Getting Around The Beaches Story by STEVE TRAIMAN Photos courtesy Gillig, FreeBee & PSTA
LO W- C O S T T R A N S P O R T S E R V I C E S & TO U R S A R E G U L F B E A C H E S TO U R I S T S & RESIDENTS BONUS Vacation travelers lucky enough to score accommodations in or near our Gulf Coast beach towns have a huge advantage over those in many other vacation destinations these days. While rental cars continue to be scarce all over this year, transportation alternatives around and to and from the beaches have been increasing and 2022 promises even more. The city of St. Pete Beach has a fleet of electric “FreeBees”– an app-based service that comes to you with an online link at www.freebee.com. With service originally only in Pass-a-Grille, it now operates north to 75th Avenue. For operation times and schedule, access www.ridefreebee.com/stpetebeach. If you are headed off St. Pete Beach, some places can best be reached by Beach Access Taxi Service (BATS TAXI) whose cars and SUVs are common sights. They also have an executive car division to take you to the airport, to a concert or the casino in style. For more information, call 727-367-3602 or online at www.batstaxi.com.
Dave Green created the service in 2009, designed to give back to the community and provide a safe, free transportation option for visitors and residents. It opened with just a few golf carts, serving only St. Pete Beach and Pass-A-Grille. As its popularity increased, vans were added to the fleet to meet customer needs. Soon after, the service was expanded to reach Treasure Island and Madeira Beach. Today, Free Beach Ride provides a safe, comfortable ride to guests from the south tip of Pass-A-Grille to the northern parts of Clearwater Beach. For more information, online at www.FreeBeachRide.com or call 727-776-7553. Free Island Hopper operates from 8-2am daily from Pass-A-Grille (St. Pete Beach) – mile marker 0, to 150th Ave in Madeira Beach – mile marker 9 ½, including all of Treasure Island. The service owns four 7-passenger minivans and is a free shuttle operation. It works very simply as you call 15-20 minutes in advance to 727-217-6735. Please be outside waiting at the time dispatcher tells you. Drivers work for tips only as they receive no hourly wage. More details online at www.freeislandhopper.com.
Multiple companies operate vans that will pick you up and drop you off for just a tip. Free Beach Ride and Free Island Hopper are two of them, both located in St. Pete Beach.
You can get from St. Pete Beach to downtown St. Petersburg or to Clearwater on the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority’s (PSTA) most successful routes: the Suncoast Beach Trolley and the Central Avenue Trolley. PSTA is also working with the Looper in downtown St. Petersburg and the “Jolly Trolley” from Clearwater north through Dunedin to Rusty Bellies on the Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs. For all routes, operating schedule and maps, online at www.psta.net or call 727-540-1800.
Free Beach Ride operates daily 8-3am from Pass-a-Grille on St. Pete Beach north to Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, and the northern parts of Clearwater Beach. Local SPB resident
PSTA made a big step toward greener roads in late December, approving the purchase of 60 new electric buses over the next five years to fill the streets.“Starting now, we’ll be able to purchase
14
JANUARY 2022 | ParadiseNewsFL.com
