Residents of St. Petersburg, Fla.’s Historic Kenwood Neighborhood Association will become the first in the state to receive passes for unlimited rides on transit — including every bus route plus the SunRunner — through an agreement with the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA).

Under the groundbreaking agreement, every resident can receive a UPASS, or Universal Pass, as a benefit of their neighborhood association membership at no additional cost to them. They can then tap to ride unlimited buses and the SunRunner to travel the county.

“By eliminating the cost barrier associated with riding the bus and the SunRunner, we are ensuring that every resident has the ability to travel freely across Pinellas County,” said PSTA CEO Brad Miller. “This will make it easier for people to commute to work, attend school, access healthcare services, and take part in community activities.”

The New PSTA Partnership

Through the partnership, the neighborhood association will pay for UPASSes at a discounted rate and make them available to every resident who has paid their membership fees. Procedures are in place to deactivate passes when a card is lost or a resident moves out of the neighborhood.

For this pilot program, PSTA has created a template that can be repeated in other neighborhoods in the future.

Kenwood was one of Tampa Bay’s first “streetcar suburbs.” The trolley ran on tracks down Central Avenue. That transit option — which mirrors the SunRunner route the city has today — made it possible for people to commute to work and stay connected to the community.

“That transit connection 100 years ago allowed St. Petersburg to flourish, and this new approach to transit will help write the next chapter of St. Pete’s story.”