Staying on the cutting edge of transit technologies and innovation is a huge focus for PSTA, especially when our community voices specific needs. While we pride ourselves on maintaining a robust, reliable fixed-route bus service, sometimes an area of Pinellas or a group of riders needs something a bit more specialized. And PSTA never shies away from the chance to develop creative, first-of-its-kind solutions to unique challenges!

In the past five years, PSTA has launched many new services, including:

• SunRunner
• Grouper Airport Express
• Clearwater Ferry
• And, coming soon, the 34th St Spark!

For this month’s installment of our Deep Drive series, we’ll explore the first stages of how a new service is launched, from the initial idea and planning to obtaining funding and determining the logistics of how the service operates.

P.S., keep an eye out for part two, where we’ll focus on how the service is branded, marketed, and launched—coming soon!

The ceremonial bottle-breaking for the new PSTA Clearwater Ferry on January 31st, 2025.

Getting the Big Ideas

An idea for a new service can come from many places. Most often, ideas are incubated in PSTA’s Planning department, but anyone can bring their thoughts to the table. For example, some ideas come from the community—schools or businesses may have transportation needs for their students or employees. Members of the community may share their needs with PSTA’s Outreach team during community events or submit public comments to board meetings. Some ideas may even come from members of PSTA’s own Board of Directors!

In addition, PSTA conducts a community bus plan every five years, as is required by the Florida Department of Transportation for all transit agencies that receive state funding. The purpose of the community bus plan is to review PSTA’s current system by evaluating ridership, development activity, and what services are in demand. The goal is to enhance transit connections and set objectives for the future. Sometimes, as a result of the community bus plan, transit needs are identified and spawn new services of their own.

For the past three community bus plans, it’s been clear that having more frequent, premium transit options on major corridors increases overall ridership and helps serve the approximately 15.4 million visitors to Pinellas County. And thus, PSTA plans to focus on developing more premium services like the SunRunner with our upcoming 34th St Spark service launching in 2025, and the recently launched Grouper Airport Express, which provides on-demand transportation from St. Pete/Clearwater International Airport (PIE) to Clearwater Beach!

(By the way, PSTA is currently in the midst of redesigning our entire bus network as a result of the current community bus plan. Click here to learn more about the current bus plan, called the Connected Community Bus Network!)

 

The logo for PSTA's Connected Community Bus Network.

If the idea comes from outside of PSTA, members of our Planning and Outreach team begin discussions with interested parties to determine what exactly is needed from a potential new service. Could implementing a fixed-route bus service to the area be a satisfactory solution? Or do the needs require more innovative or unique solutions? PSTA staff collect all the pertinent information and use it in their next planning steps to ensure the perspective new service meets all the needs of the community members requesting it.

With this highly collaborative approach, PSTA has the opportunity to hear from a diverse cast of voices who offer a blend of valuable perspectives.

It’s All in the Details

When it comes to ideas hatched by PSTA staff internally, the next step is to dive into research and get relevant departments involved to explore what’s needed to make it a reality. For example, when PSTA’s Planning department first imagined our Direct Connect program, which provides discounted Uber and Lyft rides to or from approved bus stops and locations, staff members had to hammer out a few key details:

• Who will the service benefit?
• What will the service look like?
• How will PSTA fund the service?
• How will the service be operated?

A PSTA staff member hard at work.

For the Direct Connect service, the Planning team wanted to provide supplemental first- and last-mile service to fill in the gaps our fixed-route bus service couldn’t fill—a first-of-its-kind program in the United States! Direct Connect allows riders who live beyond walking distance of a bus stop to get discounted Uber and Lyft rides to one of 26 locations throughout the county.

(Learn more about how PSTA partners with transit network companies (TNC) like Uber and Lyft)

Next, PSTA’s Scheduling, Project Management, and Operations team join the conversation to explore the deeper details of the proposed service. Scheduling works on the timing of the service (will it run on a schedule or be on-demand?), and Project Management determines the best locations for stops, shelters, benches, signs, and any other amenities that may be needed. And finally, Operations decides how the service will be “operationalized”—what vehicles will be used? What routes will the operators follow? What schedules are most feasible and efficient?

Once PSTA staff have a plan for what the service would need to operate, staff then explore how it might be funded.

Finding the Funding

In the case of Direct Connect, the Planning team discovered they could fund the service by discontinuing low-performing routes. However, when reallocating funding isn’t possible, PSTA often applies for federal and state grants to obtain funding for new transit projects. Because there are many different grants for different types of projects, PSTA’s amazing Planning team tracks and applies for the most promising ones that might get a new service off the ground.

PSTA press release announcing the federal grant that funded the SunRunner.

Generally speaking, federal grants help fund capital projects such as the SunRunner, whereas state grants help pay operating costs. However, state grants can certainly help launch a new service as well. For example, the Florida Department of Transportation’s Innovative Service Development (ISD) pays 50% of the cost of a new service for three years, which can help make a new, innovative idea become a reality. In fact, this type of state grant is responsible for funding the Clearwater Ferry and the upcoming 34th St Spark service.

Once a grant opportunity is identified during cross-departmental meetings or through coordination with our local partners, PSTA staff work tirelessly to submit an application. Grant applications give PSTA the opportunity to explain the scope of the new service, and how it will benefit the community, as well as thoroughly laying out the agency's rigorous plan for developing and implementing the service. 

With the application submitted, PSTA crosses its collective fingers and hopes to be awarded the funding.

Making Ideas Into Reality

Congratulations! PSTA has secured funding either through reallocating funding from low-performing routes or by being awarded a federal or state grant!

But… now what?

Well, now the service is one step closer to becoming a real thing you ride! While PSTA’s Finance and Grants teams work on handling the necessary documentation to process the funding, it’s all hands on deck for PSTA staff to truly set in stone how the service will run.

With the promise of funding now in sight, PSTA’s Operations team can now translate the creativity of ideas into a real, regimented service riders can rely on. The Project Management team begins finalizing where stops will be, and working with vendors for signage, totems, and other specialized amenities. Development begins on the service’s schedule, branding, and, most exciting of all, the new service’s official launch!

All that and more is to come in part two, where we’ll discuss the finer details of how a new service is planned, branded, and communicated to the public. Stay tuned!

The official launch of the SunRunner service on October 21st, 2022.