The $1 trolley known as the Looper may extend its western limit to include Central Plaza.
By JON WILSON
Published April 28, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - The trolley that carries riders around the waterfront and to downtown attractions might stretch its route further west, serving businesses and residents beyond Tropicana Field.
The Looper, as the $1-per-ride trolley is called, now reaches its western limit at Seventh Street and Central Avenue.
The business group that administers the ride wants to extend the service to 31st Street, an extra couple of miles that would bring a new transportation artery to the Grand Central and Central Plaza business districts, and to The Edge, formerly known as the Dome Business District.
It also would link downtown to the new Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority hub at 3180 Central Ave. and, just across First Avenue S, to the YMCA.
The St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership today will propose the extension to the PSTA, which would have to agree to any change in the trolley's service area.
"Downtown has changed a lot. The demands have increased almost exponentially," said Don Shea, the Downtown Partnership's president.
Some entrepreneurs near and west of Tropicana Field have pushed for Looper service for several years.
"The more mobility you offer downtown residents and workers, the better off they are going to be, the better off downtown is going to be as far as a place to live and work, as well as businesses along the route," said John Warren, a longtime property owner in The Edge, a business and residential area close to Tropicana.
The proposal may require more vehicles and some additional operating funds, Shea said. How much more hasn't yet been quantified, he said early this week.
Operating with an annual budget of about $200,000, the Looper service consists of five trolleys, all blue now. The pink color was retired a while back. They are separate from the connector routes from downtown to the Suncoast Beach Trolleys that run from Pass-a-Grille to Sand Key.
A combination of public and private money funds the service. Thirteen downtown organizations, including city government, form the Looper Group, a nonprofit organization. Downtown Partnership transportation director Eric Carlson oversees the trolley project.
Increased ridership prompted the Looper's bosses to increase service during the winter and spring months, scheduling stops along the route every 15 minutes instead of every 30 minutes.
In its eighth year, the Looper should hit the 600,000-rider mark this month, Carlson said.
