Today, the Pinellas County School Board approved a partnership with Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) to bring free PSTA bus rides to all students and staff beginning Jan. 1, 2022. The PSTA Board approved the agreement last week.
The opportunity is provided by the Universal Pass or UPASS, an agreement between the school district and the PSTA. Pinellas County Schools (PCS) students and staff will be able to ride free by showing their student or staff ID to the PTSA driver.
“PSTA has numerous public transit routes and bus stops convenient to schools throughout the county,” said Brad Miller, Chief Executive Officer of PSTA. “But UPass offers much more. All PCS students and staff will be able to ride for free, any time, on all routes so they can access jobs, after-school activities, or even the beach.”
“We are thrilled to partner with PSTA to improve transportation options for our students and employees,” said Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Grego. “Not only will our students and staff have free public transit to and from campus, they will also enjoy free PTSA bus service after school hours and on weekends.”
In addition, for the 2022-2023 School Year, PSTA and PCS will work on a pilot program to time PSTA bus routes, route schedules, and PCS bell times to serve students at Dunedin, Largo and Gibbs high schools.
To find out how to ride, visit psta.net
Information and image courtesy of Pinellas County Suncoast Transit Authority.