ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Proposed legislation would shrink membership on the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, but the idea is meeting pushback.

State Rep. Linda Chaney, a Republican who represents St. Pete Beach, says the PSTA needs more scrutiny since it is 90% funded by taxpayers, while riders make up about 2% of the public.

Her proposal would shrink the board from 15 members to 11, and change the way the agency handles fare-free programs, bus lanes and eminent domain.

Mark O’Hara, who chairs the PSTA Transit Riders Advisory Committee, says he worries that the legislation would drastically change the way PSTA operates.

He said PSTA was recently named the No. 1 bus system of its size in the country and that SunRunner had one million riders in less than a year.

“We’re a great bus system. We’re one of the best in the country, the best in the country,” he said. “So, let’s keep going forward and making progress and not problems.”

Because it’s a local bill, a majority of the Pinellas delegation must vote to approve the bill before it can be filed.

The meeting for that vote will be held Wednesday at the SPC Seminole Campus at 1:00 p.m.