Hurricane Hits Pinellas Bus Service

Hurricane Charlie missed the Tampa Bay area but before this was obvious PSTA cancelled all bus service for two days leaving the aged, the disabled and the low-income who make up the bulk of the passengers in Pinellas County high and dry, so to speak. Perhaps the worst part was the fact that this was not mentioned in the media although it was displayed on the agency's website prominently. Unfortunately there are not many computers among the groups named.

The agency also ran evacuations for those without transportation or other shelter but this also was not mentioned on the TV which frequently repeated the condition of highways and other information for motorists fleeing the expected storm(800,00 it is said). All in all, Charlie didn't hit the Tampa Bay area after all but it certainly provided an excellent example of how unimportant public transit is in Tampa Bay.

Before we close, a big round of applause for all those PSTA drivers who left their homes and families in the face of an expected Category 3 hurricane to chauffeur the evacuation buses!