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Commuter Fair Unveils Travel Options

Carl Orth/SUNCOAST

Diane Jones, a representative of Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, explains some options being studied by the seven-county regional agency during a commuter fair in West Pasco last week.

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By Carl  Orth | The Suncoast News

Published: October 14, 2008

Updated:

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 more travel options in the next few years.

Rapid transit buses and express buses might be some of the first options considered by Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, according to Diane Jones, a spokeswoman for TBARTA.

A rough draft of the final TBARTA plan won't arrive until January, Jones reports. Then "it will have to go to voters" to approve local funding. The vote could come by 2010, she thinks.

TBARTA, which covers seven counties in west-central Florida, is considering a dedicated lane along S.R. 54 for a rapid transit bus, Jones explained to curious visitors.

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

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 some 30 vehicles.

Even though the county doubled some bus fares in March, ridership did not plummet as some officials had feared, according to PCPT's Thelma Williams.

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 PCPT riders, Linda McBride noted.

People were interested in plans to link PCPT's route networks 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," Williams said. There are few alternative-fuel models available, he said.

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