PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A new bus service could soon bring visitors from a local airport all the way to the beach.
The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority is considering starting a new bus route that would take people from the St. Pete-Clearwater Airport to Clearwater Beach.
When travelers arrive at the airport and a loved one comes to pick them up, a sweet embrace is something to look forward to, but for those without a ride, getting to their destination is the priority.
"I feel like we wait quite a while before we are actually ready to get into our car, even like an Uber takes a while sometimes," said Cassidy Lilly, who is on vacation in Florida.
Tony Parr is visiting from Michigan and said his rental car pickup is near the beach.
"We are staying in Indian Shores, just taking a little vacation with the family. Trying to get our Uber so we can go rent a car," said Parr.
He said a shuttle or bus from the St. Pete-Clearwater Airport would have been helpful.
"That would have been great for me and the family, make it quick. In and out. You don't have to worry about trying to find an Uber, wait on an Uber, or set up an account. Just hop on the bus, and we would have been gone," said Parr.
But that could soon become a reality.
"I think it'll be super helpful because, as you can see, we're waiting for our car right now to just transport us to our house, but I think that's probably why a lot of people come to Clearwater is that they want to go right to the beach, so I think that would be extremely helpful," said Lilly.
According to PSTA, visitors and residents have been asking for easier ways to get to the beaches.
The organization proposed $122 million for its 2025 fiscal year budget, giving PSTA an extra one million dollars to be used towards the new route.
Leaders with PSTA said they are working to figure out details about the route, like how often it will stop, where specifically it will go, and how they'll pay for it.
PSTA will release more details about the proposed route at a board meeting in July.
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