Riding the bus in Pinellas is about to get a little bit more convenient now that the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) has announced a partnership with Canadian company Transit.
The Transit+app can be used to find first-and-last-mile solutions, including Uber and Lyft, for bus riders. In the future, it will also incorporate bikeshare programs like Coast Bike Share (for non-bus riders, the first-and-last-mile refers to the distances between bus stops and a rider’s starting point or final destination).
After downloading the app, users can plan, book and pay for a ride from affiliated companies and also get real-time updates about their bus connection. In a news release, PSTA President Brad Miller said that his public transit system was the first in the U.S. to launch a first-to-last-mile program with the rideshare companies.
“This new Transit+ feature will make riding PSTA’s system so much easier for the more than 300,000 people who have already downloaded the Transit App in Pinellas County," he wrote. "Our goal is to make ‘car-free living’ viable in Pinellas County, to reduce traffic congestion, improve the environment, and help us all save money."
The TBBJ points out that bus riders wondering how the PSTA cooperates with Hillsborough Area Regional Transit should check out the FlaminGo app, which integrates trip planning and payment between the two agencies.
This article appears in Nov 22-29, 2018.