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Oldsmar representative raises concerns after PSTA approves network changes that remove several local stops
Summary
Oldsmar's PSTA representative reported April 1 that a recently approved countywide transit network redesign would remove multiple bus stops in the city and invited PSTA staff to brief the council on the plan and the Title VI analysis.
A recent PSTA countywide network redesign approved by the transit agency includes elimination of several stops in Oldsmar along St. Petersburg Drive and changes to Route 67 (now proposed as 78A/78B), the council's new PSTA representative told the Oldsmar City Council on April 1.
Council member O'Neil, the city'appointed PSTA representative, said the change followed an 18-month planning process and that PSTA staff cited low ridership at the affected stops or proximity (within a quarter mile) to other stops as the reason they were slated for removal. O'Neil said the redesigned circulator (78A/78B) would operate seven days a week, an increase in days of service for that corridor, but that the plan would convert service in other parts of the county to on-demand connections (PSTA'contracted microtransit) in lower-ridership areas.
"Those five stops along St. Pete Drive had extremely low ridership," O'Neil said, and PSTA officials told him some stops were eliminated because an alternative stop was within a quarter mile. O'Neil said he asked questions at the PSTA board meeting and later invited PSTA staff to make a presentation to Oldsmar's council so the city could review public-input materials and the Title VI equity analysis that underpins federally funded changes.
O'Neil expressed particular concern about two stops that served large office buildings on Commerce/Tampa Road (the former Nielsen and the former UnitedHealthcare buildings), noting job access is a key public-transportation function and that those buildings have since been repurposed and could see ridership changes post-COVID.
PSTA plans include a six-month rollout and significant public notification before changes take effect. O'Neil said it is possible to request modifications after plan approval, but substantial changes could require redoing the Title VI equity analysis to confirm there is no disproportionate impact on protected groups.
Ending
O'Neil recommended that PSTA make a formal presentation to the council and provide the public-input materials and Title VI documentation so the city can evaluate potential service impacts and request targeted adjustments if warranted.
