Cross-Bay Ferry Arrives in Tampa Bay

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Tampa Bay area residents who are tired of gridlocked bridge traffic will soon have a new way to travel between Tampa and St. Petersburg. The Cross-Bay Ferry is scheduled to begin shuttling passengers between the two cities on Nov. 4. Tickets for rides go on sale starting Nov. 1.

The $1.4 million pilot project is underwritten in part by the cities of St. Petersburg and Tampa and both Pinellas and Hillsborough county governments. Each government entity paid about $350,000 to get the project off the ground. HMS Ferries is running the service during the pilot period.

Late last week, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman announced the arrival of the ferry with a video posted on the city’s Facebook page.

“It’s been a long time in the coming,” Kriseman said. “It is a truly exciting time here in St. Petersburg.”

The 98-foot-long ferry can carry a total of 149 people. It offers both interior and exterior seating. Passengers can bring strollers on board for no charge. A total of 36 bicycles are also allowed per trip, bikes do add $1 to the fare each way. Carry-on luggage is also allowed, but only law enforcement officials are allowed to bring firearms. WiFi service is not available, but passengers may use their own personal hot spots.

The ferry will take off from two points:

• St. Petersburg – the North Yacht basin near the Vinoy and St. Petersburg Museum of History
• Tampa – near the Tampa Convention Center

Service will be offered seven days a week, except for holidays. Visa, MasterCard and American Express cards are accepted for tickets. Two round trips are planned each day the ferry runs with the exception of Saturdays when three round trips are scheduled. Each crossing of Tampa Bay is expected to take about 50 minutes.

One-way fares have been set at $10 for adults and $8 for children. Children under age 3 are free. Children must be 15 or older to ride the ferry without an adult.

For more information and to find out about buying tickets, suggested parking and more, visit Cross Bay Ferry online.

Photo and video courtesy of the City of St. Petersburg