New SunRunner station opens by St. Pete Pier, PSTA launches "After Dark" service
PSTA team members, city council leaders, Congresswoman Kathy Castor, State Representative Lindsay Cross, and others celebrate the opening of the new station | st. pete rising
A new SunRunner station has opened in downtown St. Pete, aiming to better connect residents and visitors to the St. Pete Pier District and businesses along Beach Drive.
Friday morning, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), Congresswoman Kathy Castor, State Representative Lindsay Cross, St. Petersburg City Councilmembers, and others celebrated the ribbon-cutting for the new station at 150 1st Avenue North.
The 1st Avenue North station, which was completed in six months, is located near popular downtown restaurants and bars such as Who’s on First, Tequila Daisy, and Social Roost.
It's one of over 30 stops along the 10.3-mile bus rapid transit route that debuted in October 2022, linking downtown St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach via dedicated lanes running along 1st Avenue North and 1st Avenue South.
a sunrunner bus drives slowly breaks the ribbon at the event, celebrating the new station along the corridor | st. pete rising
“The success of the SunRunner is evident in every aspect of its operation,” PSTA CEO Brad Miller said. “It took decades of planning, work, design, and cooperation with our federal, state, and local partners.”
The original $44 million bus-rapid-transit SunRunner, supported through various public funding sources, came in $5 million under budget, allowing PSTA to use the remaining funds to add the new station to its route.
“This station fills in the missing piece and brings riders just steps away from our businesses. It’s how many of our employees get to work and customers get around downtown St. Petersburg,” local business owner Chuck Prather said at the event.
Birchwood hotel and Teak restaurant owner Chuck Prather speaks at the ribbon-cutting event | st. pete rising
Prather owns the Teak restaurant and Driftwood Cafe at the St. Pete Pier and the Birchwood hotel on Beach Drive.
Congresswoman Castor, a supporter, added, “Innovations like the SunRunner reduce the cost of living, strengthen the local community, and help the environment.”
The station's development team included Nelson Construction, which has an office in Palm Harbor, Tampa-based Lochner Engineering, and HDR Inc.
The station has the same design as the existing stations with artwork from St. Pete-based glass artist Catherine Woods.
During the event, Councilmember and PSTA board member Gina Driscoll took the opportunity to announce that the SunRunner recently celebrated 2 million riders - a testament to the demand for reliable public transit in the city.
She also stated that since the SunRunner's launch, there's been a documented decline in the number of vehicular accidents along the SunRunner corridor due to the dedicated bus lanes and improved traffic management.
Additionally, starting Thursday night, the SunRunner will have a new extended late-night ridership service called SunRunner After Dark.
The signage and artwork at the new station | st. pete rising
The new initiative will double the number of SunRunner buses on Friday and Saturday nights.
The buses will pick up passengers every 15 minutes from 6 a.m. to midnight. Previously, evening pickups were every 30 minutes between 8 p.m. and midnight.
The city is subsidizing the “SunRunner After Dark” service using funds that would've otherwise made the SunRunner fare-free.