Bryan Eubanks rides the bus twice a day, every day, just to get to work and back home. Now the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority is proposing to eliminate Route 58, one of the two routes he depends on, along with five other bus and shuttle services across Pinellas County as part of a sweeping FY27 budget proposal.
PSTA has floated eliminating Route 16, Route 58, Route 90, ADA paratransit service, the Grouper airport shuttle, and the Snapper Safety Harbor-Clearwater on-demand service, according to Tampa Bay 28. The agency says the proposed cuts are driven by both budget pressures and low ridership on the affected lines. Route 16 connects riders to Gateway Mall, Meadowlawn Middle School, Northeast High School, Mirror Lake Library, and downtown St. Petersburg, while Route 58 links Seminole City Center, SPC Seminole, Osceola High School, Bardmoor Hospital, and the PSTA Complex, according to PSTA’s public hearing notice. Route 90 serves Bay Point Plaza, Corey Avenue, and the beach resort corridor.
For Eubanks, the stakes are personal. He told the station that losing the routes would affect his job, his rent, and his overall livelihood, and that Route 58 in particular “has been a huge help.” He said losing the bus routes would make his life significantly more difficult.
Fare Hikes Would Hit Riders Beyond the Route Cuts
The route eliminations aren’t the only cost increase on the table. PSTA is also considering raising onboard credit card fares by 11 cents, per Tampa Bay 28’s reporting. The agency’s public hearing notice adds further detail: Transportation Disadvantaged bus pass copays would climb from $11 to $13, Grouper airport shuttle fares would rise from $8 to $10, and ferry services would gain a fuel-price fare escalator, according to PSTA’s own hearing documents…