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This page is dedicated to routes & services that PSTA no longer operates, as well as other historical notes about the agency.

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NEXT STOPS:

• Defunct PSTA Fixed Routes
• PSTA North County Flex Connector

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Defunct PSTA Fixed Routes

Like any transit agency, PSTA has had its share of routes that have been discontinued – whether it was due to lower ridership levels, funding issues, or a partnership discontinuation. Below is a listing of PSTA routes that were once in service & the destinations they served. The information listed was obtained from the Wayback Machine or through preserved transit documents (i.e. schedule booklets).

• Route 1 (late 1980s – late 1990s incarnation): 58th St – This route ran along 58th St from Tyrone Blvd (ending at Tyrone Square Mall) to Downtown St. Petersburg via Gulfport. Between Gulfport & Downtown St. Pete, buses would travel via 49th St S & 40th St S – serving Central Plaza (the area where Grand Central Station exists today).
• Route 1 (late 1990s – mid 2010s incarnation): 1st St NE Shopper – This Monday through Saturday route once connected the Gateway area of Pinellas to Downtown St. Petersburg via 1st St NE, connecting customers to Gateway Mall, Northeast Shopping Center, Historic Old Northeast, & a portion of the Edgemoor neighborhood. The route was eliminated in 2015 due to ultra-low ridership.
• Routes 3 & 35: Central Ave/Beaches: The 3 & 35 basically leap-frogged each other along the Central Ave corridor between Downtown St. Petersburg & Pasadena Ave S in terms of frequency. Basically, both routes had staggered departure times so that each route had a bus traversing Central Ave every 30 minutes combined, but individual frequency was every hour. The 3 was discontinued prior to 2015 & my understanding was due to the city of Treasure Island no longer wishing to fund direct bus service between its jurisdiction & St. Pete. As a result, Route 35 service was optimized & eventually, the service morphed into today’s Central Ave Trolley.
• Route 6: 1st St NE – This route appears to have been an earlier incarnation of Route 1. Buses travelled from the Northeast Shopping Center to Downtown St. Petersburg.
• Route 8: Midtown – This route appears to follow portions of where Routes 14 & 20 travel today, using MLK St S, 11th Ave S, 16th St S, 15th Ave S, & 31st St S between Downtown St. Petersburg & Central Plaza.
• Routes 9 & 10 (late 1980s – ? incarnation): These two routes used MLK St N between Downtown St. Petersburg & Gateway Mall – often interlining with each other. The 9’s northern terminus was the former K-Mart on 94th Ave N by MLK St N (which is today occupied by Progressive Home Insurance/ASI), while the 10 looped through the Meadowlawn neighborhood before terminating at Gateway Mall. It is very likely that these routes were absorbed into Route 59, with the 9 being resurrected in 2016 following the split up of Route 59.
• Route 12: Gulfport/Pasadena – This route travelled between Downtown St. Petersburg & Palms of Pasadena Hospital via Gulfport, traversing streets by which Routes 14 & 15 use today.
• Route 13: St. Pete/Bay Pines – This route used 9th Ave N & 22nd Ave N between Downtown St. Petersburg & Park St via Central Plaza, terminating at the Bay Pines V.A. Hospital on the west end. Route 18 serves the hospital today, while Routes 7 & 20 serve portions of 9th Ave N.
• Route 16 (late 1980s – ? incarnation): Unlike today’s Route 16, the earlier version made two deviations in the Meadowlawn & East Lealman areas during the day. Buses today remain on 16th St N between 77th Ave N & 5th Ave N.
• Route 17: Meadowlawn/16th St N – This route appears to be a variant of Route 16 that served the western & northern edges of the Meadowlawn neighborhood, often interlining with Route 16.
• Route 20 (late 1980s – late 1990s incarnation): Route 20 back then operated as a limited stop, weekday-only rush hour service – similar to that of today’s Route 66L. Buses traveled between Downtown St. Petersburg & the Lakewood Country Club via MLK St S & 54th Ave S.
• Route 22 (late 1980s – early 2000s incarnation): Route 22 has taken a couple of different forms over the years. This incarnation had buses using 22nd Ave between 4th St N & Tyrone Square Mall as is used today, but the eastern terminus was Downtown St. Petersburg. Buses meandered through Historic Old Northeast to get to/from downtown. In the early 2000s, the 22 was merged into the Route 1 shopper, which-in-turn, was eliminated in 2015 in favor of resurrecting the 22.
• Route 24: 4th St S – This served as the southern portion of Route 4 until some point during the 1990s when the 24 & 44 services were absorbed into a singular Route 4. This route often interlined with Routes 6 & 26.
• Route 26: Coquina/Roy Hanna – This served as a variant of the 24, serving Coquina Key at all times & terminating at the transfer point at Roy Hanna Dr @ 25th Way S. This route often interlined with Routes 8 & 24, & was later absorbed into Route 4, with Route 20 serving the MLK St S portion.
• Route 27: Snell Isle Limited – This weekday-only rush hour service served the communities of Snell Isle & Shore Acres – terminating at Northeast Shopping Center & Downtown St. Petersburg. When the PSTA network was redone over the course of the 1990s & 2000s, bus service to Snell Isle was lost.
• Route 29: Tyrone Square/Pasadena/Grand Central – This route follows most of the path by which today’s Route 79 traverses between Tyrone Square Mall & Downtown St. Petersburg.
• Route 30: 30th Ave N – This Monday through Saturday route traversed the 30th Ave N corridor between Historic Old Northeast & Tyrone Square Mall, as well as connected to Downtown St. Petersburg. The route was eliminated in 2015 due to ultra-low ridership.
• Route 32B: Downtown St. Petersburg (Clockwise) Circulator – This route served as a clockwise variant of today’s Route 32. The earlier incarnation of the 32 also had Sunday service.
• Route 34 (1980s incarnation): This earlier version of Route 34 served 34th St N between Pinellas Park Transit Center (what was then Pinellas Square Mall & later ParkSide Mall) & Central Plaza. There were several deviations that the route made by which are served today by Routes 11 & 75. It is likely that the old 34 was eliminated in favor of the then-cross-county Route 19 & also Route 75. The 34 designation was resurrected in 2016 when Route 19 was split into two routes in Largo to improve reliability.
• Route 36X: This weekday-only intercounty express route shuttled customers between Tyrone Square Mall & Downtown St. Petersburg using limited stops & a premium fare of 75 cents (as of 1989).
• Route 40X: This weekday-only intercounty express route shuttled customers between Gateway Mall & Downtown St. Petersburg using limited stops & a premium fare of 75 cents (as of 1989). This route will be resurrected in the form of future SunRunner BRT service in the distant future due to the 4th St corridor being heavily utilized today.
• Route 44: 4th St N/Gateway Mall – This route appears to have been a supplement to Route 4, traveling between Downtown St. Petersburg & Gateway Mall via 4th St N.
• Route 49: 49th St N Limited – This weekday-only limited-stop/commuter route appears to have been an early incarnation of Route 97, traveling between Downtown St. Petersburg & the Pinellas County Judicial Complex on 49th St N @ 140th Ave N during rush hours.
• Route 55X: This weekday-only intercounty express route shuttled customers between Downtown St Petersburg & Downtown Clearwater via Seminole Blvd & Tyrone Square Mall using limited stops & a premium fare of 75 cents (as of 1989). This route will be resurrected in the form of future SunRunner BRT service in the distant future due to the Seminole Blvd corridor being heavily utilized today. Local service along most of this corridor is done via Route 18 today.
• Route 63: Clearwater/Nursery Rd – This service meandered through parts of Clearwater that no longer have direct bus service – specifically Nursery Rd. Think of it as the “longer” version of Route 60.
• Route 64 (1980s incarnation): Clearwater/Seminole – This Monday through Saturday local service ran limited trips between Clearwater & Seminole via Highland Ave, East/West Bay Drives, & Indian Rocks Rd. A portion of this route is served today by Route 65, while the portion via Highland Ave is served by Route 73.
• Route 64 (2000s incarnation): Tarpon Springs/Oldsmar – This weekday only service once connected Tarpon Springs (the current transfer point at Huey Ave & Tarpon Ave) to Oldsmar via Tampa Rd. The route also served the Tri-County Business Park off Race Track Rd (this goes back to when Hillsborough Area Regional Transit ran their defunct Route 58LX & 59LX services to the same business park). There was also a Park-N-Ride Lot off Hwy 580 to help facilitate ridership to & from the business park. However, with shifting demographic & commuting tastes, ridership faltered & all three routes (the 64 & both HART services) were discontinued.
• Route 65 (1980s incarnation): The old 65 is much different than today’s 65. Buses travelled between Downtown Clearwater & Philippe Park – which is today served by Routes 76 & 814. Service along SR 590 was largely lost in the midst of route restructuring over the years.
• Route 68 (1980s incarnation): Like today’s 68, the old 68 followed a completely different path. In fact, the old 68 wasn’t even in St. Pete, it ran in Dunedin & Tarpon Springs, serving the Sponge Docks in the latter & Countryside Mall via the former.
• Route 69: This Monday through Saturday service provided a link to the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks via US 19, terminating at Countryside Mall.
• Route 70: What is now the east end of Route 67 was once a more localized circulator in the Oldsmar community.
• Route 71: This route pre-dates the Suncoast Beach Trolley & today’s Route 68, starting at the Indian Rocks Shopping Center & travelling down Gulf Blvd to John’s Pass Village, before using the Tom Stuart Causeway & Tyrone Blvd to connect to Tyrone Square Mall.
• Route 72: This Monday through Saturday service used 58th Ave N between Tyrone Square Mall & Pinellas Park, then meandered through Pinellas Park until reaching the Mainlands retirement community. Most of the areas that were served by the 72 during the 80s & 90s has been lost to later system restructurings.
• Route 77: Clearwater/Gateway Limited – This weekday-only route contained only a couple of runs to connect Downtown Clearwater & the Gateway region. Buses terminated at Gateway Mall.
• Route 80: Clearwater Beach Circulator – The 80 pre-dated today’s Suncoast Beach Trolley & circulated around Clearwater Beach, connecting tourists & residents between the beach & the Park St Terminal in downtown Clearwater.
• Route 81: Clearwater/Seminole Local – The 80 service is a variant of what is today the 18 – serving Seminole Blvd between Downtown Clearwater & Tyrone Square Mall.
• Route 82: Clearwater/Countryside via Safety Harbor – This Monday through Saturday route traversed areas of northern Pinellas between Park St Terminal & Westfield Countryside Mall that are now served by either Route 78 or 814, though a portion along Sunset Point Rd lost service completely when the 82 was eliminated. There was also a branch that served the Clearwater Fundamental Middle School on weekdays – which is now taken up by Route 66L.
• Route 83: Dunedin Circulator – This local service meandered through Clearwater & Dunedin, where Routes 61, 78, & 813 serve portions of today. There was also limited service to the Caladesi Island Ferry Terminal.
• Route 91: East St. Petersburg/Oldsmar Commuter – This weekday-only rush hour commuter was among several such routes that were abolished during the course of the 2010s due to shifting commuting patterns. It connected customers from the Hwy 580 Park-N-Ride Lot in Oldsmar to the Grand Central District & Highland Oaks neighborhood of St. Pete.
• Route 92: Clearwater/Oldsmar Commuter – This weekday-only rush hour commuter was another 90-series route that was eventually eliminated due to shifting commuting patterns. It connected customers from the Hwy 580 Park-N-Ride Lot in Oldsmar to Downtown Clearwater.
• Route 94: Tarpon Springs/Clearwater Fundamental Middle School Tripper – This was a dedicated school tripper route that served the Clearwater Fundamental Middle School on weekdays. An earlier version of the route ran down US Hwy 19 between Tarpon Springs & the Honeywell facility off US Hwy 19.
• Route 95: Tarpon Springs/Largo Commuter – This weekday-only rush hour commuter ran down US 19 between Tarpon Springs & Largo.
• Route 96: South St. Pete/Carillon Commuter – This was one of three 90-series commuter routes that were originally designed to serve the Carillon Business Park in the northern Gateway area of St. Pete. This route traveled from the Skyway Marina District of south St. Pete to Grand Central Station, & then up I-275 to Carillon, & then terminating at the ICOT Center Business Park off Ulmerton Rd.
• Route 97: Downtown St. Pete/Carillon Commuter – This was the second of three 90-series routes to connect customers to the Carillon Business Park. It traversed 1st Ave N/S between Downtown St. Pete & Grand Central Station, then up 49th St N to the PSTA 34th St N Transfer Center, Carillon, & then the Pinellas County Justice Center off 49th St N. This & the 98 were replaced by Route 52LX in 2019.
• Route 98: Downtown Clearwater/Carillon Commuter – This was the third of three 90-series routes to connect customers to the Carillon Business Park. It traversed Clearwater-Largo Rd from the Park St Terminal, then traveled east-west along E/W Bay Dr, past the Pinellas County Justice Center on 49th St N, then served the PSTA 34th St N Transfer Center & Carillon. This & the 97 were replaced by the 52LX in 2019.
• Route 444: Pinellas Park Circulator – This was the oddball route of them all when it comes to the PSTA system, yes we’re not talking about the Wendy’s 4 for 4 deal here. This was a circulator that served many destinations within Pinellas Park – including Shoppes at Park Place (previously known as ParkSide Mall). The route’s ridership dropped over time as commuting habits changed & it was eventually eliminated in 2016 in favor of the PSTA Direct Connect program & other PSTA routes.
• Evening Dial-A-Bus: During the 1980s & 90s, PSTA provided an evening dial-by-phone reservation service called Dial-A-Bus. This allowed customers to contact PSTA customer service & reserve a spot for a bus that would travel along key corridors to get to where they needed to go between 6:30pm & 10:10pm Monday through Saturday. Guides were provided at customer service centers & other locations for reference. While the principles of the service were useful, lack of efficient technologies made it difficult to sustain the service long-term. With the advent of newer technologies, PSTA has introduced Direct Connect as a long-awaited replacement to the Dial-A-Bus service.

Now, keep in mind that the above list encompasses just a portion of PSTA’s overall history. Many other routes once existed – including those that didn’t survive past 1980, which was just prior to the merger of the St. Pete & Central Pinellas bus systems.

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PSTA North County Connector

The PSTA North County Connector was a flexible-route neighborhood circulator service that provided a combination of door-to-door service via advance reservation and travel along a fixed circulatory route serving designated stops. A fleet of cutaway vans enable customers to travel from their doorstep to school, work, shopping, and other local destinations within their flex zone.

With a reservation, one could travel virtually anywhere within the flex zone. Customers could also walk up to designated stops along the fixed route and wait for the van to arrive, just like a regular fixed bus route. Connections to points of interest (such as schools, shopping centers, and government buildings) and PSTA Local routes were made at specific points within the flex zone.

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History

Following the launch of HART Flex by Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART), PSTA was already planning its own flex van service aimed at serving residents in northern Pinellas County, most of which had no access to transit services. Additionally, much of northern Pinellas mainly comprises of subdivisions by which normal transit buses are too large to access, making the use of cutaway vans more viable to carry out the services needed. Three flex zones were identified; Oldsmar/Countryside/Tampa, Dunedin/Palm Harbor, and East Lake, which all began service on December 10, 2012. While the Oldsmar/Countryside/Tampa and Dunedin zones have become sustainable, the East Lake zone suffered lower than projected ridership and as a result, was eliminated on October 11, 2015.

In October of 2016, changes were made to both the Oldsmar/Tampa and the Dunedin/Palm Harbor Connector Routes to serve areas with higher demand. In February of 2017, the Dunedin/Palm Harbor Connector was split into two routes at Westfield Countryside. The Dunedin/Palm Harbor Connector continued to serve the Palm Harbor and Dunedin communities while the Safety Harbor Connector provides service to the Safety Harbor community.

In October of 2019, PSTA discontinued providing flex service due to low usage of flex deviations & vans chronically running behind schedule due to such deviations – despite efforts to build extra time into the printed schedules. The three existing flex routes were then converted into standard fixed routes.

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Fleet

When the North County Connector first launched in 2012, a fleet of eight Ford Econoline cutaway vans were ordered. However, they were phased out in 2015 apparently due to manufacturer defects. Overall, these vans only saw a maximum of about two years in service before being pulled out of service. As a result, two 2002-series and five 2005-series 30-foot Gillig Low Floor transit buses have been retained as a stopgap measure until new cutaway vans could be ordered.

At the beginning of 2018, PSTA ordered eight new 2018-series Freightliner Defender cutaway vans, #’s 1801 through 1808. These were delivered in November, 2018 and were placed into service in January, 2019. The introduction of these vans have effectively sidelined the 30-foot Gilligs, though the latter are being retained for now used as spares if needed.

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Flex Zones

The North County Connector comprised of the following zones.

• East Lake (Route 811):
  • Service from Shoppes at Boot Ranch to Tarpon Mall.
  • Eliminated in 2015 due to low usage.
• Tampa/Oldsmar Connector (Route 812):
  • Service from Westfield Countryside Mall to the HART Northwest Transfer Center in Town-N-Country via Shoppes at Boot Ranch and Oldsmar (via State Rd 580).
• Dunedin/Palm Harbor Connector (Route 813):
  • Service from Westfield Countryside Mall to the Palm Harbor WalMart (Alderman Rd and US Hwy 19) via downtown Dunedin (State Rd 580).
• Safety Harbor Connector (Route 814):
  • Service from Westfield Countryside Mall to Phillippe Park via McMullen Booth Rd and downtown Safety Harbor (Main St).