Senior Special Citizen Program
This program allows passengers to ride PSTA’s regular bus routes for a reduced fare by presenting PSTA Special Citizen Photo ID, or Government-issued Photo ID showing age. To obtain the ID, show proof that you are 65 or older at any PSTA Customer Service Center. We also accept Photo ID cards from HART (Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority) and PCPT (Pasco County Public Transit).

Who Qualifies?
The Federal Transit Act (Title 49 USC, Chapter 53, Section 5302) defines those who qualify as individuals who because of permanent illness, injury, congenital malfunction, or other incapacity (including an individual who is a wheelchair user or has semi ambulatory capability), are unable to utilize mass transportation service or a mass transportation facility without special facilities, planning, or design. Such limitations must present difficulty when waiting, boarding, riding, or exiting a public transit vehicle.

Individuals whose sole incapacity or disability is pregnancy, obesity, impairment due to drugs or alcohol, controlled epilepsy, or vision or hearing loss that can be corrected with mechanical devices do not qualify. Financial need is not considered for program eligibility.

How to Apply
All sections of the application form must be complete; incomplete applications will be returned unprocessed. After the “Applicant Information and Release” section is completed, the application should be taken to your doctor for certification. Completed applications must be mailed to PSTA for processing; address to PSTA Special Citizen Program, 3201 Scherer Drive, St. Petersburg, FL 33716

Notification
PSTA will notify you by mail whether you have been approved or denied for the program. If approved, instructions will be included for obtaining your photo ID card.

Wheelchair Accessibility
Although wheelchair manufacturers are designing bigger wheelchairs and scooters, please be aware that our buses are not equipped to handle oversized wheelchairs and scooters. To prevent damage to the wheelchair lift and to safely board our wheelchair passengers, we are only equipped to transport “common wheelchairs”. Section 37.3 of the DOT’s regulations implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) (49 CFR Parts 27, 37, and 38) defines a "common wheelchair" as a mobility aid belonging to any class of three or four-wheeled devices, usable indoors, designed for and used by individuals with mobility impairments, whether operated manually or powered. A "common wheelchair" does not exceed 30 inches in width and 48 inches in length measured two inches above the ground, and does not weigh more than 600 pounds when occupied.

If an electric scooter or other mobility device meets the physical specifications of a common wheelchair as defined by the DOT’s ADA regulations, it will be treated as a “common wheelchair”.