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These wheels are moving very slowly

After more than three years of talk, are we any closer to rapid bus service in St. Petersburg? Many basic questions remain unanswered. Where will the transit system go? Who will pay for it? And what will the buses look like?

By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published March 25, 2007

Perhaps the easiest decision is producing the most consternation. Officials are debating whether to purchase upgraded models of standard buses (Option 1) or 60-foot-long vehicles that look more like trains (Option 2). The biggest difference, of course, is cost. Each longer bus costs about $500,000 more.

Though the county's transportation authority settled on a route that would link downtown St. Petersburg to Madeira Beach, officials in the city and elsewhere are urging it to reconsider. Treasure Island or St. Pete Beach make more sense, they say, because of their higher tourist densities.

There has been plenty of discussion, but no plan to pay for the system yet. Federal dollars could cover up to half of the costs, but the application process is rigid.

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Total miles of proposed rapid bus system

$17-35-million

Estimated cost of proposed rapid bus system

$3-million

Loss local transportation authority could face if state legislators rewrite Florida's property tax laws.

[Last modified March 25, 2007, 00:35:08]