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10/30/06 Looper Downtown Trolley –
10 Years of Shining Success
In the fall of 1995, a partnership of several downtown
businesses and organizations identified a need to improve accessibility to
their organizations, reduce the demand for parking and to improve traffic
circulation within downtown St. Petersburg. The concept of developing the Looper,
the Downtown Trolley was introduced, and the first rubber wheels of the
signature trolleys met the road April 2, 1996.
According to a study released by the National Center for Transit Research at the USF Center for Urban Transportation Research, the
Looper Downtown Trolley has “become an attraction in itself” among the
myriad activities in St. Petersburg’s vibrant downtown. Ridership is at an
all-time high with 71,000+ riders in 2005, an increase of 92% over the 2004
level.
There are three services provided by the Looper in St. Petersburg’s central business district:
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Frequent
daily circulator service at 14 designated stops, with 15-minute headways at
25˘ per ride
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Free shuttle
service is provided for select home games of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
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A fringe
parking/shuttle service provided for special events, such as the Honda
Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, in the downtown area.
The Looper Group, Inc., a private non-profit 501(c)(6)
organization, underwrites the cost of operating the system, maintains
schedules and routes and insures the vehicles. The Looper Group leases
vehicles from the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) and engages
the services of Bay to Bay Transport to provide drivers and insurance
coverage. The program is administered by the St. Petersburg Downtown
Partnership, Inc. The City of St. Petersburg maintains the Looper
trolleys at the city Fleet Management facility, and provides an operating
subsidy to cover the costs of operating event shuttles.
The current Looper Group, Inc. stakeholders are: BayWalk,
Beach Drive & Downtown Business Association, City of St. Petersburg, Discover
Downtown Guide & Map, Florida Holocaust Museum, Florida International Museum, Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton St. Petersburg, Museum of Fine Arts, Pinellas
Suncoast Transit Authority, Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, Salvador
Dali Museum, St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership, The Arts Center, The Pier,
and USF St. Petersburg. Corporate Sponsors are Miles Properties and the
St. Petersburg Times.
For more information, visit the Looper Trolley website
here
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