Health & Fitness
PSTA Tops All-Time Ridership Record
PSTA give over 14 million rides during their last fiscal year (which just ended) - that's a seven percent increase over last year!
It’s been a banner year for Public Transit in Pinellas County.
An all-time record number of riders boarded PSTA buses last year – the most in the 93-year history of public transportation in the county.
“We’ve set monthly ridership records for 11 months, so we were pretty confident we’d break the annual mark, but to break it by such a strong margin is really impressive,” said PSTA CEO Brad Miller.
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From Oct. 1, 2011 through Sept. 30, 2012, an estimated 14,015,818 rides were taken on PSTA vehicles. That’s an increase of more than 912,000 over the previous record which was set last year.
“An annual increase of 3 to 4 percent in ridership is considered very strong when there are no increases in bus service. So achieving a 7 percent increase, with no change in service, is extraordinary. It is proof that Pinellas County residents want to use public transit,” adds Miller.
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Agency leaders attribute the gains to several factors including a new Central Avenue Trolley - launched in October 2011. That route now offers a one-seat, non-transfer ride from Pass-a-Grille to the St. Petersburg Pier and quickly became one of the agency’s highest ridership routes.
Other factors include higher fuel costs, a record setting tourist season and a popular new shuttle service between the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and its Winter’s Dolphin Tale Adventure in downtown Clearwater.
PSTA leaders are responding to this record demand for transit by developing comprehensive plans to improve transit services in the county. Public input into a community-wide bus plan is underway and transit-friendly land use planning has begun around a potential light rail transit corridor.
“The record transit ridership indicates a change in the way our community wants to travel. What we have to do, in order to get the resources needed to provide improved transportation is make sure we can present a well-thought-out, comprehensive transit plan that the entire community can be proud of,” Miller said.
If you’d like to take advantage of PSTA’s safe, convenient, and affordable transportation, visit www.PSTA.net or call the PSTA InfoLine at (727) 540-1900 to plan your trip. Then, before you head out, be sure to check PSTA’s new Real Time Bus Information site at RidePSTA.net to find out exactly when your next bus will depart.
