The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority’s (PSTA) bus rapid transit (BRT) SunRunner is celebrating its third birthday, serving more than 2.5 million people since its inception. 

Recent data clearly show that SunRunner is delivering on its goals of enhancing safety, with both a reduction in overall crashes and a decrease in the number of severe accidents, including those involving fatalities. 

SunRunner has also helped reduce congestion and improve travel times along the Central Avenue corridor, according to the agency.

Data Shows Improvements 

A breakdown of data from transportation planning partner Forward Pinellas demonstrates that the SunRunner corridor is measurably safer and more efficient for all users since the October 2022 launch: 

• Crash Reduction: The SunRunner corridor has experienced an overall decrease in crashes, with a nearly 40% reduction in crashes resulting in a death or serious injury along sections of the corridor where lanes were repurposed. 

• Travel Time Savings: The re-timing of traffic signals along the corridor has resulted in significant time savings for all drivers, with a reduction of more than six minutes during the morning rush hour and over three minutes during the afternoon rush hour. 

• Reduced Congestion: The semi-dedicated BAT lanes and Transit Signal Priority technology enable SunRunner buses to travel faster and more reliably, moving more people (each SunRunner bus can take up to 50 cars off the road) and reducing overall traffic congestion. 

• Ridership: Over the past three years, total ridership has exceeded 2,551,745 passengers, averaging 70,883 passenger trips per month. 

“Based on every metric, SunRunner has been an overwhelming success with a reduction in congestion and fewer accidents,” said PSTA Board Chair Deborah Figgs-Sanders. “The SunRunner has been a real solution, making our roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.”