GTG On The Move – Spring 2023 – The Global Transit Guidebook

Volume 1 – Issue 1

Welcome to GTG On The Move, where I’ll be highlighting some transit news & happenings from across the globe! I’m going to try & make these newsletter type posts every quarter as a way to cover things that I may not otherwise cover elsewhere through my normal blog posts or on my social media channels. If you have a suggestion for something that I should discuss in a future issue, please let me know!

Website Update Summary

So many of you have probably noticed some changes going on with the GTG website again. This is because I am making yet another attempt to bring forth the many updates & content expansion projects that I’ve been wanting to bring to the site during the past few years. The formal end of the Covid-19 Pandemic has allowed me to mentally shift gears towards doing more of what I want to accomplish for the site, as well as my YouTube Channel. Below is some of the things that I’ll be working on in specific with the site.

Minor homepage update.
Reorganizing the layout of the Transports sections.
Adding in new photos for various existing transit agency sections.
And later on…adding in new transit agency sections.

Please keep in mind that much of this work will take time, so your patience is appreciated.

Memorial Day Holiday

Memorial Day will be on Monday, May 29, 2023. In observance of this holiday, transit agency administrative offices will be closed & many agencies will operate limited to no service. To learn more about whether your respective transit agency will operate on Memorial Day, please visit their website or contact them by phone or email.

Memorial Day is where the U.S. pauses to remember those who served in the military & made the ultimate sacrifice in protecting their country. Many cities & towns throughout the nation will be holding events – including remembrance ceremonies, parades, musical performances, & other social gatherings.

Events may also be held to help raise funds for various military/veteran-related non-profit organizations.
Regardless of what you plan on doing during the Memorial Day weekend, please take a moment to remember those who have served in our nation’s military & lost their lives while protecting our country.

Service Schedules For Selected Transit Agencies

Florida:

Saturday Schedule:
- Space Coast/321 Transit
Sunday Schedule:
- Hillsborough Transit Authority
  - The TECOline Streetcar will operate a normal Monday schedule
- Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority
- LYNX Orlando
Special Schedule:
- Votran (see website for details)

No Service:
- Polk Citrus Connection
- Manatee County Area Transit
  - See website for trolley service schedules
- Sarasota Breeze
  - See website for trolley service schedules
- GoPasco
- SunRail
- LakeXpress

Elsewhere:

Sunday Schedule:
- MTA New York (buses & subways)
- CTA Chicago
- Pace Chicago
- MUNI San Francisco

Contactless Fare Payments Expand

Contactless fare payment is steadily expanding nationwide! During the course of 2022, the New York MTA expanded its OMNY fare payment program to all of its subway & bus networks, & enabled contactless bank card & mobile wallet payments. In the Tampa Bay region, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, the Hillsborough Transit Authority, & HernandoBus all enabled the use of contactless bank card & mobile wallet payments earlier this year.

If you’re traveling within Hernando, Hillsborough, or Pinellas Counties, or travelling between Hillsborough & Pinellas, you can spend more time enjoying your bus ride & less time paying for your fare!

Summer Youth Fare Passes

Summer is almost here! That means it’s time for parents to find ways to keep their kids busy during summer break. With many transit agencies providing discounted fares for school-aged youth, it’s easy to send them to the park, beach, movies, & more while not having to worry about driving them to & from all the time.

With the Covid-19 Pandemic ending, you may find your area’s transit agency resuming summer fare promotions! Please check with your respective agency to see if they’re running any such promotions for this year.

What’s Next For Tampa Bay Ferry Service?

The 2022-2023 season of the Tampa Bay Cross-Bay Ferry ends this week & there is once again some uncertainty as to what will happen in the future. First though, to some good news; the ferry set a ridership record for the second year in a row – with more than 62,130 passenger boardings taking place.

In respects to what happens next, a new group has been formed to help keep momentum going on permanent ferry service in the region. The non-profit Tampa Bay Ferries Alliance is currently laying out the groundwork to eventually implement the long-planned South Hillsborough County to MacDill Air Force Base commuter ferry line, with the possibility of additional lines to be added further out in the future. Additionally, the group is examining how to enhance the existing St. Petersburg to Tampa route.

As of right now, the Cross-Bay Ferry is set to begin the 2023-2024 season this fall, though an exact date is to be determined.

PSTA SunRunner Improvements Coming

As ridership continues to rise on the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA)’s SunRunner Bus Rapid Transit line, plans are in motion to spend roughly $5 million dollars of federal funds leftover when construction was completed. The agency previously announced plans to add an additional stop in Downtown St. Petersburg so that those in the Pier District can better access SunRunner service. The new stop location being examined would be at 1st Ave N & 1st St N (though this may change upon finalization) & an extension of the Business Access Transit (BAT) lanes on 1st Ave N is being discussed in conjunction with the new stop.

This past week, the PSTA Board of Directors approved the purchase of three additional 40′ Gillig BRT Plus Hybrid buses to help maintain service on the SunRunner & increase the agency’s spare bus ratio for the service. Currently, customers (including myself) are seeing instances where because there’s simply not enough available buses, the agency is having to deploy standard 35′ Gillig buses to route as substitutes. PSTA’s standard bus fleet does not have the same amenities as the SunRunner buses do – which creates a downgraded service experience. The additional buses for SunRunner should be produced by the spring of 2024, with service rollout expected to occur a month or so after delivery (depending how preparation & testing turn out).

There was also some discussion early on about possibly boosting daytime frequency to every 10 minutes, as opposed to the current level of every 15 minutes, due to ridership growth – including standing-room-only buses during special events. However, this part of the plan seems to have fizzled out for the meantime, as the agency likely would return to the current situation of not having enough buses on hand to efficiently operate SunRunner service. While I can see PSTA eventually increasing daytime frequency to every 10 minutes & evening frequency to every 20 minutes, it likely will require an additional five to six more buses to be ordered in order to maintain a healthy spare bus ratio & ensure that customers receive a consistent level of service along the entire route.

You can see the differences between one of the 40′ SunRunner buses, versus one of the standard 35′ buses. The SunRunner buses have for instance, three interior bike racks, whereas standard buses only have a traditional exterior rack that can only accommodate two bikes.

Connecting With The Global Transit Guidebook

Getting in touch with the Global Transit Guidebook is easy! You can also check out my other social media channels while you’re here. If you liked this inaugural edition of GTG On The Move, or if you have questions, concerns, or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to me! I hope to be able to publish more of these newsletters as part of my overall website improvement/expansion plans.