LETTERS

May 24, 2004

Mr. Robert Trigaux/Times Business
St. Petersburg Times

Dear Mr. Trigaux,

Today's column seeking motorists' solutions for the problem of escalating fuel costs was notable in that none of those interviewed considered taking the bus as an option with the exception of one reference to an intrastate bus, which was rejected in the end. Why is it that 20 years after the establishment of the PSTA most drivers avoid it like the plague? Is it that after all that time the majority of routes still run only once an hour like a small country town? Or is that so many buses - like the 9600s and 9700s break down frequently - often with no replacements available - and are subject to electrical fires and a plethora of other equipment failures? Is it connection problems for transfers? Or maybe it's just a general lack of professionalism such as the mismanagement that resulted in a new bus depot with only a partial roof that leaves passengers soaked every time it rains.

In any case, the majority of passengers end up being those who cannot put a car on the road - the aged, the disabled and the poor - and we have to face the fact that no matter how high gas goes the elected officials just aren't interested in viable public transit for Pinellas County. (A proposed billion-dollar rapid transit system would still need a working system of feeder buses which the PSTA is nowhere near capable of providing.)

Sincerely,

John Royse