Courtesy of PSTA
By Sean Schrader
As Governor at USF St. Petersburg, I’ve attempted to orient student government initiatives towards embracing the OneUSF mission, and the idea that all three of our University of South Florida campuses have something unique to offer.
Throughout my time at USF, I’ve found that talking about OneUSF and actually engaging in consolidated activities are two separate things. One of the core challenges that exists for students wanting to get involved across campuses is transportation.
As is stands today, there is no shuttle or bus system to take students from one campus to another.
After many conversations with USF leadership, I’m optimistic that investments in such a transportation service may be possible in the coming years.
However, in the interim, the challenge of making it easier for students to travel from one campus to another, especially for those who don’t have access to a car still stands. Thankfully, there’s a solution to this problem already in-place, with cross-county bus lines up and running every day.
One is in partnership with the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) and the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) and the other is in partnership with PSTA and the Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT).
Before delving too far into how these routes work, it’s important to mention that students can ride free on all three of these bus lines with a valid USF student ID.
Route 100X, established between PSTA and HART, provides express service for riders from Downtown St. Petersburg to Downtown Tampa at different times throughout the day, Monday through Friday.
Hypothetically, if a Tampa student wanted to visit the St. Petersburg campus, they could travel from the USF Tampa campus HART bus stop to the Downtown Tampa Marion Transit Center. From there, they could take the PSTA bus to the Downtown St. Petersburg bus stop, and then find the corresponding bus line that would take them to the USF St. Petersburg Campus.
Route 203, also known as the Skyway ConneXion, established between PSTA and SCAT provides express service for riders from Downtown Bradenton to Downtown St. Petersburg at different intervals throughout the day, Monday through Friday.
If a Sarasota student wanted to visit the St. Petersburg campus, they could travel from the USF Sarasota campus SCAT bus stop to the Downtown Bradenton Station. From there, they could take the bus to the Downtown St. Petersburg bus stop, and then find the corresponding bus line that would take them to the USF St. Petersburg Campus.
Admittedly, mastering this system to travel from campus to campus will likely take some time for students who are interested in using the service.
We are fortunate in Tampa Bay to have access to effective mass-transit options in which this type of cross-county travel is available, especially with technology support to track active bus routes and schedules.
The idea of OneUSF is so exciting and beneficial for our entire community, but it requires strong support from students to truly embrace what’s possible. This Tampa Bay bus partnership is a solution to access our three USF campuses and experience their unique features. I hope you will take advantage.
