Page was last updated on 12/12/2025.
The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) is the public transit district in Pinellas County, Florida, covering the municipalities of St. Petersburg, Largo, Clearwater, and numerous smaller cities and towns within the county. PSTA was established by an act of the Florida Legislature in 1984 and simultaneously resulted from the merger of the St. Petersburg Municipal Transit System and the Central Pinellas Transit Authority.
Agency Snapshot
Established: 1984.
The agency’s predecessors were the St. Petersburg Municipal Transit System & the Central Pinellas Transit Authority. The SPMTS dates back to the early 1900s, while the CPTA was created in the 1970s.
Services Provided: Local & Express (fixed-route) Bus, Paratransit Van Service (contracted).
Number of Fixed Bus Routes: 40.
Number of Revenue Vehicles: Roughly 210 fixed-route buses.
Number of Major Transit Hubs: 4.
PSTA operates a variety of fixed-route local, express, & replica trolley bus routes, as well as the SunRunner Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line, the Spark Bus Rapid Transit Lite (BRT Lite) line. The agency also partners with the city of St. Petersburg and other mutual parties to support the St. Petersburg Downtown Looper Trolley, & a similar partnership is in place with the Clearwater Jolley Trolley. PSTA Access Paratransit services are currently contracted out to Transdev & Bay Area Metro LLC. The former handles all wheelchair van trips & most ambulatory sedan trips. The latter handles the remaining portion of ambulatory sedan trips.
NEXT STOPS
SunRunner BRT
Semi-dedicated lane BRT service operating between St. Pete Beach & Downtown St. Petersburg.
Spark BRT Lite
Mixed traffic BRT Lite service to operate between South St. Pete (Skyway Marina District) & the Grand Central District of St. Petersburg.
Trolley Services
Mainstay Services:
Central Ave Trolley
Suncoast Beach Trolley
Supported Services:
St. Petersburg Downtown Looper Trolley
Clearwater Jolley Trolley
Airport Connections
Mainstay Service:
Route 300X – Largo, TPA Airport, & Downtown Tampa
Contracted Service:
On-Demand Grouper Service – Clearwater Beach & PIE Airport
Ferry Services
Supported Services:
Tampa Bay Ferry – Downtown St. Petersburg & Downtown Tampa
Coming in 2026!
Clearwater Ferry – Clearwater Beach & Downtown Clearwater
Real-Time Vehicle Predictions/Tracking
System Overview
The remainder of this page will go through a general overview of the PSTA bus system.
New to the system? Please read through my Transit 101 posts to get a general overview of how to use public transit. For specific information pertaining to PSTA, please visit their website.
Network Structure
PSTA currently operates on a hybrid network; comprising of elements of a true grid – where transfers are done at key intersections, and traditional hub-spoke – where multiple routes converge on a single hub to allow for seamless transfer. Because of gradual shifts towards a grid-based system, some transfer hubs that were prominent back in the 1980s and 90s were phased out.
There are a total of 40 routes in the PSTA network – with all of them being fixed routes (the North County Connector routes were converted over to fixed-based routes on 10/20/2019). Out of all fixed routes, there are two trolley services that are solely operated by PSTA – the Central Ave Trolley & the Suncoast Beach Trolley, with two others that the agency supports with its partners – the Downtown St. Pete Looper & the Clearwater Jolley Trolley. The agency also operates one limited-run weekday-only local route (the 66L), one limited express route (the 52LX), & two cross-bay regional express routes (the 100X & 300X).
Additionally, PSTA operates the East Lake Shuttle, provides support to the Clearwater Jolley Trolley, operates Direct Connect (First Mile-Last Mile Program), TD Late Shift (Transportation Disadvantaged Late-Night/Overnight Transportation Program), & coordinates regional TD service with its partners. The agency has also held microtransit trial projects during the past few years – Healthy HOP & Autonomous Vehicle Advantage (AVA). Together, all of these services provide vital transportation to all residents and visitors of Pinellas.
Span of Operating Service
Service schedules vary throughout the PSTA system. While most routes operate 7 days a week, some lesser-used suburban routes do not have Sunday service. Routes 52LX, 58, 66L, 100X, & 300X only operate on weekdays – primarily during peak hours. To view schedules, you may select the Transit Routes link above.
Holiday Schedule
PSTA operates a Sunday-level schedule on most major holidays.
Bikes on Transit
All PSTA-owned vehicles (including vans used for the 800-series routes) are equipped with bike racks (can accommodate a maximum of two bikes, Looper replica trolleys are currently not equipped with racks). Additionally, folding bikes are allowed on board, given that they are properly packed/folded and are not blocking aisles. Please see my Transit 101 blog post regarding Bikes on Transit to learn how to use the on-board bike rack. You can also contact PSTA at 727-540-1900 to set up a demonstration.
Disclaimer
While I do my best to keep the information listed in the Transport sections accurate, please keep in mind that schedules, fares, & other information is subject to change without notice. To obtain the latest information, please contact the transit agency directly. If you spot something wrong, please let me know via the Contact form.
Additional Notes
- Transit Services Provided:
- Mainstay Service: PSTA fully operates & funds the service.
- Contracted Service: PSTA funds the service, manages scheduling, planning, marketing, & other high-level aspects of the service. However, day-to-day operations are contracted out to an outside vendor.
- Supported Service: PSTA provides funding support, as well as supports other high-level aspects of the service such as planning & marketing. However, day-to-day operations are contracted out to an outside vendor. In this scenario, multiple parties may be involved with supporting the service – such as specific cities, counties, &/or the state department of transportation.
The Global Transit Guidebook 