Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority

Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority

Founded	1984
Headquarters	3201 Scherer Drive, St. Petersburg, Florida
Locale	Pinellas County, Florida
Service area	Pinellas County
Service type	bus service
Alliance	Pinellas County Government
Routes	40
Stops	4602
Fleet	210
Daily ridership	32,000 (weekdays, Q3 2024) [1]
Annual ridership	10,052,000 (2023) [2]
Fuel type	Clean Diesel, Diesel-Electric Hybrid, Battery Electric
Chief executive	Brad Miller
Website	www.psta.net

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) is a government agency that provides public transportation for Pinellas County, Florida. The authority manages a fixed-route bus system that encompasses over 40 bus routes - including two express routes to Tampa; the Central Avenue Trolley; the Suncoast Beach Trolley; and the bus rapid transit service, the SunRunner.

History

PSTA's roots trace back to the early 1900s as the St. Petersburg Municipal Transit System (SPMTS). The system began with a streetcar line to Gulfport and eight buses to run several routes throughout the St. Pete area. Unlike the advent and expansion of Tampa's original streetcar system, the Gulfport streetcar only encompassed 23 miles of track along its singular line. However, the line proved to be popular amongst area residents during its heyday. In 1928, the entire SPMTS system carried 4.2 million customers, marking a major milestone for the agency. As the 1930s came and went, streetcar usage began to decline - as was the case nationwide. By 1949, the streetcar line had closed, marking the end of streetcar service in Pinellas County as a whole. ^{[3] [4]}

Despite the demise of the Gulfport trolley, bus service throughout Pinellas County continued to expand throughout the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. In 1970, the Central Pinellas Transit Authority (CPTA) was formed, serving the Clearwater area and northern Pinellas. The agency was fully established by 1973 and operated 9 routes with a fleet of 21 buses. The CPTA saw 900,000 riders in its first year of service. In 1975, SPMTS begins paratransit services and both agencies continue to expand their fleet. In 1978, tourist trolley service (using trolley-replica buses) began in downtown St. Petersburg and became successful. By the 1980s, the two agencies formed a cooperative agreement, which allowed the expansion of routes throughout Pinellas County. This agreement also led to the creation of a single customer service phone number. In October 1984, the two companies formally merged (via an act of the Florida Legislature) to create the PSTA. In the years following their merger, PSTA operated nearly 80 routes with a fleet of nearly 130 buses. The agency begins installing electronic fareboxes and completed its central Pinellas operations center, as well as several bus terminals. In 1990, PSTA obtained its first express route, previously operated by Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART). Also in 1990, PSTA established a cross-county bus route via US 19. Further expansion of bus service continued through the 1990s and 2000s; with the construction of bus terminals at Williams Park in Downtown St. Petersburg (opening in 1994) and the Central Plaza Terminal (now known as Grand Central Station) in the Grand Central District off Central Ave near US 19 (opening in 2002). The agency introduced electronic fare cards known as "Go Cards" in 1996, as well as accelerated replacement of outdated buses. In 2001, the Suncoast Beach Trolley began service along the gulf coast beaches and in 2003, PSTA purchased a fleet of commuter buses to operate its express routes. A year later, PSTA and HART introduced an intersystem Passport to allow customers to use each other's systems for a single monthly fare. In 2005, PSTA relocated all of its operations to a single, unified facility in northern St. Petersburg - near Ulmerton Rd and Roosevelt Blvd. In 2006, HART and PSTA agreed to honor each other's reduced fare photo permits. ^[5]

From the 2009 onward, PSTA began purchasing diesel-electric hybrid buses and attempted to bring forth further expanded bus service, as well as premium transit service such as Bus Rapid Transit or Light Rail Transit to Pinellas County. This began with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the agency, the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA), the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), and the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to conduct an Alternatives Analysis of transit corridors in Pinellas County. ^[6] This was then followed up by a series of public engagement sessions and eventually the failed attempt in 2014 by Pinellas County to pass a sales tax referendum (Greenlight Pinellas). ^[7] In 2012, the agency launched the North County Connector flex-route van service, allowing customers in areas of northern Pinellas to have access to transit service - including those in neighborhoods by which regular transit buses have difficulty accessing or where a traditional fixed bus route would have lower ridership projections. The three routes have since been modified to serve areas with demand for the service. ^[8]

In 2017, PSTA began Direct Connect, which allows customers to summon a ride via taxi or ride share to connect to or from a designated stop or bus terminal "PSTA Brings Together Uber and Taxi to get People on the Bus". Mass Transit Magazine. Mass Transit Magazine. 2017-01-19. Retrieved 2022-11-14.. In 2018, a partnership between PSTA, HART, Pasco County Public Transportation, and transit agencies in Hernando, Manatee, and Sarasota counties began working on a regional fare collection system called Flamingo Fares Tampa Bay. This system would allow customers to use either a smartphone app or a smart card to tap a reader device and pay for their transit fares in a seamless, contactless manner. While Manatee County was involved in the initial phase of the program, county officials decided to leave the project in pursuit of a different fare collection vendor. ^[9] The same year, PSTA announced that it would partner with Transit App to help provide real-time bus arrival predictions and eventually other features to customers via the use of smartphones. ^[10] The agency also introduced its first two battery electric buses - produced by BYD, and revamped Route 300X to serve Tampa International Airport on most trips. ^{[11] [12]}

In 2018, PSTA pushed ahead with planning for what would become the SunRunner, with planning for the project reaching 60% completion by September, 2019. ^[13] The SunRunner branding was formally unveiled in 2020, along with the project groundbreaking. ^[14] Despite delays in the project - partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SunRunner opened to customers on October 21, 2022 to great fanfare. ^[15] On January 10th, 2025, PSTA opened the new 150 1st Ave North station, featuring glass artwork created by Catherine Woods. A new program was launched on January 10th, called "Sunrunner After Dark"; which extended the full service hours until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. The program is subsidized by the City of St. Pete.

In 2022, PSTA placed an order for 62 new Battery Electric Gillig built buses that have/will be built over the course of 2023-2028. These buses will replace all of the older Diesel buses built between 2005 and 2006, while some 2007 buses will be replaced with Diesel-Electric hybrids.

Effective January 2, 2024, PSTA would stop accepting the old "GO Cards", in favor of contactless payment via Flamingo Fares.

Bus routes

PSTA operates 38 routes (including one limited express route) that traverse Pinellas County and 2 express routes that connect into downtown Tampa. ^[16]

Local

No.	Name	Terminus 1	Terminus 2	Operates	Direction	Notes
4	4th Street	34th St. N Transfer Center (PSTA Facility) - St. Petersburg	25 Way/Roy Hanna Drive - St. Petersburg	Daily (Frequent Weekday Service)	Bi-Directional	Buses run every 20 minutes during early mornings on weekdays, every 15 minutes during the day on weekdays, every 30 minutes during evenings on weekdays and all day on Saturdays, and every hour on Sundays and holidays
5	Tyrone Square Mall via 5th Ave. N	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Grand Central Station - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional
7	Tyrone Square Mall via Midtown/9th Ave. N	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	2nd Ave. S/4th St. S - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional
9	Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N/Gateway	Gateway Mall - St. Petersburg	Grand Central Station - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional (serves 116th Ave. N, Goodwill Industries, and Gateway Mall in a one-way clockwise pattern).
11	28th St. N/Pinellas Point	34th St. N Transfer Center (PSTA Facility) - St. Petersburg	25 Way/Roy Hanna Drive - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional	Hourly service seven days a week
14	Palms of Pasadena Hospital	3rd Ave. N/4th St. N - St. Petersburg	Palms of Pasadena Hospital - South Pasadena	Daily	Bi-Directional	Alternating trips interline with Route 16 on weekdays.
15	Gulfport	2nd Ave. S/4th St. S - St. Petersburg	Gulfport Casino - Gulfport	Daily	Bi-Directional
16	16th St. N	Gateway Mall - St. Petersburg	3rd Ave. N/4th St. N - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional	Hourly weekday service (interlines with Route 14 on weekdays), with buses running approximately every hour and 10 minutes on weekends
18	Clearwater/Bay Pines VA Medical Center/St. Petersburg via Seminole Blvd/Tyrone Square	Grand Central Station - St. Petersburg	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Daily	Bi-Directional	Buses leave every 30 minutes during weekdays, every 30 minutes on Saturdays, and hourly on Sundays and holidays
19	US 19 North of Largo	Largo Transit Center - Largo	Huey Ave. & Tarpon Ave. - Tarpon Springs	Daily	Bi-Directional	Buses leave every 30 to 45 minutes Monday through Saturday and every hour on Sundays and holidays
20	Pinellas Point/Tyrone Square	Roy Hanna Dr & 25 Way S - St. Petersburg	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional	Hourly service seven days a week
22	22nd Ave. N, Northwest Community Center, Tyrone Square Mall, and 4th & 22nd Ave	4th St. N/22nd Ave. N	Tyrone Square Mall-St. Petersburg	Monday thru Saturday	Bi-Directional (buses travel on a one-way counter-clockwise loop around 22nd Ave. N, 4th St. N, 30th Ave. N, and Dr. MLK St. N)	No Sunday Service
23	Tyrone Square Mall via 22nd Ave. S/Gulfport	3rd Ave. N/4th St. N - St. Petersburg	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional
32	Downtown St. Petersburg Circulator	4th Ave. N/15th St. N - St. Petersburg	6th St. S/6th Ave. S - St. Petersburg	Monday Through Saturday Limited Service (Circulator)	One-Way Directional Loop
34	US 19 South of Largo/34th St. N	Largo Transit Center - Largo	46th Ave. S/34th St. S - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional (frequent weekday service)	Buses leave every 20 to 30 minutes Monday through Friday, every 30 minutes on Saturdays, and every hour on Sundays and holidays. Eckerd College is only served during select Monday through Saturday trips.
38	Downtown St. Pete/Tyrone Square Mall via 38th Ave. N	4th Ave. N/1st St. N- St. Petersburg	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional	Interlines with Route 75.
52	Grand Central/Downtown Clearwater via E Bay/W Bay Dr and 49th St. N	Grand Central Station - St. Petersburg	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Daily	Bi-Directional	Buses leave every 20 to 30 minutes Monday through Friday (peak times), every 30 to 50 minutes Monday through Friday (off-peak times), every 30 minutes on Saturdays, and every hour on Sundays and holidays
58	Gateway Mall/Seminole City Center via 118th Ave. N	Gateway Mall - St. Petersburg	Seminole City Center - Seminole	Weekdays Only - Peak hour service	Bi-Directional
59	Ulmerton Road	34th St. N Transfer Center (PSTA Facility) - St. Petersburg	1 St. & 4 Ave. - Indian Rocks Beach	Daily	Bi-Directional	15 minutes weekday peak and midday service, 30 minute Saturday service, and hourly Sunday and holiday service
60	McMullen Booth Frontage Road/Downtown Clearwater	McMullen Booth Frontage Road - Clearwater	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Daily	Bi-Directional	McMullen Booth Road is only served on select trips
61	Indian Rocks Beach/Dunedin	Indian Rocks Shopping Center - Indian Rocks	Countryside Mall - Clearwater	Daily	Bi-Directional
62	Tyrone Square Mall/The Shoppes of Boot Ranch	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	The Shoppes of Boot Ranch - Palm Harbor	Monday through Saturday Only	Bi-Directional	Safety Harbor is no longer served as of October, 2016. Customers may use the Safety Harbor Flex Connector from Countryside Mall to connect to Safety Harbor
65	Seminole City Center/Indian Rocks/Clearwater	Seminole City Center - Seminole	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Daily	Bi-Directional
66L	Tarpon Springs/Indian Rocks Beach	Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks - Tarpon Springs	Morton Plant Hospital - Clearwater	Weekdays Only (Peak Times)	Bi-Directional	Select Peak Direction trips serve Clearwater Fundamental Middle School
67	Downtown Clearwater/Downtown Oldsmar via SR 580 & Hercules	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Downtown Oldsmar	Monday through Saturday Only	Bi-Directional
68	Tyrone Square Mall/John's Pass Village	John's Pass Village - Madeira Beach	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional
73	Tyrone Square Mall/Downtown Clearwater via Keene Rd/Starkey Rd/Park St	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Monday through Saturday Only	Bi-Directional
74	Gateway Mall/Seminole City Center via Park Blvd	Gateway Mall - St. Petersburg	Seminole City Center - Seminole	Daily	Bi-Directional
75	Tyrone Square Mall/Gateway Mall	Tyrone Square Mall - St. Petersburg	Gateway Mall - St. Petersburg	Daily	Bi-Directional	Interlines with Route 38.
76	Downtown Clearwater/Countryside Mall via Belcher Road & Sunset Point	Countryside Mall - Clearwater	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Monday through Saturday Only	Bi-Directional
78	Downtown Clearwater/Countryside Mall via SR 580	Countryside Mall - Clearwater	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	Daily	Bi-Directional
79	St. Petersburg/Largo Transit Center via 66th St. N	3rd Ave. N/4th St. N - St. Petersburg	Largo Transit Center - Largo	Daily	Bi-Directional
90	St. Pete Beach/Downtown St. Pete	Roy Hanna Dr @ 25th Way S - Pinellas Point	St. Pete Beach	Daily	Bi-Directional	Peak hours only
CAT	Central Avenue Trolley	The Pier - St. Petersburg	Grand Central Station	Daily	Bi-Directional	Operates every 30 minutes at all times.
SBT	Suncoast Beach Trolley	Park Street Terminal - Clearwater	75th Ave and Gulf Blvd - St. Pete Beach	Daily	Bi-Directional	Extended weekend service. Provides AM circular service through Island Estates and northern Clearwater Beach until Jolley Trolley service begins for the rest of the day.
SR/SUN	SunRunner	3rd St S and 6th Ave S - St. Petersburg	Pinellas County Beach Access at 4700 Gulf Blvd - St. Pete Beach	Daily (Frequent Service)	Bi-Directional	Buses run every 15 minutes during the day, every day, with 30 minute service operating between 8:00pm and 12-midnight each day.
812	Countryside/Tampa (Van)	Countryside Mall - Clearwater	HART Northwest Transfer Center - Tampa	Monday through Saturday	Bi-Directional	Hourly service all day
814	Countryside/Safety Harbor (Van)	Countryside Mall - Clearwater	Philipppe Park - Safety Harbor	Monday through Saturday	Bi-Directional	Was converted into a fully on-demand based service in December, 2023.

Express services

No.	Name	Starting Point	Terminus	Operates	Direction	Notes
52LX	Clearwater/St. Pete Limited Express	Park Street Terminal - Downtown Clearwater	Grand Central Station - Downtown St. Petersburg.	Weekdays Only - Peak Hour Service	Bi-Direction	Buses leave every 30 minutes, creating a roughly 15 minute combined headway spread between the 52 and 52LX. Buses also serve the Carillon Business Park.
100X	St. Petersburg/South Pinellas Express	The Pier - Downtown St. Petersburg	Marion Transit Center - Downtown Tampa	Weekdays Only	Bi-Directional	Also serves Gateway Mall (St. Petersburg) and Britton Plaza (Tampa)
300X	Central Pinellas Express	Ulmerton Park-N-Ride - Largo	Marion Transit Center - Downtown Tampa	Weekdays Only	Bi-Directional	Most trips also serve Tampa International Airport (Rental Car Center Bus Hub)

Trolley Services

PSTA operates two fixed-route trolley services using trolley-replica buses - the Central Ave Trolley (CAT) and the Suncoast Beach Trolley (SBT). The CAT traverses Central Ave between Downtown St. Pete's Pier District and Grand Central Station, while the SBT traverses Gulf Blvd between Clearwater Beach and St. Pete Beach (the latter also serves Downtown Clearwater via the Memorial Causeway Bridge). Until December, 2023, the CAT served St. Pete Beach.

The CAT connects to other PSTA routes along Central Ave - including at Grand Central Station and Downtown St. Pete. The SBT connects to Route 59 in Indian Rocks Beach, Route 68 at Johns Pass, and other routes in Clearwater.

North County Connector

The North County Connector was originally launched in 2012 and was modeled off of HART's HART Flex service. The sub-network used cutaway vans to access areas of northern Pinellas County that would be otherwise inaccessible to standard transit buses. The three original routes consisted of Route 811 - serving the eastern Lake Tarpon area, Route 812 - serving Oldsmar and Town-N-Country, and Route 813 - serving Palm Harbor. Route 811 was eliminated in 2015 due to low usage. In 2016, service to Safety Harbor was added in part due to the rerouting of Route 62. This eventually led to the creation of Route 814 in 2016.

In 2019, the routes were restructured to become standard fixed routes. However, the 800-series route numbers were kept due to the continuation of the routes being operated by cutaway vans.

In December, 2023, Route 813 was eliminated due to low ridership, while Route 814 was converted into a fully on-demand based model. Customers may contact PSTA by phone or use the PSTA Access smartphone app to summon a ride .

SunRunner BRT

Since 2009, PSTA has been planning some form of Bus Rapid Transit service to better serve customers along higher-ridership corridors. The first area of focus is the 1st Ave N/1st Ave S and Pasadena Ave corridors to allow customers a faster trip between Downtown St. Pete and St. Pete Beach. In the mid 2010s, concrete plans were presented for the county's first BRT route utilizing the aforementioned corridors. In 2019, the SunRunner name was given to the project and construction began in 2020. The SunRunner launched in October 2022.

The SunRunner route operates on fifteen-minute intervals everyday from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Buses continue to run on their full schedule until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights due to a program called "Sunrunner after dark", launched in January 2025. The 1st Ave N, 1st Ave S, and Pasadena Ave corridors utilize dedicated bus lanes with stylized stations. Stylized stations are placed along Gulf Ave, however buses still mostly run in mixed traffic. The Sunrunner utilizes 40' Gillig BRT Plus buses.

Bus Hubs/Transit Centers

• Grand Central Station - Downtown St. Petersburg - Serving Routes: 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, 15, 18, 34, 52, 52LX, 79, 90, CAT (Also serving Downtown St. Pete are Routes 4, 14, 16, 20, 23, 32, 79, 100X, Looper
• Park Street Terminal - Downtown Clearwater - Serving Routes: 18, 52, 52LX, 60, 61, 65, 66L, 67, 73, 76, 78, Jolley Trolley, SBT
• Tyrone Square Mall - Serving Routes: 5, 7, 18, 20, 22, 23, 38, 62, 68, 73, 75, 79
• Countryside Mall - Serving Routes: 19, 61, 62, 67, 76, 78, 812, 814 (on-demand)
• Gateway Mall - Serving Routes: 4, 9, 16, 58, 74, 75, 100X
• Pinellas Park Transit Center - Serving Routes: 11, 34, 52, 52LX, 74, 75
  • Serves as a stop for Greyhound.
• PSTA 34th Street Transfer Center - Serving Routes: 4, 11, 52, 52LX, 59
• Largo Transit Center - Serving Routes: 19, 34, 52, 52LX, 79
• Ulmerton Park-n-Ride - Serving Routes: 59, 300X
• Largo Mall - Serving Routes: 18, 59
• Seminole Shopping Center - Serving Routes: 18, 58, 65, 74
• Indian Rocks Shopping Center - Serving Routes: 59, 61, 65
• Clearwater Beach Transit Center - Serving Routes: SBT, Jolley Trolley

Connection to PCPT

In addition to the cross-bay express routes, PSTA also provides connections to Pasco County Public Transportation (PCPT) bus routes 18 and 19 via PSTA routes 19 and 66.

Active Fleet

PSTA operates a fleet of 210+ transit buses and access vehicles. ^[17] The bus fleet consists of a fleet of Gillig Low Floor and BRT buses as well as BYD buses. They are powered by clean diesel, diesel-electric hybrid, and battery-electric. All buses were equipped with barrier shields in the operator area during the course of 2020 through 2021, and many buses are being fitted with LCD screens that display next stops and customer information - replacing the LED-based scroll signs near the front of the bus interior. From 2002-2008, PSTA installed yellow flashing strobe lights at the rear of their buses for extra visibility, but these were eventually removed around the mid-2010s and replaced with normal red brake lights. Many PSTA vehicles receive mid-life modifications and refurbishments to extend their lifespans by 5-10 years.

Transit Fixed-Route Buses

Year	Builder/Model	Picture	Numbers	Length (imperial and metric)	Fuel Type	Notes
2005	Gillig Low Floor		2501-2508, 2510-2517, 2530-2534	40', 35', 29' (12m, 10m, 8.8m)	Diesel	Used as contingency spares. Units 2504, 2506, 2508, 2511, 2512-2517, and 2534 are no longer in service. Units 2501, 2502, 2530, and 2531 are non-revenue training units.
2006	Gillig Low Floor		2601-2636, 2650-2661	40', 35' (12m, 10m)	Diesel	2601 is a 2005 model. 2660 is painted in PSTA's all silver livery with black logos. 2602, 2615, 2618, 2622, 2624, 2626, 2655, 2658 and 2659 are no longer in service.
2007	Gillig Low Floor		2701-2711, 2712-2718	40', 35' (12m, 10m)	Diesel	Bus 2706 is longer in service. 2711 was reactivated on 11/7/24 after being out of service for 2 months 2710 was also reactivated in February 2025. 2703 was repainted into PSTA's new livery and has new mirrors and features.
2008	Gillig Low Floor		2801-2815, 2830-2835	40', 35' (12m, 10m)	Diesel	2801, 2802, 2804, 2807, 2808, 2810, 2812, 2813, 2815, and 2830-2835 are no longer in service.
2009	Gillig Low Floor BRT		2901-2903, 2910-2911	35' (10m)	2901-2903: Hybrid, 2910-2911: Diesel	Pilot Hybrid units. PSTA also ordered 2 Gillig BRT diesels incase the hybrids weren't favored.
2010	Gillig Low Floor BRT		10101-10114	35' (10m)	Diesel-Electric Hybrid	10105 is no longer in service.
2012	Gillig Low Floor BRT		12101-12108	40' (12m)	Diesel-Electric Hybrid	12106 is no longer in service.
2013	Gillig Low Floor BRT		13101-13108	40' (12m)	Diesel-Electric Hybrid
2014	Gillig Low Floor BRT		14101-14108	40' (12m)	Diesel-Electric Hybrid	14107 lacks the "Smart bus" decals and has a different yield warning sticker.
2015	Gillig Low Floor BRT		15101-15113	40' (12m)	Diesel-Electric Hybrid	15104 was involved in an accident in 2017 and returned to service in 2019. 15111 was involved in an accident in 2023 and returned to service in 2024, being repainted into the Teal and white livery and has new features. 15112 and 15113 are wrapped for express service. 15101 is a pilot bus equipped with LCD screens (screens are installed on all 2020 and 2021 buses), as well as white colored destination signs that were adapted to the 2018 & 2019 Gillig orders.
2016	Gillig Low Floor BRT (BRT front, Standard rear)		16101-16107	40' (12m)	Diesel-Electric Hybrid	All buses are wrapped for express service, with some units containing interior luggage racks for Route 300X service. Uses BAE Drive.
2017	Gillig Low Floor BRT (BRT front, Standard rear)		17101-17103	35' (10m)	Diesel-Electric Hybrid	Last buses to use orange LED displays.
2018	Gillig Low Floor BRT (BRT front, Standard rear)		18101-18109	35' (10m)	Diesel-Electric Hybrid	Arrived in Fall 2018
2018	BYD K9S		18110-18111	35' (10m)	Battery-Electric	First battery electric buses for PSTA. Arrived in August 2018. Will eventually be phased out in favor of Gillig Made buses.
2018	Freightliner S2		1801-1808	27' (8.2m)	Diesel	Used on connector routes.
2019	Gillig Low Floor BRT (BRT front, Standard rear)		19101-19109	35 (10m)	Diesel-Electric Hybrid	Arrived in Spring 2019
2020	BYD K9S		20110-20113	35' (10m)	Battery-Electric	Last BYD bus order under the original 5 year contract. All future electric bus orders (subject to change) will be through Gillig. Will eventually be phased out in favor of Gillig Made buses.
2021	Gillig BRT Plus		21101-21109	40' (12m)	Diesel-Electric Hybrid	Arrived in Fall 2021. Used for SunRunner BRT service.
2024	Gillig BRT Plus		21110-21112	40' (12m)	Diesel-Electric Hybrid	An order for three additional hybrid buses was placed in 2022 to provide operational spares for the SunRunner. Numbering continues off from the 211XX series rather than using 241XX numbers.
2023	Gillig Low Floor Plus EV		23101-23106	40' (12m)	Battery Electric	First Gillig EV order for PSTA. The pilot units are 23101 and 23102, while the 1st production units are 23103 through 23106. A total of 62 buses have been ordered - to be produced and delivered over the course of five years. # 23101 was showcased at the APTA Mobility Conference in Minneapolis, MN.
2024	Gillig Low Floor Plus EV		24101-24108	40' (12m)	Battery Electric	Production was split into two batches, with the first eight vehicles being produced & delivered during the spring of 2024. All units are in service as of December, 2024.
2024	Gillig Low Floor Plus EV		24109-24123	40' (12m)	Battery Electric	Production was split into two batches, with the remaining vehicles being produced in late 2024 & being delivered during the period between November, 2024 & February, 2025. All vehicles are undergoing service preparation as of February 10, 2025.
2025	Gillig Low Floor Plus EV		251XX	40' (12m)	Battery Electric

Paratransit Vehicles

These smaller paratransit buses and vans are used on a service called "PSTA Access". These vehicles use 3-digit fleet numbers to distinguish them from the heavy-duty transit vehicles.

Year	Builder/Model	Example	Numbers	Length (ft)	Fuel Type	Notes
2023	Ford Transit		301-360	21' (6.4m)	Gasoline
	Ford E350 Cutaway		2XX	21' (6.4m)	Gasoline

Tourist Trolley Replicas

Year	Builder/Model	Exampas well as the	Numbers	Length )	Fuel Type	Notes
2020/21	Hometown Manufacturing Streetcar		2001-2020	35' (10m)	Clean Diesel	Trolley-replica buses, replacing all 2007, 2008, and 2009 Gillig models. Vehicles began entering service in December, 2021.

Future Orders

Year	Builder/Model	Picture	Numbers	Length (feet)	Fuel Type	Notes
2025-2026	Gillig Low Floor (BRT front/Standard rear)		9 buses total	35' (10.7)	Diesel-Electric Hybrid	9 units to be produced under the 2024 contract consisting of 22 total units (13 battery-electric and 9 diesel-electric hybrid). Specs are assumed to be similar to that of 17101-17103, 18101-18109, and 19101-19109.
2026-2027	Gillig Low Floor Plus		48 buses total (some are being produced and delivered as of February, 2025)	40' (12m)	Battery-Electric	Remaining units to be fulfilled under the 5-year production order of Gillig Low Floor Plus EVs signed in 2020.
2027-2028	Gillig Low Floor Plus		13 buses total	40' (12m)	Battery-Electric	13 units to be produced under the 2024 contract consisting of 22 total units (13 battery-electric and 9 diesel-electric hybrid).

Retired Fleet

Year	Builder/Model	Example	Numbers	Length (ft)	Notes
1973	General Motors TDH3302A		101-121	30' (9m)	Formerly Central Pinellas Transit Authority 101-121
1975	General Motors T6H4523A		201-214	35' (10m)	Formerly Central Pinellas Transit Authority 201-214
1976	General Motors T6H4523A		1164-1173	35' (10m)	Formerly St. Petersburg Municipal Transit System 1164-1173.
1978	General Motors TW7603		401-404	35' (10m)	Formerly Central Pinellas Transit Authority 401-404
1979	General Motors T7W603		1174-1187	35' (10m)	Formerly St. Petersburg Municipal Transit System 1174-1187.
1980	General Motors T7W603		601-614	35' (10m)	Formerly Central Pinellas Transit Authority 601-614
1982	General Motors T8J604		1200-1224	40' (12m)	First 40-foot (12-meter) buses in St. Petersburg/Clearwater Formerly St. Petersburg Municipal Transit System 1200-1224.
1983	General Motors T7J604		701-707	35' (10m)	Formerly Central Pinellas Transit Authority 701-707.
1985	Flxible 35096-6T		1001-1015	35' (10m)	First buses ever Purchased new by Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority.
1983	Flxible 40096-6T		8301-8308	40' (12m)	formerly HART 311, 313-318, 321 bought in 1986. 8301-8307 were sold to Palm Tran as 8301-8307 in 1995.
1989	Flxible 35096-6T		8901-8915	35' (10m)	1 unit (unknown model year) was bought by Fleetwood and was used as a shuttle at Shades of Green Resort in Bay Lake, FL. It was spotted running in March 2008.
1991	Gillig Spirit		9101-9110	30' (9m)	2 units were sold to Fort Wayne Public Transportation Corporation (Citilink) as 9158-9159.
1992	Bus Industries of America Orion I/01.502		9201-9210	30' (9m)
1993	Flxible 35096-6T		9301-9321	35' (10m)
1994	Gillig Phantom S50T3596		9401-9432	35' (10m)
1995	Advanced Vehicle Systems AVS-22		2001	21' (6m)	First battery electric buses PSTA ordered. Used on shuttle services
1996	New Flyer D40LF		9601-9615	40' (12m)	Powered by a Detroit Diesel engine with Allison Transmission. Some units were repainted into the 2005 Blue and White Livery prior to retirement. 9601, 9609, 9610, 9613-9615 sold to Paul Revere Transportation. Retired in 2009 in favor of Gillig buses.
1997	New Flyer D30LF, D35LF		9701-9735 (35-foot), 9750-9759 (30-foot)	30', 35' (9m, 10m)	Powered by a Detroit Diesel engine with unknown transmission. Some units were repainted into the 2005 Blue and White Livery prior to retirement. 9702, 9705, and 9729 sold to Maingate Transportation. 9713 and 9718 sold to Transtar. Retired in 2009 in favor of Gillig buses.
1998	New Flyer C40LF		9801-9804	40' (12m)	Powered by a Detroit Diesel engine with an Allison Transmission. Some units were repainted into the 2005 Blue and White Livery prior to retirement. Retired in 2009 in favor of Gillig buses.
1999	Gillig G21D102N4		9901-9908	40' (12m)	First Gillig Low Floor buses bought by PSTA, retired around the mid-late 2010s
2001	Gillig G27D102N4 Low Floor		2101-2116	40' (12m)	2102-2104, 2110-2112 are retired. 2111 sold to City Sightseeing San Francisco 229. Retired 2019
2002	Gillig G27D102N4, G27E102R2 Low Floor		2201-2210 (40-foot), 2230-2233 (29-foot)	40', 29' (12m, 8.8m)	Retired as of 7/1/19.
2003	Motor Coach Industries (MCI) D4000		2301-2310	40' (12m)	Used on express routes. Retired as of 2017.
2007	Gillig G29B102N4 Low Floor Trolley		720-722	35' (10m)	Trolley-replica buses, modified by Cable Car Classics. Retired in 2021 due to heavy wear and tear.
2008	Gillig Low Floor		2830-2835	35' (10m)	Retired due to mechanical issues
2008	Gillig G27B102N4 Low Floor Trolley		820-825	35' (10m)	Trolley-replica buses, modified by Cable Car Classics. Powered by clean diesel. Retired in 2021 due to heavy wear and tear.
2009	Gillig G30B102N4 Hybrid Low Floor Trolley		920-926	35' (10m)	Trolley-replica buses, modified by Cable Car Classics. Powered by the same Advanced Hybrid drive train as the SmartBus. Distinguishable by a white roof. Retired in 2021 due to heavy wear and tear.

References

1. "Transit Ridership Report Third Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
2. "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
3. "History and Facts | PSTA". www.psta.net. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
4. Lehman, Robert (1997). "Streetcars in Tampa and St. Petersburg: A Photographic Essay". Tampa Bay History. 19 (1): 5. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
5. "History and Facts | PSTA". www.psta.net. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
6. "History and Facts | PSTA". www.psta.net. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
7. Marrero, Tony (2014-11-05). "Voters reject Greenlight Pinellas". Tampa Bay Times. St Petersburg, FL. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
8. "After one year, PSTA's North County Connector proves popular".
9. "GETTING THERE: Flamingo Fares cards to ease commute". Spectrum Bay News 9. Spectrum Bay News 9. 2018-03-21. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
10. Brezina-Smith, Veronica (2018-11-27). "Pinellas transit authority launches app program to help bus riders connect with Uber, Lyft". St Petersburg, FL. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
11. Manning, Margie (2018-10-03). "PSTA unveils first all-electric bus, wins grant to expand fleet". St Pete Catalyst. St Pete Catalyst. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
12. "PSTA unveils new 300x airport service from Largo to Tampa International Airport". ABC Action News. ABC Action News. 2018-06-18. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
13. Paul, Ashley (2019-09-19). "PSTA Officials: Bus Rapid Transit Project "60 percent complete"". Spectrum Bay News 9. Spectrum Bay News 9. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
14. Brezina-Smith, Veronica (2020-08-17). "Pinellas transit authority breaks ground on bus rapid transit station". Tampa Bay Business Journal. Tampa Bay Business Journal.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
15. Wanek-Libman, Mischa (2022-10-25). "Strong debut for PSTA's SunRunner BRT". Mass Transit Magazine. Mass Transit Magazine. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
16. "History and Facts | PSTA". www.psta.net. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
17. "PSTA Vehicle Fleet". The Global Transit Guidebook by HARTride 2012. 2014-04-27. Retrieved 2020-01-18.

External links

• Official website
• Tampa Bay Transit