Bus Buzz Episode 2: Busting the Empty Bus Myth

Last year PSTA launched a new video series called Bus Buzz. Our second episode went live on January 25th and is seeing a huge positive response. Titled “Busting the Empty Bus Myth,” the video tackles one of those pervasive myths that we hear all the time. See people think buses run empty, and that’s just not true. We had more than 14,000,000 boardings last year – you can’t do that with empty buses.

What I think happens is a person might see the same bus in the same place every day and it might not be full; but, what that person doesn’t realize is that 20 people just got off at a stop two blocks away where they go to work (like they do every day). That bus could run less-than-full for a couple of blocks then pick up several people in front of a retail store, then several more in front of a medical clinic – it will pick up and drop off people all day long. Anyhow, here’s the video, see the proof for yourself and know that our buses are packed!

Your Editor,
Cyndi Raskin-Schmitt
Manager of Communications

2012 Blog Stats

Thanks for a great year! We’re working on a “PSTA Year in Review” post. In the mean time, the WordPress.com stats magicians prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 11,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 18 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

Press Release: Let PSTA Help You Exercise Your Right to Vote!

For immediate release: November 2, 2012

Who: Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA)
What: Provides bus service to nearly every polling place in Pinellas County
When: November 6, 2012
Where:  Throughout Pinellas County
How:  By riding PSTA buses to and from county polling locations

Leaders at the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority would like to remind all Pinellas County citizens that PSTA bus routes serve nearly every polling location in the county. PSTA has partnered with the Supervisor of Elections office to develop a list of polling locations along with the corresponding PSTA routes that serve them. Riders can find a link to that list right on the PSTA home page at www.PSTA.net.

“Our leaders and staff encourage everyone to get out and exercise their right to vote on November 6th. Plus, when they ride PSTA to their polling locations, voters won’t have to worry about navigating crowded parking lots,” says PSTA spokesperson Bob Lasher. Prospective voters can look up their designated polling location by visiting the Supervisor of Elections website at www.votepinellas.com. Then, once they know their location, they can find the bus routes that serve that site at www.PSTA.net.

If you’d like to take advantage of PSTA’s safe, convenient, and affordable transportation to and from your polling location, just visit www.PSTA.net and take advantage of the agency’s Google Trip Planner or you can call the PSTA InfoLine at (727) 540-1900 for help planning your trip.  Remember to take note of return trip times in case you encounter long lines.  Before you head out, be sure to check PSTA’s new Real Time Bus Information site at RidePSTA.net to find out exactly when your next bus will depart.

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Bus the Vote

As America heads to the polls this November, we wanted to let you know that most precinct locations in Pinellas County are accessible by bus. Our intrepid marketing team took a list of polling places provided by the Supervisor of Elections and matched up the locations with our bus routes. You can find that list by clicking here. There are a few locations that are not within four blocks of a bus route, and those are marked “no bus” on the list.

If you need help planning your trip to the polls, please call the InfoLine and speak with one of our Customer Service Representatives – they’ll make sure you make it there on time, and that you know which bus to catch to get back home.

Your vote makes a difference, and we encourage you to exercise this most basic of rights!

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

Introducing Bus Buzz

We are are proud to announce the unveiling of the PSTA’s new informational video series called Bus Buzz! The first episode (which can also be found on our YouTube channel), features 2011 Driver of the Year Vance Wegner sharing tips  that will help you avoid being passed by the bus.

“Recent surveys show that most of our riders now have smart phones,” says Director of Marketing Janet Recca. “So we figured why not put together some web videos that they could easily access to get the information they need.” Employees suggested names for the new videos and we decide to go with Bus Buzz.

Last year PSTA provided a record setting 13.1 million rides. This year, with exploding tourism and soaring gas prices, that number is sure to climb and along with it, the number of customers calling PSTA’s InfoLine (727-540-1900) with questions about riding the bus. “When gas approached $4.00/gallon, some days it sounded like our Customer Service Representatives were talking to every rider at once,” says Bob Lasher, PSTA Manager of Community Relations. That’s why we hope that the power of the Internet and Bus Buzz will help answer questions commonly asked by the public.

We have a great  list of topics for future episodes, but invite you to submit ideas as well. Questions and ideas can be posted here as comments, or submitted to ride@psta.net.

Your Editor,
Cyndi Raskin-Schmitt

*This post is a modified version of a press release written by Bob Lasher*

Holiday Schedule

Happy Holidays! Here are hours and service levels for the upcoming holidays:

Saturday, December 24 – Christmas Eve
Buses run their regular schedules
Customer Service (including terminal windows and InfoLine) are open regular hours
(Administrative Offices are always closed on Saturdays)

Sunday, December 25 – Christmas Day
Buses run their Sunday Schedules
Customer Service will be closed
(Administrative Offices are always closed on Sundays)

Monday, December 26
Buses run their regular schedules
Customer Service is open regular hours
Administrative Offices are closed

Saturday, December 31 – New Year’s Eve
Buses run their regular schedules
Customer Service (including terminal windows and InfoLine) are open regular hours
(Administrative Offices are always closed on Saturdays)

Sunday, January 1 – New Years Day
Buses run their Sunday Schedules
Customer Service will be closed
(Administrative Offices are always closed on Sundays)

Monday, January 2
Buses run their regular schedules
Customer Service is open regular hours
Administrative Offices are closed

From all of us at PSTA, to all of you: Happy Holidays, and may your new year be full of joy!

Your Editor,
Cyndi Raskin-Schmitt

Fame and Fortune are Just a Click Away

Well, maybe not fame and fortune exactly, but you could win an iPad 2! Thank you so much the entries we’ve received for the photo contest, we’ve gotten some good ones.

We wanted to tell you what it will take to be a winning photo. Your photo should show how PSTA is important part of your life, and it would be better to actually show something that is PSTA (you know, like a bus or a stop, or something). Remember that you don’t have to actually ride the bus to be affected by public transit service; every person who drives a car is also benefiting from public transit.

Here’s a reminder about the “rules”… Please, keep those entries coming!

• Only take photos in public areas.
• Don’t take photos of people without their permission.
• Hand held equipment only, no tripods are permitted on buses.
• Photography must not interfere with passenger safety or movement at any time.
• Photos must be original content.
• Photos must be at least 200 DPI at 10 inches and in one of the following formats: JPEG, TIFF, PNG, GIF, or BMP.
• Photos should not reference violence, sex, alcohol or drug use, or any other illegal activity in any way.
• All entries submitted can be used by PSTA in future marketing campaigns.
• A photo release form is required. Find it here.
• PSTA employees and their families are not eligible to enter.

Please submit your photo to ride@psta.net or mail to PSTA Community Photo Contest, 3201 Scherer Drive, St. Petersburg, FL 33716 (photos will not be returned). Please include name, address, phone, email and how often you ride.

All entries must be received by Janaury 15, 2012. Winners will be announced February 1, 2012.

Yes, there are prizes! The best photo (as judged by a panel of experts) will win an iPad 2. Second Place wins a $250 Visa Gift Card, and Third Place wins a $100 Visa Gift Card.

Gotta run!

Your Editor,
Cyndi Raskin-Schmitt