50-Cent SunRunner Fare Considered To Deter Homeless From Riding Bus

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority officials are considering adding a 50-cent fare to the SunRunner rapid bus route sooner than planned to keep homeless individuals off the transit system, according to multiple reports.

The service, which runs between St. Petersburg and St. Pete Beach, launched at the end of October with fare-free rides during its first six months of operation. In February, the PSTA announced it would extend the free fares through November.

But the agency’s board could vote as soon as Wednesday to start charging 50 cents for rides on the transit system on stops west of downtown St. Pete in response to pressure from Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and St. Pete Beach residents who take issue with the homeless sleeping or panhandling on the SunRunner, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

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St. Pete Beach commissioners said during an Aug. 8 meeting that the transit system is the reason behind a rise in crime and homeless individuals in the beach community, Creative Loafing reported.

“It’s the buses and who they’re bringing in,” Commissioner Chris Marone said at the meeting. “And the Sheriff [Bob Gualtieri] said we cannot just pick these people up and drive them somewhere and drop them off. We're not allowed to do that. We can make their lives miserable.”

“It’s redlining,” transit authority board member Vince Cocks told the Times. “It doesn’t sell a good image to the public, that that’s how we’re trying to deal with the homeless situation, where they can’t ride public transportation when everyone else can.”

Meanwhile, homeless advocates, including those with the Homeless Leadership Alliance and Pinellas Continuum of Care, are asking the PSTA to reconsider the 50-cent fare, the St. Pete Catalyst reported.

COC chair, Kathleen Beckman, said the fee “could disproportionately affect marginalized communities.”