With Pinellas County and Gulf Beaches tourism topping all records again this year, public transportation is a vital issue to take more cars off already overcrowded roads, bridges and highways.
The Gulf Beaches are fortunate to have several regular PSTA (Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority) bus routes connecting local residents, many business & hotel employees, snowbirds and other visitors to downtown St. Petersburg and north to Clearwater. In addition, there are two free van ride services, two new ferry services and a proposed PSTA Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) program.
PSTA’s Suncoast Beach Trolley operates daily including holidays from Pass-A-Grille in St. Pete Beach north along Gulf Boulevard to Clearwater Beach across Memorial Causeway to the downtown Clearwater Park Street Terminal. The Central Avenue Trolley runs Monday-Friday from the downtown St. Pete Pier across Central Avenue to Pasadena Avenue in South Pasadena across the Corey Causeway down Gulf Boulevard in St. Pete Beach to Pass-A-Grille.
PSTA DART (Dial-A-Ride) is a special vital service available to the Americans with Disabilities Act Eligible, Disabled, Elderly, Medicaid Eligible and Transportation Disadvantaged. DART dispatch operates Monday-Friday 8 am – 5 pm; weekends and holidays, 9 am – 5 pm, with more info online at psta.net/DART or by phone at 727-540-1897.
COMP BEACH VAN RIDES
Local resident Dave Green opened Free Beach Ride in early 2009. Designed to give back to the community, the service was created to provide a safe, free transportation option for visitors and residents with free rides and drivers getting tips only. He opened with just a few golf carts, serving only St. Pete Beach and Pass-A-Grille. As the service popularity increased, safer and more comfortable vans were added. Soon after, the service was expanded to Treasure Island and Madeira Beach. Today, service extends from the south tip of Pass-A-Grille to the northern parts of Clearwater Beach, open daily from 8 am to 3 am, except Clearwater Beach, 8 am to Midnight. Rides are available by calling 727-776-7553 in St. Pete Beach; 727-686-5396 in Madeira Beach or Treasure Island; 727-225-1982 in Redington Beach, Indian Rocks Beach and Clearwater Beach.
Free Island Hopper, LLC Company was started as a free shuttle service in December 2009 by local owner Lisa Turbbert. With four 7-passenger minivans, it operates daily from 8 am – 2 am from Pass-A-Grille (Gulf Boulevard mile marker 0) north to 150th Avenue (Tom Stuart Causeway, mile marker 9 1/2) in Madeira Beach, including all of Treasure Island. Service is free, with drivers working for tips only. The service is a great way for both locals and tourists to get to work, shopping, visit friends, restaurants or bar-hop. Riders need to call 727-217-6935 about 15-20 minutes in advance and be outside waiting for their pick-up at the dispatched time.
Both Free Beach Rides and Free Island Hopper offer on-van advertising for any company or product. The vans – and eye-catching ads – are “moving billboards” seen by thousands on a daily basis and are a great way to promote any business.
NEW FERRY SERVICES
The Madeira Beach Ferry and Water Taxi is run by Capt. Mark Hubbard of Hubbard’s Marina in Madeira Beach. The trips run Friday through Sunday to nine designated locations including John’s Pass Village & Boardwalk, Jungle Prada Park and Gator’s Café & Saloon on Treasure Island, with trips added as demand increases. Full weekday service is targeted for next March 1.
One-way tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for children and free under age 3, with an all-day pass for $20. Grand opening and ribbon cutting was held in conjunction with the John’s Pass Seafood Festival at Hubbard’s Marina on Oct. 28, with early rider response very encouraging, according to Hubbard. With the goal of taking more cars off the St. Pete to Tampa bridges, in August the St. Petersburg City Council and Pinellas County officials issued their final approval for a separate Cross Bay Ferry service connecting its downtown to downtown Tampa. Both the operating agreement with HMS Ferries and the interlocal agreement splitting the $1.4 million, six-month pilot project at $350,000 each from St. Pete, Pinellas County, Tampa and Hillsborough County was approved.
Service began Nov. 4, with one-way fares for the 50-minute trip $10 for adults, $8 for children and those under 3 free. The boat can transport up to 149 passengers with space for up to 36 bikes at an added cost of $1 per trip. It runs from downtown St. Pete in the Vinoy basin adjacent to the St. Pete History Museum to downtown Tampa near the Tampa Convention Center. HMS Ferries and its partners are working with local businesses to provide discounts for ferry passengers and lower commuter fares are also possible.
The service will provide two round-trip runs Monday through Friday and Sunday, and three round trips on Saturday. Monday-Thursday departure times run at 7 am from St. Pete and 9:30 am in Tampa and 3 pm from St. Pete and 5:15 pm from Tampa. Friday trips are catered for after-work hours.
The ferry will depart from St. Pete at 5:15 pm & 9:15 pm and from Tampa at 6:30 pm & 10:30 pm. Saturday service leaves from St. Pete at 2:30 pm, 5:15 pm and 9:15 pm and from Tampa at 4 pm; 6:30 pm and 10:30 pm and Sunday from St. Pete at 11 am and 5:30 pm and from Tampa at 12:30 pm and 7 pm.
PSTA BRT Proposal
Earlier this fall, as a pilot program for future rapid transit routes throughout the county, the PSTA board broached the idea of a bus rapid transit route (BRT) that would connect a key Gulf Beaches community with downtown St. Pete. They considered two other destination cities on the beach, Treasure Island and Madeira Beach but decided that St. Pete Beach is the best choice to attract ridership, providing connections to other county destinations and qualify for federal matching grants.
The problem for the PSTA is St. Pete Beach is not a member and its residents do not pay any taxes to support the transportation service. The community, along with Treasure Island, currently share the annual cost of fixed route, Trolley service and DART paratransit service. St. Pete Beach pays two-thirds of the total $754,991 – or $501,021 representing an 11% increase for the current year that runs from October 1 to September 30, 2017.
The BRT beach route proposal calls for half the cost of the program to be paid for with federal funds, a quarter with state money and the remaining quarter through a partnership between the PSTA and St. Pete Beach that would be about $700,000 this coming year. The projected cost could be as high as $1.2 million annually to cover startup and maintenance costs for the new route.
The PSTA Board made its presentation at an October 11 workshop prior to the regular Commission meeting. Although beach hoteliers and business owners favor the rapid transit system, the St. Pete Beach Commission at that meeting refused to sign a letter of intent requested by the PSTA. Commission discussion concluded with Mayor Deborah Schechner thanking the PSTA representatives for their presentation and assuring them that the City will remain open to further discussion.
SPB City Manager Wayne Saunders told Paradise News, “There has been no further action by our Commission regarding the PSTA BRT proposal. Brad Miller, PSTA CEO, has met with some of our Commissioners to discuss possible alternatives but the issue has not been scheduled for any future agenda at this time.”
Public transportation for the Gulf Beaches offers a nice array of options for tourists and local residents, hotels and businesses, but the crowded roads and bridges certainly can use some innovative and affordable new rapid transit proposals.
Story by Steve Traiman
[Editor’s Note: Special thanks to PSTA’s Ashlie Handy and Rachael Cappolla; Capt. Mark Hubbard; St. Pete Beach City Manager Wayne Saunders and City Clerk Rebecca Haynes for their vital information and comments.]
[Steve Traiman is President of Creative Copy by Steve Traiman in St. Pete Beach, offering freelance business writing services. He can be reached via email at traimancreativecopy@gmail.com]