The wheels keep turning…

Welcome to the PSTA Active Vehicles page. Here, I will showcase photos of the various vehicles that PSTA currently operates in its fleet. Because of upcoming changes to the fleet, I’m moving the 2001 & 2002-series buses to a new Retired Vehicles page. The 2300-series MCI coaches will also move to this new page. If you’d like to make a contribution, please feel free to contact me.

The vehicles featured in this section include the following:

2005 40-foot Gillig Low Floors
2005 35-foot Gillig Low Floors
2006 40-foot Gillig Low Floors
2006 35-foot Gillig Low Floors
2007 40-foot Gillig Low Floors
2007 35-foot Gillig Low Floors
- Includes Replica Trolleys
2008 40-foot Gillig Low Floors
2008 35-foot Gillig Low Floors
- Includes Replica Trolleys
2009 35-foot Gillig Low Floor BRTs
- Includes Hybrid & Diesel-Powered BRTs
- Also Includes Hybrid Replica Trolleys
2010 35-foot Gillig Low Floor BRTs^
2012 40-foot Gillig Low Floor BRTs^
2013 40-foot Gillig Low Floor BRTs^
2014 40-foot Gillig Low Floor BRTs^
2015 40-foot Gillig Low Floor BRTs^
2016 40-foot Gillig Low Floors^+
2017 35-foot Gillig Low Floors^+
2018 35-foot Gillig Low Floors^+
2018 35-foot BYD K9#
2019 35-foot Gillig Low Floors^+

^ All Gillig buses from 2010 & onward are hybrids.
+ All Gillig buses from 2016 & onward only have the BRT style front option.
# All BYD buses are battery electric.

Page was last updated on 12/30/2018.

To note; all of PSTA’s diesel Gillig buses are powered with either Cummins ISL or ISM engines, and Voith transmissions (which are most recognizable by the “whistling” noise they make as the bus slows down). Hybrids from 2009 through 2015 use Cummins ISB engines & Allison H 40 EP transmissions. Hybrids from 2016 onward use Cummins ISB engines & BAE Systems HybriDrive Series E transmissions. As you’ll see throughout the photo galleries, each model bus has different options, such as seating arrangement, different style of wheelchair lifts, etc. None of the buses have opening side windows, a characteristic that some agencies possess.

2005-series 35 & 40′ Gillig Low Floor (Unit #s 2501 through 2508 & 2510 through 2517)

This split order of Gilligs originally comprised of all three lengths. The 29-footers (2530 through 2534) were originally used on lower ridership routes such as the 58 & 68, but were later shifted to the North County Connector after the 2012-series cutaway vans were retired early due to manufacturer defects. These buses are to be retired by May, 2019 and thus their photos have been moved to the Retired Transit Vehicles page.

As of September, 2015; #2512 is no longer in active service.

#2510 (35-footer) at Williams Park.

Another angle of #2510.

#2511 (35-footer) at Grand Central Terminal.

#2508 at Gateway Mall.

Rear of #2514.

#2510 at Williams Park.

#2505 at Gateway Mall, Route 59.

#2502 on Route 4.

And another angle…

#2510 leaving Carillon, Route 98.

#2503 at Gateway Mall.

And later, she springs up at Largo Mall.

#2514 (35-footer) at Countryside Mall, Route 67.

Side view of #2514 with customers boarding.

Same bus, different angle.

#2502 at Williams Park.

#2505 at Williams Park.

And #2510 again…

#2510.

#2507 on layover.

#2505 was a regular fixture on Route 59 prior to October, 2016. While it may still be assigned to the route nowadays, it normally springs up on Route 4.

#2506 leaving Pinellas Park Transit Center. Credit: Carlos A.

And there she goes! Credit: Carlos A.

#2501 at Gateway Mall.

#2510 (35-footer) at Williams Park.

Another angle of #2510.

#2511 (35-footer) at Grand Central Terminal.

#2508 at Gateway Mall.

Rear of #2514.

#2510 at Williams Park.

#2505 at Gateway Mall, Route 59.

#2502 on Route 4.

And another angle…

#2510 leaving Carillon, Route 98.

#2503 at Gateway Mall.

And later, she springs up at Largo Mall.

#2514 (35-footer) at Countryside Mall, Route 67.

Side view of #2514 with customers boarding.

Same bus, different angle.

#2502 at Williams Park.

#2505 at Williams Park.

And #2510 again…

#2510.

#2507 on layover.

#2505 was a regular fixture on Route 59 prior to October, 2016. While it may still be assigned to the route nowadays, it normally springs up on Route 4.

#2510 (35-footer) at Williams Park.

Another angle of #2510.

#2511 (35-footer) at Grand Central Terminal.

#2508 at Gateway Mall.

Rear of #2514.

#2510 at Williams Park.

#2505 at Gateway Mall, Route 59.

#2502 on Route 4.

And another angle…

#2510 leaving Carillon, Route 98.

#2503 at Gateway Mall.

And later, she springs up at Largo Mall.

#2514 (35-footer) at Countryside Mall, Route 67.

Side view of #2514 with customers boarding.

Same bus, different angle.

#2502 at Williams Park.

#2505 at Williams Park.

And #2510 again…

#2510.

#2507 on layover.

#2505 was a regular fixture on Route 59 prior to October, 2016. While it may still be assigned to the route nowadays, it normally springs up on Route 4.

#2506 leaving Pinellas Park Transit Center. Credit: Carlos A.

And there she goes! Credit: Carlos A.

#2501 at Gateway Mall.

#2510 (35-footer) at Williams Park.

Another angle of #2510.

#2511 (35-footer) at Grand Central Terminal.

#2508 at Gateway Mall.

Rear of #2514.

#2510 at Williams Park.

#2505 at Gateway Mall, Route 59.

#2502 on Route 4.

And another angle…

#2510 leaving Carillon, Route 98.

#2503 at Gateway Mall.

And later, she springs up at Largo Mall.

#2514 (35-footer) at Countryside Mall, Route 67.

Side view of #2514 with customers boarding.

Same bus, different angle.

#2502 at Williams Park.

#2505 at Williams Park.

And #2510 again…

#2510.

#2507 on layover.

#2505 was a regular fixture on Route 59 prior to October, 2016. While it may still be assigned to the route nowadays, it normally springs up on Route 4.

#2506 leaving Pinellas Park Transit Center. Credit: Carlos A.

And there she goes! Credit: Carlos A.

#2501 at Gateway Mall.

#2510 (35-footer) at Williams Park.

Another angle of #2510.

#2511 (35-footer) at Grand Central Terminal.

#2508 at Gateway Mall.

Rear of #2514.

#2510 at Williams Park.

#2505 at Gateway Mall, Route 59.

#2502 on Route 4.

And another angle…

#2510 leaving Carillon, Route 98.

#2503 at Gateway Mall.

And later, she springs up at Largo Mall.

#2514 (35-footer) at Countryside Mall, Route 67.

Side view of #2514 with customers boarding.

Same bus, different angle.

#2502 at Williams Park.

#2505 at Williams Park.

And #2510 again…

#2510.

#2507 on layover.

#2505 was a regular fixture on Route 59 prior to October, 2016. While it may still be assigned to the route nowadays, it normally springs up on Route 4.

#2506 leaving Pinellas Park Transit Center. Credit: Carlos A.

And there she goes! Credit: Carlos A.

2006-series 35/40-foot Gillig Low Floor (Unit #s 2601 through 2636 & 2650 through 2661)

The 2006 Gillig batch is the first for PSTA to have “framless” windows, meaning that the exterior window frames are squared instead of curved. Many transit agencies go with this window style to add a sleek, modern look to their transit fleets.

As of September, 2015; #’s 2622 & 2626 are no longer in active service.

$2610 at Williams Park. Photo Credit: HARTride 2012.

The front of #2610. Photo Credit: HARTride 2012.

#2617 on Route 79 at Williams Park. Photo Credit: HARTride 2012.

#2601 at Clearwater’s Park St. Terminal. Photo Credit: HARTride 2012.

#2602 near Roy Hanna Dr. Photo Credit: HARTride 2012.

#2613 at Williams Park.

#2607 comes down 25th Way S.

Closeup of #2607.

#2601 heading towards Pinellas Park.

#2607 at Williams Park.

Another angle of #2607.

Rear of #2607.

#2616.

Another angle of #2616.

Rear of #2616

#2614 at Gateway Mall, Route 74.

#2604 on Route 4.

Both buses at Gateway Mall.

#2655 at Williams Park.

#2660 at Williams Park.

#2657.

#2611.

And off she goes!

2620 at Williams Park.

#2658.

2608.

#2628 runs the 100X today, taken at Britton Plaza.

And she roars back into the station after her Marion/Downtown Tampa stop.

And off she goes!

#2620 at Williams Park.

#2613 on Route 23.

#2661 on Route 15.

#2653 leaving on Route 38.

#2535 leaving on Route 18.

#2609 basks in the sun before her Route 14 run.

#2614 on layover, Route 23.

#2604 at Gateway Mall.

#2612 at Williams Park.

#2620.

#2624 at Gateway Mall.

#2620 springs up at the Pinellas Park Transit Center.

#2604 on the 59.

#2607 on the 4 at Goodwill.

#2612 at Park St Terminal, Route 60.

#2632 leaving Park St, Route 18.

#2620 leaving Largo Mall, Route 18.

A few days later, #2620 was involved in an accident. 😦

2007-series 35/40-foot Gillig Low Floor (Unit #s 2701 through 2718)

The 2007 Gilligs are similar to their 2006 counterparts with only interior seating varying.

#2702 (40-footer) at the Park St Terminal in Clearwater. Photo Credit: HARTride 2012, but released into the Public Domain (used on Wikipedia).

#2713 (35-footer) filling in for one of the Gillig Replica Trolleybuses on the Suncoast Beach Trolley (Route 777). Photo Credit: HARTride 2012.

#2715 (35-footer) near The St. Pete Pier.

#2713 at Williams Park.

#2710 (40-footer) basks in the sunlight.

#2713 at Tyrone Square Mall.

#2717 (35-footer) at Countryside Mall.

Side angle of #2717.

Rear of #2717.

#2701 on Roosevelt Blvd, Route 59.

#2712 at the Park St Terminal.

Same bus, different angle…

#2713 winds up at Tyrone Square Mall again, Route 68.

Rear of #2713.

#2710 at Williams Park.

#2715 on layover.

#2708 on Route 4.

#2709 on Route 23.

#2702 at Gateway Mall.

#2704.

2008-series 35/40-foot Gillig Low Floor (Unit #s 2801 through 2815 & 2830 through 2835)

The 2008-series Gilligs are powered by Clean Diesel, which is what many transit bus manufacturers have been moving towards when it comes to diesel fueled transit vehicles. The main difference with these newer buses is the particulate tailpipe. Otherwise, these buses look nearly identical to their 2006 and 2007 counterparts.

#2834 on the Pinellas Park Shuttle (Route 444). Photo Credit: HARTride 2012.

1044844_328617317269782_1637813642_n — The rear of #2834. Notice the tailpipe. Photo Credit: HARTride 2012.

#2803 at Grand Central Station.

#2806 at Williams Park, Route 18. Photo Credit: HARTride 2012.

#2809 on Route 4.

#2815 at Williams Park, Route 59.

#2815 shows up later on along Route 4.

#2835 on layover.

Same bus, different angle…

#2833 on layover.

#2832.

#2830.

#2814.

Same bus, different angle.

#2807.

Replica Trolleys – 35-foot Gillig Low Floor [Unit #s (2)720 through (2)722, (2)820 through (2)825, & (2)920 through (2)926]

The Suncoast Beach Trolley and the earlier variant of the Central Ave Trolley both used to run replica trolleybuses that were manufactured by either Optima/Chance, Cable Car Concepts, Trolley Enterprises, or Supreme Corp. The latter two are still used on city-owned services such as the St. Pete Downtown Looper. Today, PSTA utilizes an all-Gillig replica trolley fleet.

The Gillig Low Floor Replica Trolley is offered through a collaboration between Gillig Corporation and Cable Car Classics. It effectively blends in the standard Gillig Low Floor bus with add-on features to create the appearance of an old-fashioned trolley. Additionally, these trolleys are also manufactured with the hybrid drive option.

The exterior incorporates weatherproof, wood-looking trim and decals, along with a cosmetic cupola and a brass bell to convey the traditional trolley appearance. The interior includes solid oak seating, similar to a traditional streetcar. Yes, the bell even works!

The 2007 (with fleet numbers 7XX) and the 2008 fleets (with fleet numbers 8XX) are diesel powered, whereas the 2009 fleet (with fleet numbers 9XX) are diesel-electric hybrids (the hybrid components are stored within the decorative rooftop elements). To note, PSTA uses 3-digit fleet numbers to distinguish the trolleybuses from the rest of the bus fleet.

Buses that have blue liveries are typically assigned to the Suncoast Beach Trolley, while yellow buses are typically assigned to the Central Ave Trolley. However, depending on how the buses are handed out each day, either model bus can run interchangeably on each other’s routes. In fact, as of mid 2016, each trolley route operates at least one hybrid bus.

Apparently, some of the fleet was originally adorned with the replica bench seating but later replaced by standard transit bus seats. Why PSTA did this, I do not know, but I do respect their decision.

#825 on the Central Ave Trolley (Route 35).

#722 on the Suncoast Beach Trolley (Route 777), preparing for departure.

Another angle of #722.

#823 at Williams Park.

And later…#823 winds up at Pass-A-Grille Beach.

Another view of #823.

#922.

Another view of #922.

Unknown trolley # heading towards the Park St Terminal.

#821 at Williams Park.

Inside #821, with Carlos at the front (he just boarded).

#821 leaving Williams Park. Notice how unlike most o the other yellow trolleybuses, #821 has the regular PSTA logo on both sides of the bus.

#721 on the Suncoast Beach Trolley.

#920 on the CAT, making a turn onto 2nd Ave N.

#921 on the CAT.

And later…#822 shows up.

#925 on layover.

#922.

#822.

The “Smartbuses”

Unit #’s include:

#2901 through 2903 – 2009 35-foot Gillig Low Floor BRT Hybrid Drive

#2910 & 2911 – 2009 35-foot Gillig Low Floor BRT Clean Diesel

#10101 through 10114 – 2010 35-foot Gillig Low Floor BRT Hybrid Drive

#12101 through 12108 – 2012 40-foot Gillig Low Floor BRT Hybrid Drive

#13101 through 13108 – 2013 40-foot Gillig Low Floor BRT Hybrid Drive

#14101 through 14108 – 2014 40-foot Gillig Low Floor BRT Hybrid Drive

#15101 through 15113 – 2015 40-foot Gillig Low Floor BRT Hybrid Drive

#16101 through 16107 – 2016 40-foot Gillig Low Floor BRT Hybrid Drive

In 2009, PSTA began purchasing 35 and 40-foot Gillig Low Floor BRT style Hybrid-Drive buses, which are painted in a gray livery with a blue and green “swoosh” rather than the blue livery with a teal and white “swoosh”. These buses, known as the “Smartbus”, accounts for about 30% of the agency’s transit bus fleet.

All of the hybrid buses are equipped with Cummins ISB engines and either the Allison H 40 EP or the BAE HybriDrive Series E transmission. #’s 2910 and 2911 utilize Cummins ISL engines and Voith transmissions.

While each of the buses look nearly identical on the outside, the inside seating layout varies by model year. The 2015 and 2016 buses also have LED signs that differ from their older counterparts.

#10104 along Gandy Blvd N (Frontage Road).

#10104 at Gateway Mall.

#13107 at Williams Park.

The front of #13107.

#12101 at Williams Park.

Another angle of #12101.

#13104 at Gateway Mall.

The front of #13104.

That lone side seat on #13104.

#12103 at the 34th St N/PSTA Facility Transfer Platform.

Another angle of #12103.

The front of #14106 at Clearwater’s Park St Terminal.

The rear of #14106.

#2901 subbing in on the Central Ave Trolley (Route 35). This was PSTA’s first hybrid bus.

#2901 at the PSTA Facility. Photo Credit: PSTA.

#14101 at Grand Central Terminal.

#12102.

#15103 at Williams Park.

#15112 at Park St.

#15110 at Williams Park.

Another angle of #15110.

The rear of #15110.

Another angle of #15110.

The back of #15101 at Gateway Mall.

The front of #15101.

#2901 at Williams Park.

Another view of #2901.

#10105 at Williams Park.

Another angle of #10105.

#15101 at Williams Park.

Another angle of #15101.

#12105 at Countryside Mall.

Rear of #12105.

#15102 at Gateway Mall.

#15103 at Gateway Mall.

#15106 at Gateway Mall.

#15101 at Gateway Mall.

#15113 at Gateway Mall. This is the last of the 2015 batch!

The rear of #15113.

#15107 on Route 300X.

#10112 at Gateway Mall.

The front of #10112.

#15106 winds up again at Gateway Mall.

The front of #15106.

#10106 prepares to turn onto 28th St N from Roosevelt Blvd near Carillon.

#10104 at Williams Park.

Same bus, different angle…

#15109 at Williams Park.

Same bus, different angle…

#2902 at Gateway Mall.

And she’s off!

#2910 is actually a straight diesel bus, along with #2911. However, the two are also branded as “Smartbuses”.

#2910 is virtually identical to the rest of the hybrid fleet, but of course, there is no hybrid tank and components. The rear faring is identical to HART’s Gillig Low Floor BRT buses.