FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18th, 2025

Excitement Builds for the Return of Ferry Service to the Tampa Bay  

PSTA is completing a competitive procurement next week to select a private partner to purchase ferry boats and initiate daily service between St. Petersburg and Tampa 

Pinellas County, FL – Following the suspension of ferry service last spring, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to get ferry service sailing again.

Companies looking to operate the new and improved Tampa Bay ferry service have until Thursday August 28th to submit their proposals PSTA. The agency put out the call earlier this month for experienced passenger ferry firms to run an improved, year round more frequent ferry service connecting Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. 

“By partnering with an experienced private ferry operator, PSTA is continuing to innovate when it comes to transportation in Tampa Bay. We expect this approach to deliver the best service connecting the Tampa Bay at the lowest cost,” said Brad Miller, PSTA’s Chief Executive Officer. 

Because the new Tampa Bay ferry will use vessels owned by PSTA, vendors applying to operate the service will not need to provide their own ferry boats. This opens the competition up to a much wider variety of companies to respond and potentially be awarded the contract to run the service. 

A combination of experience, business strategy, and cost will determine the winner. The resulting contract will go to PSTA’s Board for approval and will last five years, with an option for PSTA to later extend it for another five years. 

Timeline 

• On Friday August 1, 2025 the United States Department of Transportation officially approved the transfer of a $4.8 million grant for ferry vessels to PSTA after it was originally awarded to the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority in 2021. 

• PSTA issued its Tampa Bay Ferry Service  Request for Proposals (RFP) on August 5.

• Once the operator is in place , they will collaborate with PSTA on acquiring two ferry vessels, possibly used at another ferry operation in the United States, bring them to the Tampa Bay after prepping the boats, and begin operating the Tampa Bay ferry in early 2026. 

This effort will operate on the waters of Tampa Bay and connect Pinellas and Hillsborough counties; it is separate from the Clearwater Ferry, which operates on the waters of Clearwater Harbor and connects the communities of Clearwater and Clearwater Beach, with service to Dunedin coming soon. 

See the RFP webpage at this link for full details. 

Stephanie Weaver

PSTA Communications & Public Relations Manager  

O: (727) 540-1853 | C: (727) 249-6542

E: Sweaver@psta.net

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ABOUT PINELLAS SUNCOAST TRANSIT AUTHORITY

Since 1903, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) has served as the premier public transit provider for Pinellas County, Florida’s most densely populated county. The SunRunner, Tampa Bay’s first-ever Bus Rapid Transit service, provides a reliable, car-free option from downtown St. Pete and St. Pete Beach. With 41 fixed-route bus routes, two express routes to downtown Tampa, the Suncoast Beach trolley, Jolley Trolley and Looper and their paratransit service Access, PSTA provides 10.7 million rides annually. For more information about PSTA, visit www.psta.net