Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies

A Day on the Job

Denise Brown, 50, PSTA trolley driver

By JANEL STEPHENS

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 16, 2003

What kind of hours do you work?

I work from 1:50 p.m to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 5:10 p.m. to 12:20 a.m. on Fridays. I'm off Saturdays and Sundays.

How much do you make?

I make $16.26 an hour.

How long have you been doing this?

I've been driving the trolley since it started about 2 1/2 years ago. I start my 21st year with PSTA in May.

What's the difference between driving a bus and driving a trolley?

Nothing really. The people here are all nice and friendly because they're on vacation.

What is your route?

I'm on the Beach Trolley. It goes from Sand Key to Pass-a-Grille. It's mainly on Gulf Boulevard.

What's a bad day for you?

When you're running late. That can happen when the bridge goes up and you're stuck behind it on John's Pass Village or when you're in rush hour traffic or if you have breakdowns, which happen occasionally. You lose your break because you have to catch up.

What happens when you break down?

Well, then you have to call for another bus.

When does it get busy?

The busiest is from 2 p.m to about 7 p.m. then it settles down.

What's a good day for you?

The best day is when the day goes by fairly quickly and traffic goes quickly. With my regulars, I know a lot of them by name and they know me by name. That makes the day go by easier.

What did you do before this?

I was a substitute teacher for Largo High School, Clearwater High School and the Nina Harris Exceptional Student Center. I really didn't care for it. All I did was break up fights. So I thought I'd give everybody a break and get out of it.

Do you give tours?

If they ask me, I'll start talking to them and point out various spots en route like the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary or places to eat or John's Pass Village. I'll also point out that they can take a bus inland and see BayWalk or go to Tyrone Square or Tarpon Springs and various things in the area.

What's the John's Pass experience?

It's a bunch of stores together with restaurants right after the bridge on Madeira Beach. It's basically two blocks of stores and restaurants. There's five to seven restaurants in there, a pirate ship for kids, and boat and fishing tours. I call it that just for the fun of it.

How much does it cost to ride the trolley?

$1.25 or you can ride with a day pass for $3 giving you unlimited rides on the trolley and other buses.

How long does a run take?

From Sand Key to Pass-a-Grille usually takes an hour.

Who rides the trolley?

Mainly I pick up a lot of working people as well as people who live out here permanently on the beach. There's tourists and on Friday nights, I get the bar hoppers. Usually they're having fun. It makes it possible for them to be doing what they're doing anyway and not drive and that's a good thing.

Have you had any problems with riders?

Not very often on the trolley. I've had people who have just gone that far. I just tell them you're getting close to crossing that line but I've never had to call the police out here on the beach.

What's your dream job?

I like this one. I'm happy here.

What kind of training do you need to drive the trolley?

We need a commercial driver's license -- D class. We have to go through various courses at PSTA. Ever so often we have a refresher course for new equipment and a refresher course on driver's safety.