Your university ID now allows you and any other USF St. Petersburg students, faculty and staff to have free and unlimited access to any Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority bus or trolley. Simply show your ID to the driver and you can board.
With the partnership between USFSP and PSTA, more than 6,000 people are eligible for free rides.
The university now pays a flat rate that encompasses the cost of transportation students would be paying if they rode buses and trolleys throughout the school year. A general fare costs $2, while a reduced price, applied toward students with a PSTA-Issued Adult Student Photo ID, costs $1.25.
The program, called U-PASS, is also in place for St. Petersburg College students and employees at the city of St. Petersburg, according to PSTA’s website.
On Oct. 15, county officials and PSTA executives joined students and staff to formally announce the new U-PASS partnership with USFSP.
Ken Welch, a Pinellas county commissioner and chairman of PSTA, began by recognizing and thanking all officials involved in the project for bringing their goals to fruition.
“USF is about opportunity and preparing our students for success,” said Welch. “PSTA has a complementary role in physically connecting our citizens with opportunities throughout the community: connecting them to education opportunities; connecting them to health care opportunities; connecting them to employment opportunities.”
The success of this program can already be measured by last month’s ridership – more than 46,000 trips were made using the U-PASS in September alone, according to PSTA.
“I’m one of those broke college kids,” said senior Brandi Murphy. “Being a local commuter, it means a lot to me to know I have another option. Providing access to ride public transit, especially when they’re more fuel-efficient, is a huge notch in our belt for sustainability.”
Brad Miller, CEO for PSTA, noted at the press conference that the program would be convenient for students who need to travel, or for those who just want to grab lunch downtown. It could also save some students up to $10,000 # as opposed to owning a car of their own, which would make it harder to save money # and contribute to the sustainability goals of the university.
“The PSTA agreement is a step in the right direction for us,” said Jennifer Winter, the sustainability coordinator of USFSP. “The gas usage is much less and therefore, the greenhouse gas output is also less.”
According to Winter, an increase in students’ access to public transit will benefit the university when conducting its greenhouse gas inventory for the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment, a pledge signed by USFSP to address global warming.
As PSTA’s primary initiative, Greenlight Pinellas would improve Pinellas County public transportation if the one percent tax referendum is passed this November. If passed, Greenlight Pinellas plans a 65 percent increase in bus service throughout the county, longer operating hours, buses traveling to and from Tampa and its airport in the evenings and on weekends, and 80 percent more bus service on the weekends.
If the referendum passes and Greenlight is implemented, USFSP students and staff could take a bus to the airport, and then back to St. Petersburg afterward. Shuttle vans and taxis to Tampa can cost up to $100, depending on the service.
The Route 4 bus frequently stops near USFSP’s butterfly garden on Sixth Avenue S, on Dali Boulevard, across the street from RHO’s front entrance and near the entrance to the Alfred Whitted Airport behind RHO.
Route information can be found at http://www.psta.net/busschedules.php.
