PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — SunRunner ridership has decreased since a fare was implemented in the fall of 2023.

Ridership dropped about 39% from September 2023 to October, when the $2.25 fare started.

That’s more than a 51% decrease when comparing last March, which is considered the busy season. 

Officials at Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority said the dip was expected.

“Staff was directed to charge fares earlier than we had anticipated, so we didn’t have as much time to educate the public on how to pay fares and what the fare structure would look like,” said Jacob Labutka, PSTA Planning Manager.

Labutka also said PSTA anticipates ridership to rebound heading into spring break.

To help, Labutka says PSTA is working to continue educating the public about the system, especially its cashless payment.

“Pretty robust social media campaign, we’re also partnering with local cities to make sure that they are promoting via their channels. We’ve also gone to a lot of community events,” said Labutka.

Pinellas County Commissioner Kathleen Peters is on the PSTA Board Of Directors and shares the optimism heading into spring.

“It’s still our number one riding route and we do believe that it’s an essential component to connect the beaches to downtown,” said Peters.

“I really believe it strengthens our tourism numbers, it strengthens our employment for the hotels and businesses on the beach.”

Also, another boost is expected this weekend with the highly anticipated WWE Royal Rumble.

PSTA says to help accommodate the estimated 40,0000 participants, SunRunner is offering more frequent ride service, including free shuttle service through the Downtown Looper.

The Flamingo Fares App will be offering a special promo code for $3 daily unlimited rides for the event. For a 1-day promo pass, use code “WWE” and for a group pass (up to 4 riders), use code “WWE4” .

For more information about the event, click here.

Even with the decrease, PSTA says SunRunner is still seeing more than 50,000 rides a month, making it one of the highest-performing routes.

Here’s a comparison of monthly SunRunner ridership as of January 2024:

Oct-22 29,180

Nov-22 73,415

Dec-22 81,153

Jan-23 94,382

Feb-23 94,761

Mar-23 115,218

Apr-23 96,306

May-23 97,541

Jun-23 98,978

Jul-23 98,907

Aug-23 91,492

Sep-23 91,326

Oct-23 55,713 Fares Implemented 10/1/23

Nov-23 51,981

Dec-23 55,786

Source: PSTA

Labutka says while some ridership has decreased, they’re still seeing a net positive in transit ridership along the corridor.

“Ridership along the corridor, we have three routes: the SunRunner, our Central Avenue trolley and our Route 18,” said Labutka. “We know that the ridership on those routes collectively has increased about 60 percent from 2022 to 2024.”

PSTA says it expects an increase in ridership over time, even with a fare. In the meantime, PSTA is expecting passenger boost with Spring Break ahead plus special fares for WWE Royal Rumble this weekend.