By Nicole Benjamin
A new bus route that connects downtown St. Petersburg to the Tampa International Airport (TPA) was launched by the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) in early October.
The 727 Airport Express makes nine stops downtown and runs every 75 minutes from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.
The Tampa International Airport said the connection will give passengers “a faster, more convenient and more affordable way to travel across the bay.”
The new route has the ability to become a standard for how residents of downtown St. Petersburg travel. It also directly connects to the SunRunner, a bus route that runs parallel to Central Avenue from First St. all the way to St. Pete beach.
Darden Rice, chief of planning and community affairs for the PSTA, said the 727 Airport Express was a common-sense solution.
“8,000 riders a month were already crossing the bay on a part-time service,” Rice said. “Direct service to the airport has been one of our most requested services from locals and visitors alike.”
Affordability for locals
Economy parking at the airport is $22 a day. For travelers who cannot rely on rides from others, making it across the bridge is a travel expense on its own.
Estefania Rodriguez is a St. Petersburg resident who visits family out of state multiple times a year.
“I’ve had to take a lot of Ubers to the airport to visit my family in Texas,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve paid like 60 bucks for one ride. It’s so expensive.”
The 727 Airport Express offers a cheaper alternative. One-way fares are $2.25, with a daily fare cap or $5 across all PSTA routes. The PSTA offers reduced fares for those eligible and rides are free for Pinellas County public schools with a student ID, including USF.
Thomas Reid, vice-chairman of the PSTA board and vice-mayor of South Pasadena, said that the $2.25 one-way fare is hard to beat, especially for those who regularly commute to the airport.
“There’s about 11,000 airport employees who work in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, so certainly a number of those employees now have an affordable and easy way to get to work,” Reid said. “The savings with not having to pay for rideshare or parking will certainly beckon riders to consider this service.”
Demand for the route
According to the PSTA, establishing and implementing a new service is an extensive process that can take years. Community input is a valuable part of their process.
“PSTA meets travel needs by listening first, through rider advisors, community pop-ups, surveys and regional partners, and then we find funding and build service around what we hear,” Rice said.
Max McCann, a citizen appointee on the PSTA board, said discussions of the route had come up in focus groups and other forums for years.
“From my own conversations with community members, there is significant demand for this route,” McCann said. “Being able to catch a flight out of Tampa International Airport without having to pay for parking at the airport or a rideshare during peak hours is a great opportunity for transit.”
The Road to success
While the route provides an affordable alternative for airport travelers and employees, problems can arise as riders begin implementing the service into their regular travel plans. McCann said there is room for improvement.
“I believe that the 727 route will make it easier for residents to have a safe, low-stress, and reliable means of travel to the Tampa International Airport,” McCann said. “But for it to reach sustainable ridership levels, it will be crucial that we increase the frequency of the service. Having a bus come every 75 minutes is not sufficient in my opinion.”
For Rodriguez, the current bus schedule may not meet her travel needs. She said she often has to be at the airport earlier than the route begins running.
“Whenever I get good deals on flights, it’s usually at like 6 a.m., so I’ll leave at 3 a.m., and the rides are even more expensive then,” Rodriguez said.
As more riders become familiar with the service, the PSTA will have an opportunity to evaluate rider feedback and determine if any adjustments are needed.
Rice said that while it is too soon to make any big proclamations, word is getting out about the service.
“The goal is for ‘How are you getting to the airport?’ to have an obvious answer: the 727,” Rice said. “My belief is that the 727 can become the standard way Pinellas connects to TPA: reliable, affordable, and so convenient, it becomes a habit.”
