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Go Pasco cites route study, new ITS and app as tools to boost ridership
Summary
Go Pasco Director Nina Elen and Assistant Director Doug Stiger told the Pasco Podcast they implemented a route study and an intelligent-transportation system to gather ridership data, add real-time tracking and plan improvements; mobile ticketing and microtransit remain in development.
Go Pasco Director Nina Elen and Assistant Director Doug Stiger said the agency has implemented a recent route study and rolled out an intelligent-transportation system (ITS) to guide service changes and increase ridership in Pasco County.
The changes include updated routes implemented "last July" (year not specified) and ITS features that collect passenger counts, provide live loop-camera feeds and offer real-time location data for buses. "You don't have to be at the bus stop for 20 minutes. You can just walk five 10 minutes before and you know you get your bus there," Elen said, describing the agency's new trip-planning features.
Why it matters: Pasco County is growing, and Go Pasco officials said better operational data and customer-facing tools can help the agency allocate stops and shelters, justify outside funding and make service more convenient for riders.
Elen said the ITS will allow staff to "determine which bus stops need to be some type of improvements or, advent benches or shelters," using passenger counters and other data to prioritize upgrades. Assistant Director Doug Stiger said those data and efficiency gains also help the agency position itself to secure outside funding to expand service as demand rises.
The agency is also working on mobile ticketing to speed boarding and improve customer experience. "We're looking to do the mobile ticketing as well. And that's something that we're working on," Elen said; she did not provide a rollout date during the conversation. Officials stressed that some operational changes are contingent on budget cycles and external funding sources.
Looking ahead, staff discussed service concepts such as microtransit and bus rapid transit (BRT) on US‑19 to provide circulator and higher-capacity service where density supports it. Elen said such projects must be matched to the traffic and land-use context of each area and coordinated with county planning staff.
Public input: Elen urged listeners to participate in the Transit Development Plan (TDP) outreach (conducted every five years) and to submit suggestions via the Go Pasco website and advertised public meetings. Stiger echoed that feedback helps the agency "do better" and informs funding decisions.
No formal votes or policy adoptions were recorded in the episode; officials described programmatic plans, data collection, outreach and ongoing project development as next steps.
The podcast episode concluded with a reminder that the TDP and public outreach are the formal mechanisms for residents to shape future service changes.
