Avoid parking & traffic hassles, use transit this Spring Break!
It’s hard to believe that March is here (well, almost as of the publishing of this post)!
And when we talk about March, we talk about the rush of college students & families from all across Pinellas County & beyond to enjoy the county’s award-winning beaches.
Along with this of course, comes a lot of traffic & parking headaches. As I have done in the past, I will break down some of the alternatives available to you should you join in on the Spring Break hustle & bustle.
- Get to St. Pete Beach Faster!
- Enhanced Transit Service To Clearwater Beach Returns!
- What if I’m going to another beach?
- What other transportation options are available?
- Going into other counties?
Get to St. Pete Beach Faster!
With the SunRunner!
The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) continues to provide the SunRunner Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line, which quickly connects residents & visitors alike to St. Pete Beach to & from Downtown St. Petersburg.
Regardless of where you’re coming from in Pinellas County, you can hop aboard the SunRunner to connect to St. Pete Beach to enjoy fun in the sun without dealing with parking fees, limited parking spaces, or changing lanes on the causeways. You can also get to Downtown St. Pete after the beach to enjoy dinner & nightlife without having to dish out even more time & money for parking.
Buses operate every 15 minutes during the day, every day, with 30 minute frequency after 8:00pm. With frequent service during the day & limited stops along the way – not to mention buses operating in designated lanes throughout much of the corridor – you’ll spend less time on the bus & more time at the beach or other area destinations!
The standard one-way fare on board all PSTA fixed-route buses is $2.25, with the daily fare being $5.00.
Please be advised that cash is not accepted on board the SunRunner, so please be sure to have an alternate form of payment ready before boarding. While the preferred way to pay for your PSTA fare is through the Flamingo Fares smart card or smartphone app, contactless bank cards & mobile wallet apps (Apple Pay & Google Pay) are also accepted.
Enhanced Transit Service To Clearwater Beach Returns!
The award-winning Clearwater Beach is a consistent hotspot for tourists & residents alike. Because of the immense amount of people who visit Clearwater throughout the year, peak tourist seasons always bring forth massive amounts of traffic across the Memorial Causeway bridge, & this year will certainly be no exception.
For the past several years (with the exception of 2020 & 2021 due the Covid pandemic), the City of Clearwater & PSTA have partnered to allow residents & visitors alike, an alternative way to get to & from Clearwater Beach. There will be several locations for drivers to park in Downtown Clearwater & then catch a trolley bus to the beach. During peak periods, additional vehicles will be dispatched to help handle the increased loads.
Whether you’re driving into the Clearwater area, or using a PSTA bus route to connect to the trolleys, you can leave the driving to your bus operator & not have to worry about changing lanes or battling other visitors to find a parking space. I will tell you right now that finding parking in Clearwater Beach is extremely difficult during the peak tourist season, & you could be waiting over 15 minutes in some cases just to find a parking space.
During the week (Monday through Thursday), trolley buses will operate their normal posted schedules, with some enhancements being available starting at 10:00am. Trolley service begins to wind down at 10:00pm, so please be aware if staying out late. On Fridays & Saturdays, there will be enhanced 15 minute trolley service starting at 10:00am, running all the way to 12-midnight! On Sundays, enhanced 15 minute trolley service will start at 10:00am & run until end of service at 10:00pm.
Please be sure to follow PSTA on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), & Instagram (handles for all three social media platforms are ridepsta) for special Spring Break transit promotions!
What if I’m going to another beach?
Most of Pinellas’ award-winning beaches are served by either a PSTA bus or trolley, or the Jolley Trolley lines. The only exceptions are Fort Desoto Park/Beach, Honeymoon Island, Sunset Beach, and Fred Howard Park, as there is no transit service to these destinations. However, bicyclists can ride to these areas without having to venture too far off from a bus route or The Pinellas Trail system.
The Suncoast Beach Trolley
- St. Pete Beach (terminating at 75th Ave @ Gulf Blvd).
- Treasure Island
- Madeira Beach (including the John’s Pass Shopping District & Boardwalk)
- Connection to Route 68 is available at John’s Pass. Simply exit the trolley at the stops across from the shopping district and board Route 68 at the northbound-facing stop along Gulf Blvd. You may also transfer by exiting the trolley at any stop along Gulf Blvd between the shopping district & 150th Ave (Tom Stuart Causeway).
- Reddington Beaches (including Reddington Shores)
Indian Shores - Indian Rocks Beach
- Connection to Route 59 is available at 4th Ave. Simply exit the trolley at the Gulf Blvd stop by the CVS Pharmacy at 4th Ave & walk one block east to the stop on 4th Ave @ 1st St.
- There are no stops in the Belleair Beach or Belleair Shores areas.
- Unfortunately, these communities are not very friendly to transit and do not wish to place any funding towards transit service, so thus there are no trolley stops in these communities.
- Sand Key Beach
- Clearwater Beach (including dining and entertainment)
- PSTA Clearwater Beach Transit Center
- Island Estates (early morning trips only, use the Jolley Trolley for all other times)
- PSTA Park St Terminal
- Downtown Clearwater dining and entertainment
The Jolley Trolley
- The Jolley Trolley Beach Route serves Island Estates after 10:00am. The route also serves many popular Clearwater Beach destinations throughout the day. Departure times are staggered so that you don’t have to wait too long for either a PSTA Suncoast Beach Trolley or a Jolley Trolley vehicle to arrive if you’re traversing the island.
- Sand Key Beach
- Clearwater Beach (including dining and entertainment)
- PSTA Clearwater Beach Transit Center
- Island Estates
- PSTA Park St Terminal
- Downtown Clearwater dining and entertainment
- Various coastal destinations throughout Dunedin, Ozona, and Tarpon Springs – including the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks.
Regardless of where you venture off to via PSTA, be sure to know when your bus will arrive. You can download Transit or Moovit to your smartphone by visiting the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, or learn more about them via the respective links in this paragraph. Both apps are free to use!
What other transportation options are available?
For those who aren’t using transit to get around, but still don’t want to rent a vehicle, you can utilize Uber and Lyft. Just keep in mind that surge pricing may be in effect during periods of high demand. Taxicab companies will also be busy shutting people around the area.
- Uber
- Lyft
- United Taxi – (727)-777-7777
- Florida Free Rides – (727) 424-5458 – Free service on Clearwater Beach island, with $10.00 one-way fares to the mainland.
- Freebee Shuttle (St. Pete Beach, Pass-A-Grille Beach, & Downtown Dunedin) – Visit website to learn more & use the app to book a ride. Service is fare free.
If you’re visiting Downtown St. Petersburg, you can also take advantage of transport options such as bike sharing & scooters (where available). Fees are affordable and there are numerous hubs located throughout the city.
Going into other counties?
If you plan to visit Hillsborough, Pasco, or Manatee County, please see the resources below for further information.
- PSTA Route 100X – Weekdays Only
- PSTA Route 300X – Weekdays Only
- PSTA Route 812 – Monday through Saturday
- GoPasco
- GoPasco Route 18 – Monday through Saturday
- GoPasco Route 19 – Monday through Saturday
- Hillsborough Transit Authority (d.b.a. HART)
- Manatee County Area Transit
- MCAT Skyway ConneXion – Weekdays Only (limited trips)
- Cross-Bay Ferry (Pinellas & Hillsborough)
- Seasonal Tuesday through Sunday service until May 31, 2024.
The Global Transit Guidebook 
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