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Pasco Residents Glimpse Transit Options To Come

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BY CARL ORTH

The Suncoast News

Published: October 24, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - Visionaries in the past have pictured people getting around town in their own personal helicopters or flying here and there with James Bond-style jet packs strapped to their backs.

Nothing that grandiose greeted Pasco County residents at a recent commuter fair in the lobby of the West Pasco Government Center.

Still, residents should gain travel options in the next few years.

Rapid-transit buses and express buses are some of the first options the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority might consider, said Diane Jones, a spokeswoman for TBARTA.

A rough draft of a final TBARTA plan won't arrive until January, Jones reported, and after that, voters would be asked to approve local funding. The vote could come by 2010, she said.

TBARTA, which covers seven counties in West Central Florida, is considering a dedicated lane along State Road 54 for a rapid-transit bus, Jones said.

Many people asked about trains or other rail options, but those projects probably are still about 15 years in the future, according to Jones .

Officials of Pasco County Public Transportation, which operates the county's bus system, got a chance to show off one of the new buses in the fleet of about 30 vehicles.

Even though the county doubled some bus fares in March, ridership did not plummet as some officials had feared, Thelma Williams of PCPT said.

Ridership dropped about 10 percent soon after the fare changes but has been climbing steadily once again because of high gasoline prices.

The 31-day passes seem to be most popular with riders, said PCPT's Linda McBride.

People were interested in plans to link the county's routes in west Pasco and east Pasco by 2011, officials reported. PCPT has six west Pasco routes and three east Pasco routes.

Despite the high fuel prices the country experienced for much of the year, Williams said Pasco won't add alternative-fuel buses anytime soon.

"It's very costly to get into," she said, and there are few alternative-fuel models available.

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