched the North County Connector flex-route van service, allowing customers in areas of northern Pinellas to have access to transit service - including those in neighborhoods by which regular transit buses have difficulty accessing or where a traditional fixed bus route would have lower ridership projections. The three routes have since been modified to serve areas with demand for the service.[2]

Bus routes

PSTA operates 38 routes (including one limited express route) that traverse Pinellas County and 2 express routes that connect into downtown Tampa.[3]

Local

No.	Name	Terminus 1	Terminus 2	Operates	Direction	Notes
4	4th Street	34th St. N Transfer Center (PSTA Facility) - St. Petersburg	25 Way/Roy Hanna Drive - St. Petersburg	Daily (Frequent Weekday Service)	Bi-Directional	Buses run every 20 minutes during early mornings on weekdays, every 15 minutes during the day on weekdays, every 30 minutes during evenings on weekdays and all day on Saturdays, and every hour on Sundays and holidays
5	Tyrone Square Mall via 5th Ave. N	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Grand Central Station - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional
7	Tyrone Square Mall via Midtown/9th Ave. N	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	2nd Ave. S/4th St. S - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional
9	Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N/Gateway	Gateway Mall - St. Petersburg	Grand Central Station - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional (serves 116th Ave. N, Goodwill Industries, and Gateway Mall in a one-way clockwise pattern).
11	Carillon/Pinellas Point	34th St. N Transfer Center (PSTA Facility) - St. Petersburg	25 Way/Roy Hanna Drive - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional	Hourly service seven days a week
14	Palms of Pasadena Hospital	3rd Ave. N/4th St. N - St. Petersburg	Palms of Pasadena Hospital - South Pasadena	Daily	Bi-Directional
15	Gulfport	2nd Ave. S/4th St. S - St. Petersburg	Gulfport Casino - Gulfport	Daily	Bi-Directional
16	16th St. N	Gateway Mall - St. Petersburg	3rd Ave. N/4th St. N - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional	Limited Service (buses depart every hour and 10 minutes, seven days a week)
18	Clearwater/Bay Pines VA Medical Center/St. Petersburg via Seminole Blvd/Tyrone Square	1st Ave. N/3rd St. N - St. Petersburg	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Daily (Frequent Weekday Service)	Bi-Directional	Buses leave every 20 to 30 minutes during weekdays, every 30 minutes on Saturdays, and hourly on Sundays and holidays
19	US 19 North of Largo	Largo Transit Center - Largo	Huey Ave. & Tarpon Ave. - Tarpon Springs	Daily	Bi-Directional	Buses leave every 30 to 45 minutes Monday through Saturday and every hour on Sundays and holidays
20	Pinellas Point/Tyrone Square	Roy Hanna Dr & 25 Way S - St. Petersburg	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional	Hourly service seven days a week
22	22nd Ave. N, Northwest Community Center, Tyrone Square Mall, and 4th & 22nd Ave	4th St. N/22nd Ave. N	Tyrone Square Mall-St.Petersburg	Monday thru Saturday	Bi-Directional (buses travel on a one-way counter-clockwise loop around 22nd Ave. N, 4th St. N, 30th Ave. N, and Dr. MLK St. N)	No Sunday Service
23	Tyrone Square Mall via 22nd Ave. S/Gulfport	3rd Ave. N/4th St. N - St. Petersburg	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional
32	Downtown St. Petersburg Circulator	4th Ave. N/15th St. N - St. Petersburg	6th St. S/6th Ave. S - St. Petersburg	Monday Through Saturday Limited Service (Circulator)	One-Way Directional Loop
34	US 19 South of Largo/34th St. N	Largo Transit Center - Largo	46th Ave. S/34th St. S - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional (frequent weekday service)	Buses leave every 20 to 30 minutes Monday through Friday, every 30 minutes on Saturdays, and every hour on Sundays and holidays. Eckerd College is only served during select Monday through Saturday trips.
38	Downtown St. Pete/Tyrone Square Mall via 38th Ave. N	4th Ave. N/1st St. N- St. Petersburg	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional
52	Grand Central/Downtown Clearwater via E Bay/W Bay Dr and 49th St. N	Grand Central Station - St. Petersburg	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Daily	Bi-Directional	Buses leave every 20 to 30 minutes Monday through Friday (peak times), every 30 to 50 minutes Monday through Friday (off-peak times), every 30 minutes on Saturdays, and every hour on Sundays and holidays
58	Gateway Mall/Seminole City Center via 118th Ave. N	Gateway Mall - St. Petersburg	Seminole City Center - Seminole	Weekdays Only - Peak hour service	Bi-Directional
59	Ulmerton Road	34th St. N Transfer Center (PSTA Facility) - St. Petersburg	1 St. & 4 Ave. - Indian Rocks Beach	Daily	Bi-Directional	15 minutes weekday peak and midday service, 30 minute Saturday service, and hourly Sunday and holiday service
60	McMullen Booth Frontage Road/Downtown Clearwater	McMullen Booth Frontage Road - Clearwater	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Daily	Bi-Directional	McMullen Booth Road is only served on select trips
61	Indian Rocks Beach/Dunedin	Indian Rocks Shopping Center - Indian Rocks	Westfield Countryside - Clearwater	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	Safety Harbor is no longer served as of October, 2016. Customers may use the Safety Harbor Flex Connector from Westfield Countryside to connect to Safety Harbor
65	Seminole City Center/Indian Rocks/Clearwater	Seminole City Center - Seminole	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Daily	Bi-Directional
66L	Tarpon Springs/Indian Rocks Beach	Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks - Tarpon Springs	Morton Plant Hospital - Clearwater	Weekdays Only (Peak Times)	Bi-Directional	Select Peak Direction trips serve Clearwater Fundamental Middle School
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	Gateway Mall/Seminole City Center via Park Blvd	Gateway Mall - St. Petersburg	Seminole City Center - Seminole	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 Road & 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	St. Petersburg/Largo Transit Center via 66th St. N	3rd Ave. N/4th St. N - St. Petersburg	Largo Transit Center - Largo	Daily	Bi-Directional
90	St. Pete Beach/Downtown St. Pete	Grand Central Station - St. Petersburg	St. Pete Beach	Daily	Bi-Directional	Peak hours only
CAT	Central Avenue Trolley	The Pier - St. Petersburg	Don Cesar Beach Resort - St. Pete Beach	Daily	Bi-Directional	Extended weekend service; frequent weekday service
SBT	Suncoast Beach Trolley	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	75th Ave and Gulf Blvd - St. Pete Beach	Daily	Bi-Directional	Frequent time shifts every day. Provides circular service at Island Estates connecting the Jolley Trolley.

Express services

No.	Name	Starting Point	Terminus	Operates	Direction	Notes
52LX	Clearwater/St. Pete Limited Express	Park Street Terminal, Downtown Clearwater	Grand Central Station, Downtown St. Petersburg.	Weekdays Only	Bi-Direction	Also serve Largo Transit Center, PSTA Complex and Pinellas Park Transit Center. Connects along with Route 52 with at least 52 bus stops.
100X	St. Petersburg/South Pinellas Express	Downtown St. Petersburg (Pier District)	Marion Transit Center, Tampa	Weekdays Only	Bi-Directional	Also serves Gateway Mall (St. Petersburg) and Britton Plaza (Tampa)
300X	Central Pinellas Express	Ulmerton Park-N-Ride, St. Petersburg	Marion Transit Center, Tampa	Weekdays Only	Bi-Directional	Most trips also serve Tampa International Airport (Rental Car Center Bus Hub)

Suncoast Beach Trolley

PSTA Suncoast Beach Trolley connects patrons to the Pinellas Gulf Coast Beaches via trolley-replica buses. 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 travel to and from other Pinellas destinations.

North County Connector

There are three flex-route cutaway van-operated "Connector" routes that operate in northern Pinellas County. The Dunedin/Palm Harbor Connector (Route 812) runs from Westfield Countryside to the Palm Harbor WalMart (off US 19 and Alderman Rd), the Oldsmar/Tampa/Countryside Connector (Route 813) runs from Westfield Countryside to the HART Northwest Transfer Center in Town-N-Country, via Oldsmar and the Shoppes at Boot Ranch, and the Safety Harbor Connector (Route 814) runs from Westfield Countryside to Phillipe Park in Safety Harbor. All connector routes run Monday through Saturday.

Bus Hubs/Transit Centers

• Grand Central Station - Downtown St. Petersburg - Serving Routes: 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, 15, 18, 34, 52, 52LX, 79, 90, CAT (Also serving Downtown St. Pete are Routes 4, 14, 16, 20, 23, 32, 79, 100X, Looper
• Park Street Terminal - Downtown Clearwater - Serving Routes: 18, 52, 52LX, 60, 61, 65, 66L, 67, 73, 76, 78, Jolly Trolley, SBT
• Tyrone Square Mall - Serving Routes: 5, 7, 18, 20, 22, 23, 38, 62, 68, 73, 75, 79
• Westfield Countryside - Serving Routes: 19, 61, 62, 67, 76, 78, DPC, OTC, SHC
• Gateway Mall - Serving Routes: 4, 9, 16, 58, 74, 75, 100X
• Pinellas Park Transit Center - Serving Routes: 11, 34, 52, 52LX, 74, 75
  • Serves as a stop for Greyhound.
• PSTA 34th Street Transfer Center - Serving Routes: 4, 11, 52, 52LX, 59
• Largo Transit Center - Serving Routes: 19, 34, 52, 52LX, 79
• Ulmerton Park-n-Ride - Serving Routes: 59, 300X
• Largo Mall - Serving Routes: 18, 59
• Seminole Shopping Center - Serving Routes: 18, 58, 65, 74
• Indian Rocks Shopping Center - Serving Routes: 59, 61, 65
• Clearwater Beach Transit Center - Serving Routes: SBT, Jolly Trolley

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

PSTA operates a fleet of 210 transit buses.[4] The bus fleet consists of a fleet of Gillig Low Floor and BRT buses as well as BYD buses. They are powered by clean diesel, diesel-electric hybrid, and battery-electric. All buses are being equipped with barrier shields in the operator area.

Transit Fixed-Route Buses

Year	Builder/Model	Picture	Numbers	Length (feet)	Fuel Type	Notes
2005	Gillig Low Floor		2501-2508, 2510-2517, 2530-2534	40, 35, 29	Diesel	Contingency Fleet. 2512 is no longer in service.
2006	Gillig Low Floor		2601-2636, 2650-2661	40, 35	Diesel	2622 and 2626 are no longer in service.
2007	Gillig Low Floor		2701-2711, 2712-2718	40, 35	Diesel	2706 is no longer in service.
2008	Gillig Low Floor		2801-2815, 2830-2835	40, 35	Diesel	2808, 2830-2835 are no longer in service.
2009	Gillig Low Floor BRT		2901-2903, 2910-2911	35	2901-2903: Hybrid, 2910-2911: Diesel
2010	Gillig Low Floor BRT		10101-10114	35	Diesel-Electric Hybrid
2012	Gillig Low Floor BRT		12101-12108	40	Diesel-Electric Hybrid	12106 was involved in an accident in July, 2019. It is not clear if it will return to service.
2013	Gillig Low Floor BRT		13101-13108	40	Diesel-Electric Hybrid
2014	Gillig Low Floor BRT		14101-14108	40	Diesel-Electric Hybrid
2015	Gillig Low Floor BRT		15101-15113	40	Diesel-Electric Hybrid	15104 was involved in an accident in 2017. Was put back into service in 2019. 15101 is a pilot bus equipped with LCD screens that will eventually be used for the 2020 Gillig BRT Plus order, as well as white colored destination signs that were adapted to the 2018 & 2019 Gillig orders.
2016	Gillig Low Floor BRT (BRT front, Standard rear)		16101-16107	40	Diesel-Electric Hybrid	16101, 16103, & 16106 are now specifically designated for Route 300X service with special wrapping and on-board luggage racks
2017	Gillig Low Floor BRT (BRT front, Standard rear)		17101-17103	35	Diesel-Electric Hybrid
2018	Gillig Low Floor BRT (BRT front, Standard rear)		18101-18109	35	Diesel-Electric Hybrid	Arrived in Fall 2018
2018	BYD K9		18110-18111	35	Battery-Electric	First battery electric buses for PSTA. To be used on the expanded Downtown St. Petersburg "Looper" route. Arrived in August 2018
2019	Gillig Low Floor BRT (BRT front, Standard rear)		19101-19109	35	Diesel-Electric Hybrid	Arrived in Spring 2019
2018	Champion/Freightliner Defender		1801-1808	27	Diesel	Used on the North County Connector.

Trolley Replicas

Year	Builder/Model	Example	Numbers	Length (ft)	Notes
2007	Gillig G29B102N4 Low Floor Trolley		720-722	35	Trolley-replica buses, modified by Cable Car Classics.
2008	Gillig G27B102N4 Low Floor Trolley		820-825	35	Trolley-replica buses, modified by Cable Car Classics. Powered by clean diesel.
2009	Gillig G30B102N4 Hybrid Low Floor Trolley		920-926	35	Trolley-replica buses, modified by Cable Car Classics. Powered by the same Advanced Hybrid drive train as the SmartBus. Distinguishable by a white roof.

On Order

Year	Builder/Model	Picture	Numbers	Length (feet)	Fuel Type	Notes
2020	Gillig Low Floor BRT Plus		20101-201XX	40	Diesel-Electric Hybrid	To be used for the upcoming Central Ave BRT Line. Initial order is for 9 buses, but there may be additional units added for operational spares. Buses will be equipped with the rear plug door option, on-board bike racks, and interior LCD screens.
2020	Hometown Trolley Streetcar		201XX-201XX	35	Diesel	To replace the existing 2007, 2008, & 2009 trolley replicas on the CAT & SBT. Order is for 20 buses (16 replacements, plus 4 spares).
2021	BYD K9		21101-21104	35	Battery Electric	To be used on either the Looper or a planned circulator for the Carillon/Feather Sound area.

Retired Fleet

Year	Builder/Model	Example	Numbers	Length (ft)	Notes
1973	General Motors TDH3302A		101-121	30	Formerly Central Pinellas Transit Authority 101-121
1975	General Motors T6H4523A		201-214	35	Formerly Central Pinellas Transit Authority 201-214
1976	General Motors T6H4523A		1164-1173	35	Formerly St. Petersburg Municipal Transit System 1164-1173.
1978	General Motors TW7603		401-404	35	Formerly Central Pinellas Transit Authority 401-404
1979	General Motors T7W603		1174-1187	35	Formerly St. Petersburg Municipal Transit System 1174-1187.
1980	General Motors T7W603		601-614	35	Formerly Central Pinellas Transit Authority 601-614
1982	General Motors T8J604		1200-1224	40	first 40-foot buses in St. Petersburg/Clearwater Formerly St. Petersburg Municipal Transit System 1200-1224.
1983	General Motors T7J604		701-707	35	Formerly Central Pinellas Transit Authority 701-707.
1985	Flxible 35096-6T		1001-1015	35	First buses ever Purchased new by Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority.
1983	Flxible 40096-6T		8301-8308	40	formerly HART 311, 313-318, 321 bought in 1986. 8301-8307 were sold to Palm Tran as 8301-8307 in 1995.
1989	Flxible 35096-6T		8901-8915	35	1 unit (unknown model year) was bought by Fleetwood and was used as a shuttle at Shades of Green Resort in Bay Lake, FL. It was spotted running in March 2008.
1991	Gillig Spirit		9101-9110	30	2 units were sold to Fort Wayne Public Transportation Corporation (Citilink) as 9158-9159.
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
1995	Advanced Vehicle Systems Electric		2001	30	Battery-operated electric bus
1996	New Flyer D40LF		9601-9615	40	9601, 9609, 9610, 9613-9615 sold to Paul Revere Transportation.
1997	New Flyer D30LF, D35LF		9701-9735 (35-foot), 9750-9759 (30-foot)	30 and 35	9702, 9705, and 9729 sold to Maingate Transportation. 9713 and 9718 sold to Transtar.
1998	New Flyer C40LF		9801-9804	40
1999	Gillig G21D102N4		9901-9908	40
2001	Gillig G27D102N4 Low Floor		2101-2116	40	2102-2104, 2110-2112 are retired. 2111 sold to City Sightseeing San Francisco 229.
2002	Gillig G27D102N4, G27E102R2 Low Floor		2201-2210 (40-foot), 2230-2233 (29-foot)	40 and 29	Retired as of 7/1/19.
2003	Motor Coach Industries (MCI) D4000		2301-2310	40
2008	Gillig Low Floor		2808 2830-2835	40 35

References

1. The History of PSTA
3. "History and Facts | PSTA". www.psta.net. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
4. "PSTA Vehicle Fleet". The Global Transit Guidebook by HARTride 2012. 2014-04-27. Retrieved 2020-01-18.

External links

• Official website
• Tampa Bay Transit