ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — Going to the beach on any sunny weekend. Especially a holiday like today. Makes for a challenging experience.
From traffic jams to battles over parking spots.
“You can sit right here in just a couple of minutes you’ll probably see an argument break out over the parking. People waiting to get in and get out," said St. Pete Beach resident Vinnie Garza.
But now Pinellas County officials said the new SunRunner rapid transit bus will provide a solution.
Opening October 21, the Sun Runner has its own dedicated lane between downtown St. Pete and St. Pete Beach, so it should run more like a train than a bus.
“If you are trying to get to the beach rather than figuring out where to park, having to battle the traffic, it has its own dedicated lanes so it will avoid that traffic," said PSTA CEO Brad Miller.
The bus lets off about a half mile from the Tradewinds Resort. People can park anywhere along the route and get on the bus.
“You can bring your stuff on. You can bring bikes. You can bring your beach chairs. And even a wet bathing suit. We have a wet bathing suit policy. You can bring that too," said Miller.
SunRunner fare is free for the first six months and after that it will cost the same as a normal bus ride.
The Sun Runner line covers ten miles and buses are scheduled to run every 15 minutes during the day.
