Free Grocery Shuttle To Hit The Road In St. Pete

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — St. Petersburg residents who have had difficulty getting to the grocery store since the Walmart Neighborhood Market in Tangerine Plaza closed earlier this year will soon find a free shuttle available to serve them. The city of St. Petersburg has announced plans to kick off a regular Saturday run for a “free grocery shuttle” that will offer service on a trial basis over the next few months.

The new service kicks off Saturday, May 13. A mini-shuttle bus that can carry up to 25 passengers has been lined up to make stops at Tangerine Plaza, 1794 22nd St. S., and take passengers to the Walmart Supercenter at 201 34th St. N., which is about a 2.5-mile trek.

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The 13-week Midtown Grocery Pilot Program is being offered at no charge for residents who may not have transportation to get to the store. The program is expected to run through August.

Beginning on May 13, the shuttle will depart Tangerine Plaza at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. each Saturday. Return service from the Walmart Supercenter back to Tangerine Plaza will be offered at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.

"For those facing transportation challenges, and especially for those St. Pete residents who relied on the Walmart in Tangerine Plaza, I am pleased to be able to offer this free service,” Mayor Rick Kriseman said in a statement announcing the shuttle’s launch. “Offering this service to our south St. Petersburg residents is an effort to address food insecurity while gauging demand for a future grocery store in Tangerine Plaza.”

Riders who want to get their seats on the mini-shuttle early will find the bus should pull into Tangerine Plaza around 9:45 a.m. each Saturday. It will be positioned in the parking lot area near the overhang of the former Walmart. Riders will receive free Healthy St. Pete cloth shopping bags and will also be asked to fill out surveys to help the city better gauge the need and usage of the new service. How soon the city might make a decision to continue the service after August remains unclear. It is also unclear how the service is being funded.

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