PSTA will visit Eckerd and St. Petersburg colleges; a new express will cross Tampa Bay.
By JON WILSON
Published August 24, 2003
ST. PETERSBURG - Tampa commuters and students at Eckerd and St. Petersburg colleges can ride some new bus routes starting Monday.
The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority has expanded Route 19 to include Eckerd College at 4200 54th Ave. S and Route 58 to take in St. Petersburg College's Seminole campus, 9200 113th St. N.
Meanwhile, a new express route, 300X, will start from a 70-space park-and-ride lot at 8780 Ulmerton Road, travel east to another park-and-ride on Stonybrook Drive behind St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, and travel to the Marion Transit Center in downtown Tampa.
Cost is $1.50 exact change when boarding.
The fare is billed as "introductory" to the new route, but PSTA spokeswoman Janet Recca said last week there are no immediate plans to increase it.
Passengers also can buy a 20-ride pass for $27.50, and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. trips offer senior citizens and disabled people with a PSTA-issued photo identification half-fare trips.
The route was established because a study showed working commuters would use it, Recca said. Fourteen round trips daily, Monday through Friday, start at 6 a.m. The last trip is 6 p.m. Five new buses, which the PSTA describes as "luxury," will be used.
Passengers also can reach Tampa by riding 100X, which travels from Gateway Mall across Gandy Bridge to downtown Tampa via Britton Plaza.
The park-and-ride on Ulmerton Road offers free parking and restrooms in a renovated building, which formerly was a KFC restaurant.
The Stonybrook Drive lot, formerly a Neighborly Senior Services center, is reached by turning north off Ulmerton onto Stonybrook and heading toward Airco Golf Course. It has shelters and free parking but no restrooms.
Several routes cross 300X for passengers who catch a bus elsewhere and need to transfer. Several stops are available along Ulmerton.
The Eckerd College Route 19 shuttles between Tarpon Springs and the school 21 times daily, Monday through Saturday, using U.S. 19 as its major artery. Connections at the Central Plaza terminal are available to Tyrone Square Mall, the beaches and BayWalk and the Pier in downtown St. Petersburg.
The St. Petersburg College route operates between Gateway Mall and the Park Boulevard boat ramp, via the Carillon business area and Bryan Dairy Road. It enters the Seminole campus 24 times daily, Monday through Friday.
Fares on Routes 19 and 58 are $1.25.
For information about any of the routes, call 530-9911.
