Story by STEVE TRAIMAN
Photos courtesy Gillig, FreeBee & SunRunner
LOW-COST TRANSPORT SERVICES & TOURS ARE GULF BEACHES TOURISTS & RESIDENTS BONUS
Vacation travelers lucky enough to score accommodations in or near our Gulf Coast beach towns have a huge advantage over those in many other vacation destinations these days. While rental cars continue to be scarce all over this year, transportation alternatives around and to and from the beaches have been increasing and 2022 promises even more.
The city of St. Pete Beach has a fleet of electric “FreeBees”–an app-based service that comes to you with an online link at www.freebee.com. With service originally only in Pass-a-Grille, it now operates north to 75th Avenue. For operation times and schedule, access www.ridefreebee.com/stpetebeach.
If you are headed off St. Pete Beach, some places can best be reached by Beach Access Taxi Service (BATS TAXI) whose cars and SUVs are common sights. They also have an executive car division to take you to the airport, to a concert or the casino in style. For more information, call 727-367-3602 or online at www.batstaxi.com.
Multiple companies operate vans that will pick you up and drop you off for just a tip. Free Beach Ride and Free Island Hopper are two of them, both located in St. Pete Beach.
Free Beach Ride operates daily 8-3am from Pass-a-Grille on St. Pete Beach north to Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, and the northern parts of Clearwater Beach. Local SPB resident Dave Green created the service in 2009, designed to give back to the community and provide a safe, free transportation option for visitors and residents. It opened with just a few golf carts, serving only St. Pete Beach and Pass-A-Grille. As its popularity increased, vans were added to the fleet to meet customer needs. Soon after, the service was expanded to reach Treasure Island and Madeira Beach. Today, Free Beach Ride provides a safe, comfortable ride to guests from the south tip of Pass-A-Grille to the northern parts of Clearwater Beach. For more information, online at www.FreeBeachRide.com or call 727-776-7553.
Free Island Hopper operates from 8-2am daily from
Pass-A-Grille (St. Pete Beach) – mile marker 0, to 150th Ave in Madeira Beach – mile marker 9 ½, including all of Treasure Island. The service owns four 7-passenger minivans and is a free shuttle operation. It works very simply as you call 15-20 minutes in advance to 727-217-6735. Please be outside waiting at the time dispatcher tells you. Drivers work for tips only as they receive no hourly wage. More details online at www.freeislandhopper.com.
You can get from St. Pete Beach to downtown St. Petersburg or to Clearwater on the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority’s (PSTA) most successful routes: the Suncoast Beach Trolley and the Central Avenue Trolley. PSTA is also working with the Looper in downtown St. Petersburg and the “Jolly Trolley” from Clearwater north through Dunedin to Rusty Bellies on the Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs. For all routes, operating schedule and maps, online at www.psta.net or call 727-540-1800.
PSTA made a big step toward greener roads in late December, approving the purchase of 60 new electric buses over the next five years to fill the streets. “Starting now, we’ll be able to purchase two buses that are electric per year over the next five years for a total of 60, and that really goes a long way in our plans to become truly an environmentally-friendly bus system,” said PSTA vice-chair Gina Driscoll. PSTA will pay $80 million for the buses using federal grants, and PSTA said it would become the first fully electric bus system in the state. Currently, 210 buses are in the fleet, including six all-electric and several hybrids. Quieted bus engines by the dozens will replace all diesel buses starting in 2024. PSTA also will start larger SunRunner bus service in 2022 with limited stops from downtown St. Pete to the 46th Street County beach access in St. Pete Beach.
The newest trolley service in the area is as much entertainment as it is transportation – Barrier Island Transport Entertainment (BITE). Incorporated last July, it operates from John’s Pass in Madeira Beach to Treasure Island, St. Pete Beach, and downtown St. Pete. One popular route is the Sand Dollar Loop that operates daily from noon to 9:30pm with unlimited hop on/ hop off privileges at numerous convenience stops for stores and restaurants. Patrons get aboard a beautiful green and yellow trolley with vintage style charm that takes them from John’s Pass Village & Boardwalk to the beaches of Madeira Beach, Treasure Island and Corey Avenue shops on north St. Pete Beach.
Unlimited ride passes are available: One-day pass: $7.50/person, three-day pass: $21.00, five-day pass: $35.00, and seven-day pass: $48.00. All BITE sales are final and BITE passes are good for 12 months but are non-refundable, non-exchangeable, and non-transferable. Details at www.bitetrolley.com or phone 727-249-1868.
Combining transportation and entertainment is also the business of Paradise Tours and Transportation Service who would love to take your group or family on a mural tour in downtown St. Pete or many other local attractions. The service offers exciting and adventurous tours that start at $35/person and day trips. Tours include but are not limited to the following: Mural Tours, Haunted St Petersburg Tour, Historical Tour of St Petersburg, Local Chocolate Factory Tour, Food Tours, Winery Tours, African American Heritage Tours of St Petersburg, Tours to Tarpon Springs, Seasonal Tours of Tampa Bay, and James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art. List of tours is at www.paradisetoursandtransportationservice.com or call 727-417-8036.
If downtown Tampa or Ybor City is your destination, check out the Cross Bay Ferry from downtown St. Petersburg. It operates Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. It is funded jointly by the cities of St. Petersburg and Tampa, and Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Rates are: Adult one way $10/ round trip $20; Senior (65+), Military & College Student (with ID), and Youth (ages 5-18) $8 and $16; and Children (4 years and under) Free. Full schedule is online at www.thecrossbayferry.com/st-pete-tampa.
That’s a great sampling of free and low-cost transportation services for visitors and residents of our Gulf Beaches towns – an excellent variety of additional bonuses that should boost vital tourism in the years ahead.
[Editor’s Note: Special thanks to FreeBee, Free Beach Ride, Free Island Hopper and PSTA for their excellent information]
[Feature editor Steve Traiman is president of Creative Copy by Steve Traiman, providing professional business writing services since 1993. He can be reached via email to traimancreativecopy@gmail.com or by phone to 727-363-7531.]