St. Pete Beach Connector Trolley Will End in October

The Connector Trolley that runs from Gulfport to St. Pete Beach will be discontinued after Sept. 30. Gulfport City Manager James O'Reilly says the grant from the Florida Department of Transportation expires at the end of September, less than two months from now.

In a previous story, O'Reilly said "the intention of the initial grant was for the PSTA to add additional routes." Gulfport "was an underserved route," he said.

The initial grant was for $204,000, for three years, with the city matching about 50 percent of the cost. In fiscal year 2010-11, the city budgeted $82,000 and collected $11,591. Fare collections were applied to the cost, resulting in a price tag of about $70,400 this past year.

Now, he says, the "PSTA doesn't have any funds in place to continue supporting it." And neither does the city. "It’s cost prohibitive to try and support it completely at this time in this economic climate.”

Gulfport is facing a $2.2 million dollar shortfall for fiscal 2011-12. The current proposal, which does not include funding for the connector trolley, calls for dipping into enterprise funds and general fund reserves to balance the budget.

O'Reilly says the connector trolley averages about 600 riders a week, and anywhere from 33,000 to 35,000 riders use the trolley annually. Currently, the trolley runs hourly trips to St. Pete Beach from 7:50 a.m. to 10:40 p.m. daily, with the exception of holidays. 

Those riders will have to find an alternate route within the next two months. "Will it be a direct route? That I can’t tell you," O'Reilly said.

People can view bus schedules and fares online at the PSTA Web site.

NOTE: There are two trolleys in Gulfport: the Connector Trolley to St. Pete Beach and the Red Trolley, which is free in town. The Red Trolley has been around for about nine years and is not at risk of being discontinued. Gulfport City Manager Jim O'Reilly says the Red Trolley costs the city about $25 an hour to run, about $10,000 to $15,000 annually. Rides are free Fridays and Saturdays from 6 to 10 p.m.