PSTA Trolley Services

Page was last updated on 01/08/2025.

Hop aboard the trolley!

PSTA operates two trolleybus services that are primarily aimed at tourists, though many residents use the routes each day as well. In addition, PSTA lends its support to two other trolleybus services; one in downtown St. Pete, and the other in northern Pinellas. This page will go through each of the services in detail; the PSTA Suncoast Beach Trolley, the PSTA Central Ave Trolley, the St. Petersburg Downtown “Looper” Trolley, and the Clearwater Jolley Trolley.

The PSTA Suncoast Beach Trolley

Launched in 2001, the Suncoast Beach Trolley (or SBT) travels almost the entire gulfside corridor from downtown Clearwater to St. Pete Beach. This route originally used replica trolleybuses that were manufactured by either Optima/Chance, Cable Car Concepts, Trolley Enterprises, Supreme Corp, or Gillig. However, the route today uses replica trolley vehicles that were built by Hometown Manufacturing. The SBT provides easy, convenient, and reliable service to those wanting to explore the Gulf Beaches. The route’s internal number is 555.

Gillig Low Floor Replica Trolley #824 at the Park St Terminal. Taken 9/30/17.

Routing & Frequency

The SBT runs from Downtown Clearwater’s Park Street Terminal to St. Pete Beach (at 75th Ave and Gulf Blvd) via the Clearwater Memorial Causeway, Clearwater Beach (stopping at the Clearwater Beach Transit Center), and Gulf Blvd from Sand Key to Treasure Island. From Treasure Island, buses follow Blind Pass Rd to enter northern St. Pete Beach, where transfers to the Central Ave Trolley are available. The route also passes connection points to local routes 59 (at Indian Rocks Beach – 4th Ave) and 68 (at John’s Pass Village). Until the introduction of the Central Ave Trolley in 2011, buses traveled all the way to Pass-A-Grille, the southernmost end of St. Pete Beach.

Buses operate 7-days a week from 5:00am through 10:00pm, with departures roughly every 30 minutes. On Fridays & Saturdays, buses operate as late as 12-midnight. During the morning, there are select “short turn” trips that originate at Park Street Terminal & terminate at Bay Park, just south of Sand Key Park.

Current Schedule

Fares

This service follows the regular PSTA fare structure.

The PSTA Central Ave Trolley

Going as far back as the 1990s (possibly earlier), PSTA operated Routes 3 & 35. Both of which served most of Central Ave, but would alternate roadways west of Pasadena Ave. Over time, Route 3 was eliminated & Route 35 was modified to run more frequent service. The 35 morphed into the current Central Ave Trolley (or CAT) in 2011 to serve all of the Central Ave corridor from downtown St. Pete (near the Pier) to Pasadena, taking the Corey Causeway into St. Pete Beach, & Gulf Blvd to Pass-A-Grille (taking over the Pass-A-Grille segment of the Suncoast Beach Trolley).

An earlier iteration of replica trolley shuttle service along a portion of Central Ave utilized replica trolleybuses that were manufactured by either Optima/Chance, Cable Car Concepts, Trolley Enterprises, or Supreme Corp, while Route 35 used standard buses. Between 2011 & 2022, Gillig Low Floor replica trolleys were deployed to the CAT, with Hometown Manufacturing replica trolley replacing them thereafter.

The creation of the Central Ave Trolley allows for a one-seat trip between downtown St. Pete and Pass-A-Grille, as opposed to the prior setup where customers would have to transfer between the earlier iteration Central Ave shuttle and PSTA Routes 3 or 35 in the Grand Central District or Downtown St. Pete. While the Central Ave Trolley technically replaced Route 35 service after its creation, the route number was used internally for the trolley until recently. The internal number has since switched to the 36 designation.

Hometown Manufacturing # 2006 traversing Central Ave. Photo taken 6/4/23.

Routing & Frequency

The CAT begins near the St. Pete Pier in downtown St. Pete. Trolleybuses will stage on Bayshore Dr NE just south of 2nd Ave NE, then travel through Downtown St. Pete, near the Sundial Shops, eventually merging onto Central Ave. The western terminus for the CAT is at Grand Central Station (buses ran all the way to St. Pete Beach until late 2023, but service west of Grand Central was eliminated due to budgetary constraints).

Buses operate 7-days a week from 6:00am through 10:00pm, with departures roughly every 30 minutes. On Fridays & Saturdays, buses operate as late as 12-midnight.

Current Schedule

Fares

This service follows the regular PSTA fare structure.

The Downtown St. Petersburg “Looper” Trolley

The “Looper” is a circulator bus route that traverses key points and corridors throughout downtown St. Petersburg. Service is administered by the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership, with operational aspects handled by The Looper Group Inc. (a private non-profit entity). Various downtown businesses, the City of St. Petersburg, PSTA, and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) all lend support to the Looper. Until early 2020, PSTA also assisted with providing a revenue service vehicle to the route in the form of either a replica trolley or electric bus (the latter of which PSTA dubbed as the “eLooper”). The internal route number for the “Looper” is 711.

Looper Group Website
A "Looper" trolleybus at 2nd Ave N and 2nd St N, across from the Sundial Shoppes at St. Pete.
One of the city-operated replica trolley vehicles on 2nd Ave N in Downtown St. Pete.
PSTA #18110, one of six 35-foot BYD K9 battery electric buses, on layover along 5th St N. These buses were used on the Looper service between 2018 & 2020.

Routing & Frequency

The “Looper” begins at the Bayshore Dr/2nd Ave NE staging point, then circulates throughout the city, serving destinations such as the Sundial shops, The Pier District, the Dali Museum (during museum hours), the University of South Florida (USF) St. Pete campus, and The Mahaffey Theatre.

Service operates 7 days a week, with weekday service operating from 7:00am until 10:00pm (12-midnight on Fridays). Saturday service begins at 8:00am and runs through 12-midnight. Sunday service begins at 8:00am and runs through 10:00pm.

Map, Stops, & Schedule

Fares

Thanks to FDOT funding support, the “Looper” is able to currently operate fare-free!

The Clearwater Jolley Trolley

The Clearwater Jolley Trolley is a circulator trolley that travels through various points throughout Clearwater (both downtown and Clearwater Beach), Dunedin, & Tarpon Springs. The trolley service began in 1982 as a city-run service. Then, for several years, PSTA operated the service, before a non-profit company was formed to take over day-to-day operations. However, PSTA continues to support the trolley & Flamingo Fares is accepted as payment on board.

Internal route numbers used are 701, 702, & 703 (see Summary of Destinations below for each of the route destinations).

Jolley Trolley Website
Jolley Trolley vehicle #18 passing the PSTA Park St Terminal in downtown Clearwater.

Routing & Frequency

The Jolley Trolley is split into three routes; the North Beach Route, the South Beach Route, & the Coastal Route (the latter includes Dunedin & Tarpon Springs). Operating times and frequencies between the two routes vary, so it is best to check the Jolley Trolley website for the latest information, as schedules can change. Maps of each of the routes, as well as additional trolley information can be found on the Jolley Trolley website as well.

Fares

Fares on the Jolley Trolley follow the same fare structure as PSTA. Customers can pay with cash if going one-way or use contactless methods (bank cards, Flamingo Fares, & mobile wallet apps).

Summary of Destinations

  • Route 36 – Central Ave Trolley: Downtown St. Petersburg, Central Avenue, Grand Central Station.
  • Route 555 – Suncoast Beach Trolley: Downtown Clearwater (Park Street Terminal), Island Estates, Clearwater Beach, Clearwater Beach Transit Center, Sand Key Park, Bay Park, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores, Redington Shores, North Redington Beach, Redington Beach, Madeira Beach, John’s Pass Village, Treasure Island, St. Pete Beach.
    • THERE ARE NO STOPS IN: Belleair Beach & Belleair Shores.
  • Route 711 – Downtown St. Petersburg Looper: Downtown St. Petersburg destinations including – The Pier District, Mahaffey Theater, Dali Museum, Sundial, Al Lang Stadium, Williams Park, University Walk Publix, University of South Florida St. Pete Campus, The James Museum, Florida Holocaust Museum.
    • Connections are available to the Central Ave Trolley & the seasonal Cross-Bay Ferry.
  • Jolley Trolley Services:
    • South Beach Route (701): Clearwater Beach Transit Center, Various destinations along Clearwater Beach, Sand Key.
    • North Beach Route (702): Publix @ Island Estates Plaza, Clearwater Beach Transit Center, 700 Island Way, Mandalay Way corridor, Various destinations along Clearwater Beach.
    • Coastal Route (703): Clearwater Beach Transit Center, Publix @ Island Estates Plaza, various destinations in Downtown Clearwater, northern Clearwater, Dunedin, and Tarpon Springs (including the Sponge Docks). A street-side stop is provided at the Park St Terminal.
    • Note: Some destinations are only served upon request. Please visit the Jolley Trolley website for further information – including maps & schedules.
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