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Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority

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Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority
Founded1984
Headquarters3201 Scherer Drive,
St. Petersburg, Florida
LocalePinellas County, Florida
Service areaPinellas County
Service typebus service
AlliancePinellas County Government
Routes40
Stops4602
Fleet210
Daily ridership32,000 (weekdays, Q3 2024)[1]
Annual ridership10,052,000 (2023)[2]
Fuel typeClean Diesel, Diesel-Electric Hybrid, Battery Electric
Chief executiveBrad Miller
Websitewww.psta.net Edit this at Wikidata

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) is a government agency that provides public transportation for Pinellas County, Florida. The authority manages a fixed-route bus system that encompasses over 40 bus routes - including two express routes to Tampa; the Central Avenue Trolley; the Suncoast Beach Trolley; and the bus rapid transit service, the SunRunner.

History

[edit]

PSTA's roots trace back to 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. Unlike the advent and expansion of Tampa's original streetcar system, the Gulfport streetcar only encompassed 23 miles of track along its singular line. However, the line proved to be popular amongst area residents during its heyday. In 1928, the entire SPMTS system carried 4.2 million customers, marking a major milestone for the agency. As the 1930s came and went, streetcar usage began to decline - as was the case nationwide. By 1949, the streetcar line had closed, marking the end of streetcar service in Pinellas County as a whole.[3][4]

Despite the demise of the Gulfport trolley, bus service throughout Pinellas County continued to expand throughout the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. 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. This agreement also led to the creation of a single customer service phone number. In October 1984, the two companies formally merged (via an act of the Florida Legislature) to create the PSTA. In the years following their merger, PSTA operated nearly 80 routes with a fleet of 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. Further expansion of bus service continued through the 1990s and 2000s; with the construction of bus terminals at Williams Park in Downtown St. Petersburg (opening in 1994) and the Central Plaza Terminal (now known as Grand Central Station) in the Grand Central District off Central Ave near US 19 (opening in 2002). The agency introduced electronic fare cards (GO Cards) in 1996, as well as accelerated replacement of outdated 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. A year later, PSTA and HART introduced an intersystem Passport to allow customers to use each other's systems for a single monthly fare. In 2005, PSTA relocated all of its operations to a single, unified facility in northern St. Petersburg - near Ulmerton Rd and Roosevelt Blvd. In 2006, HART and PSTA agreed to honor each other's reduced fare photo permits.[5]

From the late 2000s onward, PSTA began purchasing diesel-electric hybrid buses and attempted to bring forth further expanded bus service, as well as premium transit service such as Bus Rapid Transit or Light Rail Transit to Pinellas County. This began with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the agency, the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA), 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.[6] This was then followed up by a series of public engagement sessions and eventually the failed attempt in 2014 by Pinellas County to pass a sales tax referendum (Greenlight Pinellas).[7] In 2012, the agency 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.[8]

In 2017, PSTA began Direct Connect, which allows customers to summon a ride via taxi or ride share to connect to or from a designated stop or bus terminal "PSTA Brings Together Uber and Taxi to get People on the Bus". Mass Transit Magazine. Mass Transit Magazine. 2017-01-19. Retrieved 2022-11-14.. In 2018, a partnership between PSTA, HART, Pasco County Public Transportation, and transit agencies in Hernando, Manatee, and Sarasota counties began working on a regional fare collection system called Flamingo Fares Tampa Bay. This system would allow customers to use either a smartphone app or a smart card to tap a reader device and pay for their transit fares in a seamless, contactless manner. While Manatee County was involved in the initial phase of the program, county officials decided to leave the project in pursuit of a different fare collection vendor.[9] The same year, PSTA announced that it would partner with Transit App to help provide real-time bus arrival predictions and eventually other features to customers via the use of smartphones.[10] The agency also introduced its first two battery electric buses - produced by BYD, and revamped Route 300X to serve Tampa International Airport on most trips.[11][12]

In 2018, PSTA pushed ahead with planning for what would become the SunRunner, with planning for the project reaching 60% completion by September, 2019.[13] The SunRunner branding was formally unveiled in 2020, along with the project groundbreaking.[14] Despite delays in the project - partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SunRunner opened to customers on October 21, 2022 to great fanfare.[15]

In the early 2020s, PSTA placed an order for 62 new Battery Electric Gillig built buses. These buses will replace the older Diesel buses built between 2005 and 2007.

Effective January 2nd, 2024, PSTA would stop accepting the old "GO Cards", in favor of contactless payment via Flamingo Fares.

Bus routes

[edit]

PSTA operates 38 routes (including one limited express route) that traverse Pinellas County and 2 express routes that connect into downtown Tampa.[16]

Local

[edit]
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 28th St. N/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 Alternating trips interline with Route 16 on weekdays.
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 Hourly weekday service (interlines with Route 14 on weekdays), with buses running approximately every hour and 10 minutes on weekends
18 Clearwater/Bay Pines VA Medical Center/St. Petersburg via Seminole Blvd/Tyrone Square Grand Central Station - St. Petersburg Park Street Terminal - Clearwater Daily Bi-Directional Buses leave every 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 Interlines with Route 75.
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 Countryside Mall - 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 Countryside Mall 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 Interlines with Route 38.
76 Downtown Clearwater/Countryside Mall via Belcher Road & Sunset Point Countryside Mall - Clearwater Park Street Terminal - Clearwater Monday through Saturday Only Bi-Directional
78 Downtown Clearwater/Countryside Mall via SR 580 Countryside Mall - 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 Roy Hanna Dr @ 25th Way S - Pinellas Point St. Pete Beach Daily Bi-Directional Peak hours only
CAT Central Avenue Trolley The Pier - St. Petersburg Grand Central Station Daily Bi-Directional Operates every 30 minutes at all times.
SBT Suncoast Beach Trolley Park Street Terminal - Clearwater 75th Ave and Gulf Blvd - St. Pete Beach Daily Bi-Directional Extended weekend service. Provides AM circular service through Island Estates and northern Clearwater Beach until Jolley Trolley service begins for the rest of the day.
SR/SUN SunRunner 3rd St S and 6th Ave S - St. Petersburg Pinellas County Beach Access at 4700 Gulf Blvd - St. Pete Beach Daily (Frequent Service) Bi-Directional Buses run every 15 minutes during the day, every day, with 30 minute service operating between 8:00pm and 12-midnight each day.
812 Countryside/Tampa (Van) Countryside Mall - Clearwater HART Northwest Transfer Center - Tampa Monday through Saturday Bi-Directional Hourly service all day
814 Countryside/Safety Harbor (Van) Countryside Mall - Clearwater Philipppe Park - Safety Harbor Monday through Saturday Bi-Directional Was converted into a fully on-demand based service in December, 2023.

Express services

[edit]
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 - Peak Hour Service Bi-Direction Buses leave every 30 minutes, creating a roughly 15 minute combined headway spread between the 52 and 52LX. Buses also serve the Carillon Business Park.
100X St. Petersburg/South Pinellas Express The Pier - Downtown St. Petersburg Marion Transit Center - Downtown Tampa Weekdays Only Bi-Directional Also serves Gateway Mall (St. Petersburg) and Britton Plaza (Tampa)
300X Central Pinellas Express Ulmerton Park-N-Ride - Largo Marion Transit Center - Downtown Tampa Weekdays Only Bi-Directional Most trips also serve Tampa International Airport (Rental Car Center Bus Hub)

Trolley Services

[edit]

PSTA operates two fixed-route trolley services using trolley-replica buses - the Central Ave Trolley (CAT) and the Suncoast Beach Trolley (SBT). The CAT traverses Central Ave between Downtown St. Pete's Pier District and Grand Central Station, while the SBT traverses Gulf Blvd between Clearwater Beach and St. Pete Beach (the latter also serves Downtown Clearwater via the Memorial Causeway Bridge). Until December, 2023, the CAT served St. Pete Beach.

The CAT connects to other PSTA routes along Central Ave - including at Grand Central Station and Downtown St. Pete. The SBT connects to Route 59 in Indian Rocks Beach, Route 68 at Johns Pass, and other routes in Clearwater.

North County Connector

[edit]

The North County Connector was originally launched in 2012 and was modeled off of HART's HART Flex service. The sub-network used cutaway vans to access areas of northern Pinellas County that would be otherwise inaccessible to standard transit buses. The three original routes consisted of Route 811 - serving the eastern Lake Tarpon area, Route 812 - serving Oldsmar and Town-N-Country, and Route 813 - serving Palm Harbor. Route 811 was eliminated in 2015 due to low usage. In 2016, service to Safety Harbor was added in part due to the rerouting of Route 62. This eventually led to the creation of Route 814 in 2016.

In 2019, the routes were restructured to become standard fixed routes. However, the 800-series route numbers were kept due to the continuation of the routes being operated by cutaway vans.

In December, 2023, Route 813 was eliminated due to low ridership, while Route 814 was converted into a fully on-demand based model. Customers may contact PSTA by phone or use the PSTA Access smartphone app to summon a ride [1].

SunRunner BRT

[edit]

Since 2009, PSTA has been planning some form of Bus Rapid Transit service to better serve customers along higher-ridership corridors. The first area of focus is the 1st Ave N/1st Ave S and Pasadena Ave corridors to allow customers a faster trip between Downtown St. Pete and St. Pete Beach. In the mid 2010s, concrete plans were presented for the county's first BRT route utilizing the aforementioned corridors. In 2019, the SunRunner name was given to the project and construction began in 2020. The SunRunner launched in October 2022.

The SunRunner route operates on fifteen-minute intervals everyday from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and in thirty-minute intervals thereafter until midnight, using 40' Gillig BRT Plus buses. The 1st Ave N, 1st Ave S, and Pasadena Ave corridors will utilize dedicated bus lanes with stylized stations. Along Gulf Blvd, stylized stations will be placed but buses will operate in mostly mixed traffic.

Bus Hubs/Transit Centers

[edit]
  • 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, Jolley Trolley, SBT
  • Tyrone Square Mall - Serving Routes: 5, 7, 18, 20, 22, 23, 38, 62, 68, 73, 75, 79
  • Countryside Mall - Serving Routes: 19, 61, 62, 67, 76, 78, 812, 814 (on-demand)
  • 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, Jolley Trolley

Connection to PCPT

[edit]

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

[edit]

PSTA operates a fleet of 210+ transit buses and access vehicles.[17] 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 were equipped with barrier shields in the operator area during the course of 2020 through 2021, and many buses are being fitted with LCD screens that display next stops and customer information - replacing the LED-based scroll signs near the front of the bus interior. From 2002-2009, PSTA installed yellow flashing strobe lights at the rear of their buses for extra visibility, but these were eventually removed around the 2010s and replaced with normal red brake lights.

Transit Fixed-Route Buses

[edit]
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. 2501, 2502, 2504, 2506, 2508, 2511, 2512-2517, and 2534 are no longer in service. Expected to retire soon.
2006 Gillig

Low Floor

2601-2636, 2650-2661 40, 35 Diesel 2601 is a 2005 model.

2660 is painted in PSTA's all silver livery with black logos.

2602, 2615, 2618, 2622, 2624, 2626, 2655, 2658 and 2659 are no longer in service.

2007 Gillig

Low Floor

2701-2711, 2712-2718 40, 35 Diesel Buses 2706 and 2710 are no longer in service.

2711 was reactivated on 11/7/24 was out of service for 2 months

2703 was repainted into PSTA's new livery and has new mirrors and features

2008 Gillig

Low Floor

2801-2815, 2830-2835 40, 35 Diesel 2801, 2802, 2804, 2807, 2808, 2810, 2812, 2813, 2815, and 2830-2835 are no longer in service.
2009 Gillig

Low Floor BRT

2901-2903, 2910-2911 35 2901-2903: Hybrid, 2910-2911: Diesel Pilot Hybrid units. PSTA also ordered 2 Gillig BRT diesels incase the hybrids weren't favored.
2010 Gillig

Low Floor BRT

10101-10114 35 Diesel-Electric Hybrid 10105 is no longer in service.
2012 Gillig

Low Floor BRT

12101-12108 40 Diesel-Electric Hybrid 12106 is no longer in service.
2013 Gillig

Low Floor BRT

13101-13108 40 Diesel-Electric Hybrid
2014 Gillig

Low Floor BRT

14101-14108 40 Diesel-Electric Hybrid 14107 lacks the "Smart bus" decals and has a different yield warning sticker.
2015 Gillig

Low Floor BRT

15101-15113 40 Diesel-Electric Hybrid 15104 was involved in an accident in 2017 and returned to service in 2019.

15111 was involved in an accident in 2023 and returned to service in 2024, being repainted into the Teal and white livery and has new features. 15112 and 15113 are wrapped for express service. 15101 is a pilot bus equipped with LCD screens (screens are installed on all 2020 and 2021 buses), 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 All buses are wrapped for express service, with some units containing interior luggage racks for Route 300X service. Uses BAE Drive.
2017 Gillig

Low Floor BRT (BRT front, Standard rear)

17101-17103 35 Diesel-Electric Hybrid Last buses to use orange LED displays.
2018 Gillig

Low Floor BRT (BRT front, Standard rear)

18101-18109 35 Diesel-Electric Hybrid Arrived in Fall 2018
2018 BYD K9S 18110-18111 35 Battery-Electric First battery electric buses for PSTA.

Arrived in August 2018

2018 Freightliner S2

1801-1808 27 Diesel Used on connector routes.
2019 Gillig

Low Floor BRT (BRT front, Standard rear)

19101-19109 35 Diesel-Electric Hybrid Arrived in Spring 2019
2020 BYD K9S 20110-20113 35 Battery-Electric Last BYD bus order under the original 5 year contract. All future electric bus orders (subject to change) will be through Gillig.
2021 Gillig

BRT Plus

21101-21109 40 Diesel-Electric Hybrid Arrived in Fall 2021. Used for SunRunner BRT service.
2023 Gillig

Low Floor Plus EV

23101-23106 40 Battery Electric First Gillig EV order for PSTA. The pilot units are 23101 and 23102, while the 1st production units are 23103 through 23106. A total of 62 buses have been ordered - to be produced and delivered over the course of five years. # 23101 was showcased at the APTA Mobility Conference in Minneapolis, MN.
2024 Gillig

BRT Plus

21110-21112 40 Diesel-Electric Hybrid An order for three additional hybrid buses was placed in 2022 to provide operational spares for the SunRunner. Numbering continues off from the 211XX series rather than using 241XX numbers.
2024 Gillig

Low Floor Plus EV

24101-24108 40 Battery Electric Apart of the 5 year production order for the Gillig low floor plus EV.

Trolley Replicas

[edit]
Year Builder/Model Example Numbers Length
(ft)
Fuel Type Notes
2020/21 Hometown Manufacturing

Streetcar

2001-2020 35 Clean Diesel Trolley-replica buses, replacing all 2007, 2008, and 2009 Gillig models. Vehicles began entering service in December, 2021.

Future Orders

[edit]
Year Builder/Model Picture Numbers Length (feet) Fuel Type Notes
2025-2027 Gillig

Low Floor Plus

56 buses [2] 40 Battery-Electric Remaining 56 out of 60 total units for the 5-year production order for the Gillig Low Floor Plus EV.

Retired Fleet

[edit]
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

PSTA D40LF, photo by Sidney Keyles 9601-9615 40

9601, 9609, 9610, 9613-9615 sold to Paul Revere Transportation.

Powered by a Detroit Diesel engine with Allison Transmission.

Retired 2009

1997 New Flyer

D30LF, D35LF

9701-9735 (35-foot), 9750-9759 (30-foot) 30 and 35 Powered by a Detroit Diesel engine with unknown transmission.

9702, 9705, and 9729 sold to Maingate Transportation. 9713 and 9718 sold to Transtar. Retired 2009

1998 New Flyer

C40LF

9801-9804 40 Powered by a Detroit Diesel engine with an Allison Transmission.

Retired 2009

1999 Gillig

G21D102N4

9901-9908 40 First Gillig Low Floor buses bought by PSTA, retired around the mid-late 2010s
2001 Gillig G27D102N4

Low Floor

2101-2116 40 2102-2104, 2110-2112 are retired.

2111 sold to City Sightseeing San Francisco 229.

Retired 2019

2002 Gillig G27D102N4, G27E102R2

Low Floor

[3] 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 Used on express routes, retired 2017
2007 Gillig G29B102N4

Low Floor Trolley

720-722 35 Trolley-replica buses, modified by Cable Car Classics. Retired in 2021 due to heavy wear and tear.
2008 Gillig Low Floor 2830-2835 35 Retired due to mechanical issues
2008 Gillig G27B102N4

Low Floor Trolley

820-825 35 Trolley-replica buses, modified by Cable Car Classics. Powered by clean diesel. Retired in 2021 due to heavy wear and tear.
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. Retired in 2021 due to heavy wear and tear.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Third Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  2. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "History and Facts | PSTA". www.psta.net. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  4. ^ Lehman, Robert (1997). "Streetcars in Tampa and St. Petersburg: A Photographic Essay". Tampa Bay History. 19 (1): 5. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  5. ^ "History and Facts | PSTA". www.psta.net. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  6. ^ "History and Facts | PSTA". www.psta.net. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  7. ^ Marrero, Tony (2014-11-05). "Voters reject Greenlight Pinellas". Tampa Bay Times. St Petersburg, FL. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  8. ^ "After one year, PSTA's North County Connector proves popular".
  9. ^ "GETTING THERE: Flamingo Fares cards to ease commute". Spectrum Bay News 9. Spectrum Bay News 9. 2018-03-21. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  10. ^ Brezina-Smith, Veronica (2018-11-27). "Pinellas transit authority launches app program to help bus riders connect with Uber, Lyft". St Petersburg, FL. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  11. ^ Manning, Margie (2018-10-03). "PSTA unveils first all-electric bus, wins grant to expand fleet". St Pete Catalyst. St Pete Catalyst. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  12. ^ "PSTA unveils new 300x airport service from Largo to Tampa International Airport". ABC Action News. ABC Action News. 2018-06-18. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  13. ^ Paul, Ashley (2019-09-19). "PSTA Officials: Bus Rapid Transit Project "60 percent complete"". Spectrum Bay News 9. Spectrum Bay News 9. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  14. ^ Brezina-Smith, Veronica (2020-08-17). "Pinellas transit authority breaks ground on bus rapid transit station". Tampa Bay Business Journal. Tampa Bay Business Journal. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  15. ^ Wanek-Libman, Mischa (2022-10-25). "Strong debut for PSTA's SunRunner BRT". Mass Transit Magazine. Mass Transit Magazine. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  16. ^ "History and Facts | PSTA". www.psta.net. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  17. ^ "PSTA Vehicle Fleet". The Global Transit Guidebook by HARTride 2012. 2014-04-27. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
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