The Global Transit Guidebook
By HARTride 2012
PSTA Retired Transit Vehicles
It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later…
Welcome to the PSTA Retired Vehicles page. Here, I will showcase photos of the various vehicles that PSTA has retired from its fleet. Please keep in mind that this page only documents buses from 2001 through 2003, with a few 2005s and 2012s included. If you’d like to make a contribution, please feel free to contact me.
The vehicles featured in this section include the following:
- 2001 40-foot Gillig Low Floors
- 2002 40-foot Gillig Low Floors
- 2002 30-foot Gillig Low Floors
- 2003 40-foot MCI Coaches
- 2005 30-foot Gillig Low Floors
- 2008 35-foot Gillig Low Floors
- 2012 27-foot Champion LF Transport (Ford E-450) Cutaways
2001 40-foot Gillig Low Floors
#’s 2101 through 2116
In revenue service from 2001 until 2018
The 16 bus order that was carried out in 2001 was one of a powerhouse. I’ve been told by several PSTA operators that these buses drove very nicely – even after being in service for 13 years. Some buses lasted in revenue service for as long as 16 or 17 years – though many were relegated to the contingency fleet after 2014.
In 2013, the fleet was gradually repainted into the current blue/teal/white livery. By the start of 2019, all buses were retired out.
#2110 on Route 4 at the Goodwill facility on Gandy Blvd N. This was one of a handful of buses that still possessed the old PSTA livery.
#2105 entering the 34th St N Transfer Center next to the PSTA Facility. 
#2105 on layover at the Park St Terminal in Clearwater. 
Different angle of #2105. 
#2106 on layover at Grand Central Terminal. Credit: Joe C. 
#2108 on Route 74 at Gateway Mall. 
#2109 on standby at Park St Terminal. Credit: Joe C. 
#2112 on Route 59 back when it traveled all the way to Downtown St. Petersburg. 
#2112 on layover at Williams Park. 
Side angle of #2112. 
#2112 not having a good day at Williams Park – it had to be towed shortly after I took this photo. 
#2113 at the 34th St N Transfer Center. 
Rear angle of #2113. 
Side angle of #2113. 
After boarding a Route 52 bus, I snapped this shot of #2113 as we circled the platform. 
#2116 returns to the garage. 
#2116 on layover at Williams Park. 
#2106 on Route 74 when it went from Downtown St. Pete to Indian Rocks Shopping Center. Routes 59 & 74 were shortened in late 2016 for efficiency purposes. Credit: Carlos A. 
#2105 exits Pinellas Park Transit Center on Route 52. Credit: Carlos A. 
And there she goes! Credit: Carlos A. 
# 2106 at the garage. Credit: Carlos A. 
# 2107 at the garage. Credit: Carlos A. 
# 2109 at the garage. Credit: Carlos A. 
# 2108 on layover at Gateway Mall.
2002 29 & 40-foot Gillig Low Floors
#’s 2201 through 2210 (40-foot)
#’s 2230 through 2233 (29-foot)
In revenue service from 2002 until 2019
In 2002, PSTA ordered a split batch of buses that comprised of 10 40′ buses & 4 29′ buses. The 40′ buses were numbered # 2201 through 2210, while the 29′ buses were numbered # 2230 through 2233. The Almost all of these buses would operate to see service for 16 to 17 years – with only #’s 2210, 2230, & 2231 being retired prior to 2016. The 40′ buses spent their final months in service as contingency spares across the PSTA network, while the 29′ buses served as spares specifically designated for the North County Connector. As of mid 2019, all remaining buses have been retired out.
# 2201 at Gateway Mall. 
Front shot of # 2201. 
Rear shot of # 2201. 
# 2205 on Route 74. Credit: Carlos A. 
# 2205 leaving Grand Central. Credit: Carlos A. 
# 2205 leaving Williams Park. 
# 2208 at Gateway Mall. 
Same bus, different angle. 
Same bus, different angle. 
# 2208 pulls out of Grand Central. Credit: Carlos A. 
# 2209 on Route 79. 
# 2232 on layover at the Palm Harbor WalMart. 
Same bus, different angle. 
Same bus, different angle.
Same bus, different angle.
Same bus, different angle.
Same bus, different angle.
# 2233 at Gateway Mall. 
# 2207 at Grand Central. 
Side angle of # 2207. 
# 2204 at Largo Transit Center. 
Side angle of # 2204. 
Rear angle of # 2204. 
# 2206 on layover at Pinellas Park Transit Center – Route 34. 
And there she goes! 
# 2202 on recovery at Largo Transit Center. 
Rear angle of # 2202. 
With only a 10 minute layover, the operator decided to remain on board. 
# 2207 on recovery at the 34th St N Transfer Center (PSTA Layby). 
Same bus, different angle. 
Same bus, different angle. 
# 2209 on layover at Pinellas Park Transit Center – Route 52LX. 
Slightly different angle of # 2209. 
And here’s # 2209 the next day on Route 100X, leaving Gateway Mall. 
# 2209 on recovery at Pinellas Park Transit Center. 
Final sighting of #2206 prior to retirement – Route 58.
2003 40-foot Motor Coach Industries (MCI) D4000
#’s 2301 through 2310
In revenue service from 2003 until 2017
In 2003, PSTA purchased ten 40-foot Motor Coach Industries (MCI) coaches for use on the 100X and 300X. These coaches are mostly white with side wraps depicting an artistic view of downtown St. Pete and downtown Tampa connected by a bridge, highlighting the cross-bay connection between Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties.
While these coaches enjoyed a good run across the bay area bridges and back, their time began to wind down in 2015 when #’s 2302, 2303, 2304, & 2305 were retired. Then in 2016; #’s 2301, 2307, & 2310 were retired. Finally in 2017; #’s 2306, 2308, & 2309 were retired – with 2309 being the last of the bunch to be phased out of revenue service.
# 2301 at Britton Plaza. Credit: Carlos A. 
# 2301 on the 300X. Credit: Carlos A. 
# 2301 on the 100X. This photo would be my last ever sighting of this particular bus. 
# 2302 pulling into Marion Transit Center. Credit: Carlos A. 
# 2302 turns the corner in Downtown Tampa. Credit: Carlos A. 
# 2303 returning to the garage. 
Another deadheading occurrence for # 2303. 
# 2303 on the 100X, passing Britton Plaza. 
# 2304 at Marion Transit Center. 
And here she is back at Gateway Mall. 
# 2303 leaving Britton Plaza. 
# 2302 at Britton Plaza 
# 2304 turns the corner to exit Britton Plaza. Credit: Carlos A. 
# 2305 arrives at Marion Transit Center. Credit: Carlos A. 
Rear of # 2303 at Marion Transit Center. Credit: Carlos A. 
# 2306 at the Ulmerton Park-N-Ride Lot. 
Same bus, different angle… 
Same bus, different angle…
Same bus, different angle…
# 2307 on the Marion Transitway. Credit: Carlos A. 
And she passes by! Credit: Carlos A. 
# 2308 on the Marion Transitway. Credit: Carlos A. 
# 2305 is all but a blur as it exits Britton Plaza. 
# 2309 exiting Britton Plaza. 
And here she is at Gateway Mall, about to return to the garage. 
# 2308 at Gateway Mall. 
It’s boarding time for # 2309. 
# 2309 at the garage. Credit: Carlos A. 
Different angle of # 2309. Credit: Carlos A. 
Different angle of # 2309. Credit: Carlos A. 
# 2309 deadheading to the garage. 
# 2304 heading to Gateway Mall for its 100X departure. 
# 2310 at Marion Transit Center. Credit: Carlos A.
2005 29-foot Gillig Low Floors
#’s 2530 through 2534
In revenue service from 2005 through 2019
The 2005 order of buses was the only such order during the 2000s to include all three lengths of Gillig Low Floor buses. While the 40′ & 35′ variants will stick around for another couple of years as contingency buses, the 29′ buses rarely go out & could be retired by 2021.
#2530 (30-footer) at Countryside Mall, Oldsmar/Tampa/Countryside Flex Connector. 
Rear of #2530. 
Another front shot of #2530, this time at the Shoppes at Boot Ranch near East Lake. 
Side view of #2530. Even though the Flex Connectors usually run cutaway vans, 30-foot Gillig buses are periodically placed on the routes depending on how they get handed out each day. They often can make scheduled deviations without any major problems too. 
Rear-side angle of #2530 at the HART Northwest Transfer Center in Town-N-Country. 
The sun shines nicely off #2530. 
#2534 at Shoppes at Boot Ranch. 
#2530 makes its turn into Westfield Countryside. 
#2531 pulls into the SR 580/Summerdale stop. 
#2534 pulls out of Westfield Countryside. 
#2531 prepares to exit Westfield Countryside. 
And off she goes! 
#2530 enters Westfield Countryside. 
#2532 enters Westfield Countryside. 
#2533 leaving the SR 580/Summerdale stop. 
#2532 getting its closeup. 
Same bus, different angle. 
Same bus, different angle.
2008 35′ Gillig Low Floor
#’s 2830 – 2835 (35′)
In revenue service from 2008 through 2019
On 07/19/2019, I was heavily shocked to find four 2008 35′ Gillig Low Floor Diesel buses had been dumped off at the Stepps Transportation Service lot on 118th Ave N near Pinellas Park, #’s 2830, 2833, 2834, & 2835 as scrap vehicles. While I knew that these buses had some issues with acceleration & the newer exhaust system, I didn’t think the problems with the 35′ buses were this bad. PSTA decided to refurbish their 40′ counterparts – #’s 2801 through 2815 to keep them in service for a couple more years, but for these 35′ buses, it was clearly the end of the road. I have not seen #’s 2831 or 2832 since just prior to seeing the others in the scrapyard & am thus highly suspecting that they were auctioned off as operational vehicles.
# 2830 at Williams Park. 
Here she is on Route 5 at Tyrone Square Mall. Credit: Carlos A. 
Rear shot. Credit: Carlos A. 
And here she is on Connector duty. 
# 2832 at Williams Park. 
And here she is at Largo Mall – Route 59. 
# 2833 on the old Route 66. 
Here she is at Williams Park. 
And here she is again, this time on Route 59. 
# 2834 on the old Route 444. 
Rear view of # 2834. 
# 2834 at Grand Central. Credit: Joe C. 
# 2835 on Route 74. Credit: Carlos A. 
Here she is on layover at Williams Park. 
Same bus, different angle. 
And another angle of # 2835. 
Here she is on layover at the 34th St N Transfer Center. She was a weekday regular on Route 59 up until retirement. 
Finally, here she is at Largo Mall.
2012 27-foot Champion LF Transport Cutaway Vans
Ford E-450 Chassis
#’s 1225 through 1232
In revenue service from 2012 through 2015
PSTA ordered eight cutaway vans in 2011 as the initial fleet for the North County Connector. While they were intended to last at least five to six years, they barely lasted three before being pulled off the road due to various mechanical defects. I’m not sure exactly as to what these defects were, nor was I ever able to get any info on what happened. Additionally, I was never able to ride on any of these vans before they were decommissioned. The following photos were all taken by Carlos A. during his tour of the PSTA Facility.
#1226. 
Same van, different angle. 
Same van, different angle. 
#1228. 
Same van, different angle. 
Same van, different angle.
#1230. 
Same van, different angle.
Same van, different angle.
