Press Release: PSTA Partners with Southeastern Guide Dogs for Training Exercise

For immediate release: April 26, 2013

Who: Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) and Southeastern Guide Dogs
What: Held first-ever guide dog training session
When: April 25, 2013
Where: 3201 Scherer Drive, St. Petersburg
Why:  To acclimate guide dogs to the sights, sounds and feel of riding public transit
How:  PSTA Staff worked with dog raisers to simulate transit rides and teach the dogs how to properly board, alight and ride transit vehicles

PSTA Safety and Security and Training Supervisor (and PSTA 2005 Driver of the Year) Theo Bakomihalis thought he had seen it all after his many years behind the wheel of PSTA buses, but he’d never seen a group of passengers like the one he encountered Thursday evening. Theo had the unique pleasure of chauffeuring 11 guide dogs in training (and their raisers) around St. Petersburg to help dogs learn how to behave when riding public transit. “They’re arguably one of the cutest… and furriest groups I’ve ever driven,” Theo says with smile. “They’re so happy and eager to get on the bus, it’s really fun.”

The puppies, which range in age from 11 weeks to 15 months, performed exceptionally well during the training and didn’t appear anxious about being on a bus for the first time. Most tended to be more interested in their fellow K-9s than concerned about the noise and vibration of the vehicle. The training involved driving the bus throughout the community and stopping at various locations to let the puppies and their raisers board and alight.  “These dogs will be using public transit every day once they’re working.  None have ever been on a bus before, so this is an invaluable experience to prepare them for service,” says Southeastern Guide Dogs Area Coordinator Carolyn Hersh. “This exercise gives the puppies exposure and training we just can’t simulate in a classroom.”  Hersh adds that this experience along with other exposures to everyday life, helps the dogs develop into confident guides.

Southeastern Guide Dogs is an organization that trains dogs to help people with visual impairments so that it’s easier for them to live independent, vibrant and joyous lives. Through programs such as Paws for Independence™, Paws for Patriots™, and Gifted Canines™ they have more than 400 active guide dog teams s and to be able to support programs like Paws for Patriots is a great way for us to give back to the community and support our heroes who have given so much for our country,” says PSTA CEO Brad Miller.

For more about Paws for Patriots or other Southeastern Guide Dogs programs, including how to volunteer or donate, visit:  www.guidedogs.org.

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It’s Official: Real Time is a Hit!

For those of you already using it, this news will come as no surprise. We’ve been watching the usage level go higher and higher over the past year since we implemented our state-of-the-art Real Time Bus Information system, and I’m pleased to report that it’s a hit!

After we started installing the eye-catching Real Time Bus Info signs at bus stops last April, we had 1945 people text in for their next bus details the first month. Not too shabby considering we were just getting started. Can you guess how many texts we sent out last month? I’ll tell you: 86,912! In March you also called in and used the automated phone system (IVR, Interactive Voice Response) 80,420 times, and visited RidePSTA.net 30,945 times. Here’s a chart that shows just how awesome the response to this system has been:

Here are some more fun stats…

• Total number of texts sent: 474,875
• Total number of IVR calls: 361,760
• Total number of visits to RidePSTA.net: 172,206
• Total number of times the QR code on the Real Time sign has been accessed: 52,218

So, thank you! Thanks for helping us test the system before we launched. Thanks for using the system every day. Thanks for using technology to make your transit experience more enjoyable. And, thank you for riding! We appreciate you, and your support!

Your Editor,
Cyndi Raskin-Schmitt

Transit Update from the CEO – March 2013

After the monthly meeting of PSTA’s Board of Directors, CEO Brad Miller puts together a summary of important topics that were discussed. Here is that recap from the March 20th meeting:

Greenlight Pinellas

• At a special ACPT meeting on Monday, PSTA’s Public Outreach consultant, Tucker Hall, Inc. presented Greenlight Pinellas as the brand and strategy of our public engagement process about transit in Pinellas County.
• Greenlight Pinellas demonstrates:
  • A consensus of Pinellas County leadership
  • Engagement of the business community, civic organizations, and the public.
  • It will form the educational foundation for the future transit referendum.
• The PSTA Board will be asked to approve the outreach strategy at their April 24, 2013 meeting.

FDOT Funding Request

• The PSTA Board approved a grant application to seek continued funding from the Florida Department of Transportation for two important projects:
  1. Mobility Management – Allows PSTA to enhance mobility of seniors and individuals with disabilities.
  2. Connector Service – Funds will support the continued operation of the new, innovative, and very popular North County Connector services

Pinellas Park Transit Center

• Easement Agreements and a Partnership MOU with the City of Pinellas Park to share in the capital construction expenses were approved by the PSTA Board.
• Construction should begin soon on a new, badly needed Pinellas Park Transit Center behind the Shoppes at Park Place (Target/Movie Theatre) just off US 19.

Business Community/Transit Oriented Land Use Design Outreach

• PSTA is partnering with the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to reach out to key stakeholders, businesses, and communities along the proposed rail line through St. Petersburg, Pinellas Park, Pinellas County, Largo, and Clearwater.
• The outreach is intended to inform and further develop the land use and economic development potential of transit related projects, such as the bus plan and Pinellas Alternatives Analysis rail corridor.

PSTA Safety & Longevity Awards

• Each year PSTA employees are recognized for their many years of service and Bus Operators’ safety records are celebrated.
• Steve Desrosier, in our Finance Department, was acknowledged for 30 years of service.
• Bus Operator Dave Beck was recognized for 35 years of safe driving.
• All together 990 years of service, and 2234 years of safe driving were recognized at award ceremonies held in-house.

Sincerely,
Brad Miller
Chief Executive Officer

Press Release: Pinellas Transit Plan Earns National Honors

For immediate release: December 17, 2012

Who: Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA) and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)
What: Alternatives Analysis transit plan  is recognized as One of America’s Top 50 Public Transit Projects
When: December 11, 2012
Where: Throughout Pinellas County
How:  By meeting and exceeding planning criteria for transportation, environmental and fiscally responsible excellence

One of the Tampa Bay Area’s most lauded transportation projects has yet another honor to add to its trophy collection today. The advanced transportation plan, known as the Pinellas County Alternatives Analysis (AA), has been named as one of the country’s top 50 transportation projects by the Sierra Club.  In its report, “Smart Choices, Less Traffic: 50 Best and Worst Transportation Projects in the United States,” only three projects from the Sunshine State earned the honor of being among America’s top 50: the Pinellas AA, Sunrail in Orlando, and the Everglades Skyway.

The Pinellas AA (detailed at the website www.pinellasontrack.com) is the result of a ground-breaking partnership between PSTA, the Pinellas MPO, FDOT, and TBARTA. The project has been recognized and used as an example of outstanding multi-agency partnership by transportation officials nationwide. The AA studied the developing transportation needs in Pinellas County and with the help of massive public input, developed a plan to meet the growing demand for improved transportation and public transit both in Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay region. The Pinellas AA features significant increases in bus service throughout the county as part of a solid foundation for a light rail project from St. Petersburg to the Gateway/Carillon area and Downtown Clearwater.

Phil Compton, the Sierra Club’s Regional Representative for the Florida Healthy Air Campaign says that the Pinellas AA will “finally provide residents with the kind of transportation choices that most Americans take for granted. Expanding bus service throughout Pinellas, connecting our urban centers of Clearwater and St. Petersburg by light rail, and making the entire county a safer place to walk and ride a bike will remove serious barriers to our economic growth, while also cleaning up our heavily polluted air.”

The Sierra Club report states that “Americans can and should expect the dollars we spend on transportation to contribute to solving environment and economic problems. Smart transportation investments are already providing Americans with transportation options that reduce our dependence on oil, improve our air, water and public health and keep more money in local economies.”

Projects were reviewed on the basis of their impact on the following five areas:

• Oil use
• The environment
• Public health
• The economy
• Land use

The Pinellas AA has also won outstanding project honors from the American Planning Association, Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, and the Florida American Planning Association. In conjunction with the Pinellas AA, PSTA is now conducting an extensive analysis to find new ways to streamline, or realign, current bus service in the effort to provide more frequent and efficient service with existing resources. If you’d like to participate in the new Pinellas Community Bus Plan and help shape the future of transportation in Pinellas County, you are invited to complete a survey at www.busplan.psta.net.

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Get Engaged, Be Heard

PSTA recently launched an exciting new project called the Pinellas Community Bus Plan. Why is it exciting you ask? Well, it is exciting because it’s an in-depth study of the PSTA bus system that will identify strengths, areas for improvement, and make suggestions to improve efficiency and increase ridership. Our researchers are looking at everything, and by everything I mean fares, programs, and services, and even stop-by-stop boarding data for each bus route, population densities in Pinellas, and funding needs.

The Bus Plan will consider the changing mobility needs of the county’s residents, workers, and visitors and will ask several very important questions like:

• What and where are the markets for transit service in Pinellas County?
• How is the overall system performing and what are areas for improvement?
• How can PSTA best provide service within its financial limitations and operational capabilities?

The result of the Bus Plan is not just a document but improved transit service on the street.

Community involvement is crucial to developing a good plan, so we will reach out to you in many ways, including public workshops, special events at major transit hubs, and speakers’ bureau presentations. Please let us know if you are a member of an organization that would like to have a presentation and we’ll get you on the calendar.

Meeting and event times, dates, and locations will be posted on http://busplan.psta.net. Here are few of the outreach sessions that are on the schedule so far:

• Tuesday, October 30, 2012
  12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
  St. Petersburg College Tarpon Springs Campus, Fine Arts & Library lobby area

• Wednesday, October 31, 2012
  12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
  St. Petersburg College Tarpon Springs Campus, Fine Arts & Library lobby area

• Thursday, November 8, 2012
  11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
  USF St. Petersburg Campus, Dining Hall in Student Center,

Your input will help our researchers develop the Pinellas Community Bus Plan, which will serve as a guide for improved transit service in Pinellas County. It will give recommendations that can be implemented immediately (1-3 year), in the short term (4-6 years), in the mid term (7-10 years), and long term (15 & 25 years). These recommendations will maintain safe, high-quality existing service and introduce service enhancements; maximize efficiency while maintaining high quality service; maintain core services to markets that serve transit-dependent populations, seniors and riders with disabilities; invest resources where they will have the maximum benefit to customers; and increase efficiency and effectiveness of PSTA service.

So, I invite you to attend a workshop if you can, and/or fill the online survey that will be posted to http://busplan.psta.net soon. Your input will help us make a better PSTA for everyone!

Your Editor,

Cyndi Raskin-Schmitt
Marketing Communications Coordinator

Press Release: Girl Scouts Beautify Clearwater Bus Stop

Release Date: Friday, July 27, 2012

Who: Girl Scout Troop 858 and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA)
What: Partner to enhance and refurbish and older bus stop
Why: As part of a Girl Scout community improvement project for a demanding Girl Scout Bronze Award
When: July 2012
Where: Sunset Point Road east of US 19

Troop 858 Scouts Aleigha, Sydney, and Rachel

Thanks to an eager and enterprising group of young Girl Scouts, Pinellas County has a newly refurbished and beautifully landscaped bus stop along Sunset Point Road in Clearwater. The stop is just east of US 19 and served by PSTA’s Route 62.  “The girls got together to discuss community projects that they could undertake to earn a Bronze Award,” says Scout mom Sharon Akers-Tower.

The bronze award is the highest honor given to Girl Scout Juniors, who are Scouts in fourth or fifth grade. The first step in earning a Bronze Award requires the scouts to form a team to explore their community and develop ideas for an enhancement project.  “One of the girls noticed that the bench was broken at this stop, which is close to our meeting venue,” says Akers-Tower. She suggested that the team fix and beautify the stop and the others agreed.”

The team then contacted PSTA Maintenance Manager Kevin Hoyt and asked if he would work with them to improve the stop. Hoyt and his staff were eager to help and quickly provided a new concrete pad and bench. The scouts then painted the bench in Girl Scout colors, added their troop number – 858 and surrounded the stop with decorative flowers and mulch.  “They did an awesome job and the stop is beautiful,” says Hoyt. “They’re a very impressive group of youngsters.”

Bench and landscaping at the Scouts’ ribbon cutting

The girls lined the stop with numerous butterfly and hummingbird friendly plants and then visited it every day for weeks to water them and make sure they took root. “Now, every morning there are butterflies all around the stop, it’s really amazing,” adds Akers-Tower. As she talks with other parents, the scout team, Aleigha, Sydney and Rachel buzz around the stop adjusting mulch and reciting the names of the plants –Butterfly Bush, Honeysuckle, Purple Passion Flower, etc.

The Scouts and their families held a ceremonial ribbon cutting for the newly refurbished stop on Wednesday evening, July 25, 2012.  The crowd cheered as the girls cut a big red bow that had been draped across the front of the stop. The scouts and their loved ones then enjoyed cups of ice cream as they took turns trying out the new bench and admiring the new landscaping.

To Learn more about riding PSTA or how to plan a trip, visit www.PSTA.net or call the PSTA InfoLine at (727) 540-1900.

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Let’s talk trash

People make trash. And it’s a fact of life that cities, park departments, entertainment venues, and yes, public transit agencies, have to provide a place for people to put their trash and take care of disposing of that trash. That, my friends, is a costly proposition. PSTA uses a contractor to service the trash cans located at our bus stops all over Pinellas County, and we pay by the can each time they pick up. With over 800 trash cans in our system, that bill adds up pretty quickly.

PSTA Marketing Intern Chrystal Lovett gives the new BigBelly trash compactor at the 34th Street Transfer Center a try.

Well, a new money-saving solution is here: solar trash compactors. Manufactured by Big Belly Solar, Inc., the BigBelly compactors harness the power of information technology and renewable energy to help reduce some of our expensive trash pickups. Inside these state-of-the-art, solar-powered trash cans, a sensor keeps track of how full it is and automatically goes through a compaction cycle. When the can is full, after several cycles, it sends an email to our Facilities Maintenance department telling them it’s ready to be emptied. This very specific, real time notification means that our contractor or an in-house crew can pinpoint pickups and make their rounds in an extremely efficient manner. And, since they only pick up when they know it’s full, we aren’t paying them to service trash cans that don’t need it.

There is a capital outlay for the BigBelly cans; they cost about $4000 each. But, don’t worry, these fancy new trash cans will pay for themselves within the first few months in service and will save us a ton in the long run. We started the program with a trial at our PSTA 34^th Street Transfer Center with four cans. Here’s how the math works out:

Traditional: Annual cost for daily servicing of four (4) “regular” cans at the Transfer Center is $9,464 (this is 4 cans X 365 pickups)

Compactors: We’re able to reduce the number of cans to two (2), and reduce pickup to two times per month. Using the same per pickup rate that we pay the current contractor, this drops our annual cost to just $312 (2 cans X 26 pickups)

So, when we put two compactors at this location, even with a purchase price of $4000 each ($8000 total), we still save over $1000 in the first year. In the second year, we save over $9000 for just this one bus transfer location! This is a huge savings!

The compactors are the same size as a regular trash can, and since they’re solar powered they need lots of direct sunlight. In addition to the cost savings, we’re seeing that the overall cleanliness of the bus stops with compactors has improved – perhaps thanks to the fact that the trash is all contained and can’t blow around. With the thought of how much money these compactors can save us in mind, we chose several promising locations for placement of the other 12 we’ve purchased so far: Gateway Mall, Park Street Terminal, 75^th Ave & Gulf Way, Clearwater Mall, Grand Central, and Ulmerton Rd & 49^th St (2 of the 4 corners).

We hope to purchase about 70 more over the next couple of years and can’t wait to see the savings!

Your Editor,
Cyndi Raskin-Schmitt

Grab your bike and hop aboard!

When we first launched our Bikes on Buses program back in March of 1998, we had no idea it would be so successful. That first month we carried 2000 bikes. In 2005, the National Center for Transit Research named PSTA the highest ridership Bikes on Buses program in the State of Florida with 17,000 per month, or more than 200,000 rides per year. Last year we carried 360,000 bikes!

We’ve come a long way! When the program first launched, bikers were required to get a Bikes on Buses permit. PSTA partnered with several local bike shops who showed a short how-to video and sold the permits for $2. Over the years, we realized that the rack is so easy to use, hardly any instruction was really necessary. In June of 2006, we got rid of the permits and opened up the rack to anyone who could lift their bike into the slots.

The program continued to grow in popularity, so when it became obvious that 2-bike racks just weren’t going to cut it, we installed 3-bike racks on most of our buses. Unfortunately, the 3-bike racks had a little problem: when fully loaded, the criss-crossing spokes of three bikes blocked the bus headlights. Our plan to expand access to the Bikes on Buses program had become a serious safety hazard. We take safety pretty seriously around here, so the 3-bike racks had to go. But, I’m pleased to tell you that our Maintenance Department has been working diligently with several rack manufacturers in an attempt to develop a new rack that can hold three bikes, while also meeting our safety standards. We’ll let you know when we find the right solution.

In the mean time, if the racks are full (which they often are) we want you to have a safe place to lock your bike, so we’ve been installing bike storage racks at our bus stops and transfer stations like crazy. Thanks to a partnership with the Pinellas County Health Department we were recently able to add almost 100 more racks than we had planned. Bike riding is a great way to improve your health, and the Health Department is about that! They purchased racks that we’re currently working to install at 50 of our busiest bus stops around the county. We also have additional bike racks in our bus stop amenity plan for the coming years – if you know of a high bike traffic bus stop that could use a rack, please let us know and we’ll check it out.

Should you happen to have a folding bike (these are really cool!) we’re happy to announce that you can now bring it inside the bus – no need to place it on the rack! We do ask that you have it already folded before you board the bus. After you find your seat, please tuck your bike out of the aisle so no one trips on it.

So, are you ready to bring your bike along for a ride? Before you head out, I encourage you to visit the Bikes on Buses page of our website where you can see a video about how to use the rack on the bus. We look forward to welcoming you – and your bike – aboard soon!

Your Editor,
Cyndi Raskin-Schmitt

Hey Developers, we have open data!

As part of PSTA’s exciting new Real Time Bus Information system, we’ve decided to make our data “open.” That means software and app developers can access our Real Time data and use it in apps that will help others get the information they need or want about PSTA bus service.

We won’t tell anyone what to develop or how to do it, but we do have a whole section of our website dedicated to Developers which includes some helpful tips. The information provided through data feeds includes static schedule and service data using an open standard, and APIs that can get you up-to-the-minute information from RidePSTA.net (PSTA Real Time Bus Information).

We know there’s a demand for this type of app, and we’re really hoping that there are millions of developers out there who will want to create some for PSTA (yes, “millions of developers” is unrealistic, but surely there are a few, right?!).

So, hop to it! We’re excited to see what you come up with!

Your Editor,
Cyndi Raskin-Schmitt

And the winner is…

Wow! You all take some pretty fabulous photos! We asked you to send us a photo that shows what PSTA means in your life and your community. So many great entries were submitted to our photo contest it was hard to choose the winners, but luckily we had a panel of experts to help. Before we announce the winners, please help us thank our judges. Here’s a little about each of them:

Lorrie Lykins – Lorrie has written the Ask Dr. Delay column for the Tampa Bay Times (formerly the St. Petersburg Times) since 2005, answering reader questions about the highways and byways of the Tampa Bay area. She is a graduate of Eckerd College and Queens University of Charlotte and is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Follow her on twitter: @AskDrDelay

Michael C. Weimar – Michael C. Weimar is an editorial and commercial photographer based in the Tampa Bay area. He specializes in sports and portraiture. His past assignments have found him at the Superbowl, Final Four, and BCS National Championship. A link to his work can be found at www.mikeweimar.com.

Emanuel Ponteriero – Besides having his own professional photography business, Emanuel conducts major seminars throughout Florida. His “Get the Picture” instructional videos are among the top ten on Amazon, and he is a monthly guest on Studio 10 Connects, a Tampa TV program.

These kind folks donated their time to judge our contest and we really appreciate their expertise.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… our winners!

Third Place
“Limo to the Dance” by David Reed

Second Place
“Transportation for the Next Generation” by Brandon Graham

First Place (our iPad2 winner!)
“In Motion” by James Branaman

Please join us in congratulating our winners! (And, please remember that these are copyrighted images.)

Your Editor,
Cyndi Raskin-Schmitt

p.s. Wonder what our winning photographers look like? Here’s a photo of David and James (along with me) following the award presentation at today’s Board of Directors meeting, and a photo of Brandon when he came in to claim his prize (he wasn’t able to join us at the meeting).