Ride PSTA

Photo Contest Deadline Extended

RidePSTA — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:44:59 +0000

We’re thinking that maybe we shouldn’t have set our photo contest deadline so soon after the holidays. So, we’re extending it! That’s right, now you have until Valentine’s Day – February 14th – to show us the love.

Just take a photo that shows how PSTA is important in your life and you could win an iPad2! Here is a recap of the guidelines:

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.
PSTA employees and their families are not eligible to enter.
A photo release form is required. Find it here.

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). Be sure to include your photo release form.

All entries must be received by February 14, 2012.

Yes, there are prizes! The best photo (as judged by our 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. So, please snap a pic and enter our photo contest!

Your Editor,
Cyndi Raskin-Schmitt

It’s Time to Get Real

RidePSTA — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:06:51 +0000

You may have heard stops being automatically announced on your bus, or if you travel through the Shoppes at Park Place transfer center you may have seen the automated message signs. These are part of our brand new, state-of-the art Real Time Bus Info project that we’re gearing up for launch in the next couple of months. This system will tell you exactly when the next bus will be at your bus stop. You’ll be able to access the info at major transfer centers, online, and with handheld devices (i.e. cell phones and smart phones). Each bus stop will have a new sign installed below the bus stop sign that explains where to access the system, and will give you the bus stop ID number that is unique to that stop.

We’ve got the online site up and running in test mode and invite you to check it out! Click on “Estimated Arrivals” then enter your route, direction, and bus stop location; the system will automatically show you the next few buses scheduled for arrival. Click the “Map” button from that page to see your bus and its route on a map. Or, you can start from the “Bus Location Map” side and choose your route and/or stops after clicking the appropriate button on the top right side of the map.

Before you start clicking please remember that this site is in test mode. All the stops are not yet listed and all the buses don’t have the GPS equipment yet that makes this system work so all routes won’t show up. Routes 19, 52, and 74 were in our pilot program, so you should almost always get good info if you select one of those routes. Also, we’re in the process of adding a field where you can type in that unique bus stop number. You can sign up for email and text alerts, but since those modules are not activated, they won’t work yet. Basically, we encourage you to click around, but remember that we’re in test mode.

So, you are cordially invited to click HERE and check out the test mode of the online Real Time Bus Info. Play around with it, try it out and let us know what you think! Please share your feedback either by commenting on this post, or by sending email to ride@psta.net.

Your Editor,
Cyndi Raskin-Schmitt

p.s. Did I mention that it’s just in test mode? I did? Great!

Holiday Schedule

RidePSTA — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:55:50 +0000

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

RidePSTA — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:52:32 +0000

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

It’s my bus, and it’s your bus

Cyndi Raskin-Schmitt — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:49:07 +0000

“Look mommy, it’s your PSTA bus,” says my six-year-old daughter whom I’ll call “E.” Since she could speak they’ve all been my buses. Working for a public transit agency is a funny thing… people who get started in the industry tend to stay in it, and tend to feel the same kind of ownership that E attributes to me. I certainly didn’t expect to still be here 13 years after I first came to PSTA. Our longest term employee has been here since 1974. PSTA’s new CEO has been involved in transit practically since birth (his dad worked in transit). Many people who have retired in recent years have done so after 20, 25, even 30 years of service with PSTA. We all have one thing in common: we are dedicated to serving our community.

What does that mean to you? Well, it means that even though you might not know us, we care about you. We want you to have safe transportation that gets you where you need to go when you need to get there.

The service cuts we’ve had to implement over the last few years are hard because we know that you rely on us and we hate to let you down. But, our future is bright! Right now we have lots of great projects in the works. There are new hybrid buses on order, route studies planned for the near future, and next year we’ll be introducing you to Real Time Bus Information.

Please know that we value your opinions and want you to have positive experiences with PSTA. If you don’t, please let us know right away so we can investigate and figure out a way to make it better. You can call and speak to our customer service experts on the InfoLine at (727) 540-1900 every day of the week.

By helping us improve PSTA, you too can feel that sense of ownership. After all, this is YOUR transit system! Along that same line of thought – show us what your transit system means to you by entering our photo contest. Just scroll down to our first blog post to see the guidelines!

Bus is coming, gotta go!

Your Editor,
Cyndi Raskin-Schmitt

Say Cheese!

RidePSTA — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:01:57 +0000

First, thank you for all the great comments on our first ever blog post! This is an exciting new endeavor for us, and we need your feedback to make it a successful, two-way conversation.

Our photo contest is off and running. We wanted to clarify that the winning photo will get an iPad 2. Also, we’re working on assembling a panel of judges that will include some local celebrities and some professionals in the photo industry. Please send us your best shot! Here are a couple of our favorite photos taken by PSTA staff (no, we’re not eligible to win!) to help inspire you…

This bird kept trying to peck through the glass of the staff lunchroom window shortly after we moved into our new Scherer Drive facility. Circa December 2005.

Suncoast Beach Trolley in front of the Hurricane Restaurant. Circa 2001.

A happy group of trolley passengers cheerfully agrees to allow us to photograph them. Circa March 2009.

PSTA Volunteer Jed plays Santa on Christmas Eve. The Bus Operator is Donnell Wilson. Circa December 2007.

Thank you, and good luck!
Cyndi Raskin-Schmitt

PSTA Marketing Dept.

Welcome to the RidePSTA Blog!

RidePSTA — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:44:50 +0000

Hello, and welcome to PSTA’s newest venture into the world of online media! We’ll use the RidePSTA blog to share news, commentary, and behind-the-scene stories directly with customers.

The blog will be a frank, fun, ongoing conversation about PSTA and its work, and you’re invited to join in with your own comments and stories (please check out our participation guidelines). Since this is a new adventure, please feel free to ask questions, share ideas, and suggest stories.

To really kick things off, we’d like to invite you to enter our RidePSTA Photo Contest! Grab your camera and submit your favorite photo that shows how PSTA is important in your life. Here are some guidelines:

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.
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 PSTA staff) will win an iPad 2. Second Place wins a $250 Visa Gift Card, and Third Place wins a $100 Visa Gift Card.

Please join us!