Will Tampa Bay Solve its Transit Equation?

A new column by Robert Trigaux provides a recap for those who haven’t heard the urban narrative, specifically how it applies to the Tampa Bay metro area: “More people are moving to walkable, less car-dependent downtowns like St. Petersburg — witness the apartment building boom under way.”

Trigaux laments the city’s recent mass-transit history (“including the rejected transit referendum in Hillsborough County and the November referendum in Pinellas County seeking funding for improved bus service and a 24-mile light-rail line”) and fears the consequences.

But Trigaux also sees a few bright spots for the technologically enhanced, multi-modal potential of the metro area, even if change is occurring slowly:

• Lyft and Uber began operating in Tampa: “While the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission has warned they do not meet the requirements to operate here legally, some state legislators are looking to amend those rules.”
• And, “a bike-sharing company called Coast Bike Share won a contract to provide Tampa with kiosks with bicycles that, also via a smartphone app, rent for $5 an hour. The goal is to provide the bikes across the metro area.”