The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority will launch a new bus route this October connecting downtown St. Petersburg to Tampa International Airport, a change local business owners say could ease chronic parking shortages in the downtown corridor.
The route will cross the Howard Frankland Bridge daily and include nine stops throughout downtown St. Petersburg.
Downtown business owners say parking has long been a challenge for the area. Tara Gibson, who owns Gibson’s on Central, said limited parking availability has cost her business customers. “We have clients that are like ‘ugh, we drove by and we couldn’t stop, but we will come back later,’ but that doesn’t always happen,” she said.
Joe Zawaski, owner of Ekeko Gallery in downtown St. Petersburg, said parking downtown remains a persistent issue given the area’s popularity, and he said a direct transit link to the airport has been missing. He said the new route could benefit both residents and visitors by making it easier to travel between Tampa and St. Petersburg without a car.
Gibson and Zawaski both said they hope the new route will draw more visitors downtown and help offset lost business tied to parking constraints. The service is scheduled to begin in October.
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