The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) voted Wednesday to purchase a second vessel for the revamped, cross-bay ferry service.
Why it matters: The popular service — which, before it shuttered last year, connected Tampa and St. Petersburg — is one step closer to reopening.
- Buying a second boat will allow the ferry to run seven days a week.
Between the lines: The Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners ended its contract with the operator of the Cross Bay Ferry last year; however, the PSTA was determined to revive the service.
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- The Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART) transferred nearly $5 million from an unused federal grant to Pinellas County to buy a vessel, helping keep an affordable mode of travel between the two counties afloat.
- Pinellas transit officials greenlit the renewed service, now called the Tampa Bay Ferry, in December and set out to build it.