PSTA System Redesign – What You Need To Know!

# 26122 approaches the Pinellas Park Transit Center on Route 11.

If you’ve been a long-time rider of the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) system in Pinellas County, FL, then you’re probably well-acclimated with their routes. With ridership trends changing & various funding constraints present, many transit agencies have completely overhauled their networks to bring forth greater reliability to the routes they operate while efficiently & effectively managing resources. PSTA is no exception to that & the agency is preparing to launch their Connected Community Bus Network on Sunday, October 26, 2025.

Currently, PSTA operates the following routes & services:

Local Standard Routes: 31 (Routes 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 32, 34, 38, 52, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 65, 67, 68, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, & 79).
Limited Peak Commuter Routes (Local Stops): 2 (Routes 66L & 90).
Limited Express Routes (Limited Stops): 1 (Route 52LX).
Premium-Branded BRT or BRT Lite Services: 1 (SunRunner).
Tourist Trolley Routes (Fully Operated In-House): 2 (CAT & SBT).
Tourist Trolley Routes (Contracted &/or Supported): 4 (Jolley Trolley North Beach, Jolley Trolley South Beach, Jolley Trolley Coastal, St. Pete Downtown Looper).
Regional Express Routes: 2 (Routes 100X & 300X).
Fixed-Route Van Services: 1 (Route 812).
On-Demand Van Services (Snapper & Grouper): 2 (1 Snapper Service & 1 Grouper Service).
PSTA Access Paratransit.
Clearwater Ferry (Cooperative Service).

Total Number of Fixed Bus Routes: 40 (44 if including contracted & supported services).
Total Number of On-Demand Services: 2.

What Changes Can You Expect?

While PSTA has a more detailed blog post on their site regarding the upcoming changes, I thought I would go ahead & provide a summary for those who might not have time to spend going through numerous paragraphs & individual route schedules right off the bat.

1 New Premium-Branded BRT Lite Service WIll Launch – called the Spark.
- This route will operate every day from 5:00am until 12-midnight.
- Buses will operate every 15 minutes from 6:00am until 8:00pm, with 30 minute frequency at all other times.
- Check out the new information page I’ve created for Spark service!
Roughly 95% of the existing network is being completely overhauled – this means that nearly all routes that remain in service will see at minimum, a degree of running time changes. However, most routes will see significant scheduling changes that will result in more efficient travel times, some new route interlines, & timed transfers in some cases. Other major changes to some routes include the creation of branched route segments (A/B segments), route segment merges, splits, & re-alignments, as well as a few complete route eliminations or re-designations.
- While a few of PSTA’s routes already contain branched route segments (like Route 4 in southern Pinellas County), these branches are simply noted on schedules as subtle deviations. Some agencies like Miami-Dade Transit & Jacksonville Transportation Authority, utilize formal branch designations (A, B, etc.) to specifically distinguish where each segment travels to without causing added confusion to customers.
- Some routes will have segments that are absorbed by other routes to reflect changing ridership trends.
- Most routes that operate at least every 30 minutes will see more uniform frequency during the day & week – eliminating most “peak hour” levels of service – again reflecting changing ridership trends. Unfortunately, I’ve heard that ridership has significantly decreased on Routes 18, 23, 34 (north of Grand Central), 59, & 74 during weekdays, while weekend ridership demand has grown on Routes 9, 19, 59, 74, & 78. This means that Routes 18 & 34 will no longer see 20-minute weekday peak service, Route 59 will no longer see 15-minute weekday service, & Route 74 will no longer see 20-minute weekday service. However, Routes 59 & 74 will see 30 minute uniform frequency on weekends to match up with greater weekend service demand.
- Route 19 will see Saturday frequencies increased to every 30 minutes from every 45 & weekday frequencies will be more uniform at every 30 minutes – instead of every 30 to 35 minutes. Route 4 will maintain its 15-minute daytime weekday frequency while enjoying a Sunday frequency boost from every hour to every 30 minutes. Route 52 will be split apart east/south of the PSTA Complex, with Route 49 handling the 49th St corridor, & the remaining portion of the 52 seeing a significant weekday & Sunday frequency boost (weekday daytime frequency will be every 15 minutes from every 30 minutes & Sunday frequency will increase from every hour to every 30 minutes).
- Almost every route will have full weekend service – even Route 58, which has historically operated only on weekdays. The only weekday-only routes will remain Routes 100X & 300X.
- The Route 66 designation will change – with the current Route 66L in northern Pinellas being re-assigned as Route 91, & the northern portion of Route 79 (66th St corridor) being re-assigned as Route 66. Other routes such as the 9 & 49 will take over sections in St. Pete, Largo, & Gulfport that are currently handled by the 79.
On-Demand van service will now be called the Snapper & will absorb the existing Safety Harbor/814 On-Demand service while a second zone will be created in central Clearwater to handle lower ridership areas that are currently served by Route 76.
Service between Seminole & Indian Shores, via Park Blvd intracoastal bridge, will return after a decades-long hiatus. Route 58 used to provide this connection up until its restructuring in the early 2010s. The connection will soon be provided by a revised Route 65 & will serve the Park Blvd Boat Ramp, as the 58 used to do back in the day.
Customers travelling between the following points will be able to enjoy a one-seat bus ride:
- Route 4: St. Pete Gateway area, Downtown St. Pete, Pinellas Point, & Skyway Marina District (the Roy Hanna/25th Way S transfer point is being decommissioned due to traffic flow constraints, Routes 4, 11, 20, 90, & the Spark will all converge/terminate just outside of Bay Point Plaza in the Skyway Marina District).
- Route 9: St. Pete Gateway area, Downtown St. Pete, Midtown District (South St. Pete), Grand Central Station.
- Route 38: Downtown St. Pete, Madiera Beach (150th Ave @ Gulf Blvd).
- Route 78: Downtown Clearwater, Oldsmar, Town-N-Country (HART Northwest Transfer Center).
Those going to Clearwater Beach to/from Downtown Clearwater will be able to enjoy staggered trolley service between the PSTA Suncoast Beach Trolley & the Clearwater Jolley Trolley. The two services will stagger departures (every 30 minutes per route) to create a uniform 15 minute combine service frequency all week long.