FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

City of St. Petersburg Funds New Free Bus Rides to Help Low-Income Residents Get to Work

St. Petersburg, FL—The St. Petersburg City Council today funded free bus rides specifically for work, healthcare, and other life-sustaining trips by eligible low-income residents. Beginning November 1, all St. Petersburg residents eligible for the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority’s (PSTA) Transportation Disadvantaged (TD) program will be able to ride PSTA bus services for free.

While the TD program currently offers reduced-cost bus rides to eligible people across Pinellas County, the new funding from the City of St. Petersburg lowers the cost to zero for eligible city residents.

“We are extremely thankful for the City of St. Petersburg for giving its low-income residents access to not only transportation, but to everything transportation represents—essentials like healthcare, education, and work—so they can provide for their families,” said Brad Miller, Chief Executive Officer of PSTA.

The TD program is a state-funded effort that helps with life-sustaining trips for residents whose gross household income is at or below 200% of poverty and who do not have alternative forms of transportation, such as automobile ownership, rides from household members, or free bus passes through the PSTA’s U-Pass and C-Pass Programs. In 2023, 200% of poverty equates to $60,000 per year for a four-person household.

The TD program assists eligible low-income residents across Pinellas County through multiple options:

·    Reduced-cost bus passes for between $5 and $11 per month (which will be free for eligible St. Petersburg residents starting November 1)

·    Door-to-door service if bus service will not meet a TD customer’s trip needs for $3 per trip

·    TD Late Shift service for an overnight job when bus service is not available for $9 per month.

·    TD Tampa Bay, a regional on-demand service in partnership with Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

To be eligible for the new free fares, residents of the City of St. Petersburg must live within city limits and complete the application for the TD program. See the PSTA website for more information and details on transportation options.

Council members unanimously voted to approve the three-year agreement, which will end on September 30, 2026 and includes one two-year renewal option not to exceed $175,000 per year.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Stephanie Weaver

PSTA Communications & Public Relations Manager  

O: (727) 540-1853 | C: (727) 249-6542

E: Sweaver@psta.net

ABOUT PINELLAS SUNCOAST TRANSIT AUTHORITY

Since 1903, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) serves as the premier public transit provider for Pinellas County, Florida’s most densely populated county. The SunRunner, Tampa Bay’s first-ever Bus Rapid Transit service, provides a reliable, car-free option from downtown St. Pete and St. Pete Beach. With 41 fixed-route bus routes, two express routes to downtown Tampa, the Suncoast Beach trolley, Jolley Trolley and Looper and their paratransit service Access, PSTA provides 10.2 million rides annually. For more information about PSTA, visit www.psta.net