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PSTA bus routes, service lauded by riders

As ridership blossoms, the PSTA hopes to make it even more convenient.

By LINDSAY MICHEL
Published August 3, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - Dametria Boyd sat on a bench Monday with her 2-year-old son, A.J., waiting for Bus 14.

Boyd, who doesn't own a car, takes the bus to get to almost everywhere she needs to go. She praised the varied bus routes.

"If you have more than one thing to do, that's helpful," she said. "Like for me, I almost always have more than one thing to do."

She was among dozens of commuters lining the circumference of the Central Plaza Terminal on Monday. The majority of commuters sitting along the terminal's black benches rely each day on some of the 197 buses operated by the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority.

The PSTA now provides transportation to about 35,000 area commuters each day.

Their most recent statistics show that about 10.5-million riders use the bus system each year.

PSTA officials site low fares and expanded services as reasons for recent ridership increases.

"Financially it's a better fit for a lot of our passengers because of the rising gas prices and insurance prices," said Shirley Howard, lead supervisor for customer service at PSTA.

Howard said the beach trollies, which were added within the past three years, are used frequently, especially during their expanded hours.

Melanie Crawley, who was riding with her 15-year-old daughter Tashlya, said she uses the bus for financial and convenience reasons.

Buses in Connecticut, where the Crawleys moved from two years ago, were more expensive - about $2 a ride.

She said she is happy with fares and wouldn't stop riding if fares increase to $1.50 as proposed by the PSTA.

"If you were used to the income on the jobs down here, I could see why you would complain," she said, referring to higher pay rates in Connecticut, where the minimum wage is $7.10 an hour.

Crawley said the lower fares come with a price, less cleanliness on buses.

"I'm a person that's funny about cleanliness," she said, explaining that she prefers everything to be very neat and tidy.

Boyd said one area where bus services could be improved is having buses come at shorter intervals.

Many of the routes take an hour to complete, so missing a bus means sitting in the hot sun for a good while.

"There have been plenty of times I'm late," said Boyd, who takes three to six buses each day.

[Last modified August 2, 2006, 22:29:13]