End of the line for free SunRunner rides in St. Pete

• Several riders told Axios they'll need to find money that they don't have to keep taking the bus.

Catch up quick: The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) voted in August to begin fares a month earlier than planned after officials said they received complaints from residents about the behavior of unhoused people on the bus ranging from harassment to public defecation.

• St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch disagreed with the change, offering money in next year's city budget to keep the service free longer in an effort to remove barriers for low-income riders.
• St. Pete Beach City Commissioner Chris Marone said he wanted to make "troublemaker" riders' "lives miserable." The city approved funding for temporary extra patrols at the SunRunner's final beach stop.

By the numbers: PTSA says the service averages 100,000 riders each month.

• Tickets will be $2.25 for a single ride, $5 per day or $70 for a month. Reduced fares for students, youth, seniors and people with disabilities cut those rates in half. Children 8 and younger ride free, and groups of up to five people can get a $10 day pass.

What they're saying: Axios talked to several riders this week who said they prefer the SunRunner to the city's regular bus system, as it's more reliable and gives them better access to town.

• "It means more ramen, less hamburger," said Sara Ozmer. "They're worried about transient people who take it but so do a lot of other people who don't make a lot of money and work 45 hours a week," she told Axios.
• Ozmer takes the bus to her job at Family Dollar, where she says a lot of people she described as transient have told her they're upset about the fare. "They're devastated," she said. " It's going to rule it out for a lot of them."

Jay Thompson and Kimberly Bedwell said they use the SunRunner every day for work, grocery shopping and any other travel since they don't have a car. The couple told Axios they'll try to find the fare money, but it's tough since they live in a hotel.

• "We're barely making it now," Thompson said.

Bill Burnell was one of several riders happy to pay the fare. He loads his bike onto the bus to go to the beach or out dancing, and plans on getting the senior discount.

• "It makes my routine easy," he said. " You just have to prepare for it. The fare's always worth it."

The other side: PTSA spokesperson Stephanie Weaver told Axios the agency's plan was always to institute fares at some point, and the free rides were meant to gain ridership and get the public used to the new system.

• She pointed to its payment assistance program and its UPASS program where some employers can pay their employees' fares.
• "At PSTA, we welcome any and everyone to use our services and we take it very seriously that we are a lifeline to many," Weaver told Axios.

The bottom line: People love the SunRunner, and it's a huge improvement for the existing bus system — but there's more work to be done to serve St. Pete's low-income residents.