There are more options than ever for getting from point A to point B in Tampa’s urban core without getting in your own car. In fact, it’s starting to become possible to forgo having a car by using public transportation or vehicles that belong to other people (see: ridesharing, Zipcar). Read on for quick facts on some of the transportation options available in Downtown Tampa.
BIKING
Tampa has been recognized as a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists.
• Launched in 2014, there are 500 rentable Coast Bikes across the city of Tampa and dozens of hubs to park them around downtown, Ybor City and the Heights. There are 300 bikes and 30 stations in downtown proper.
• Coast Bikes cost $1 to unlock and 15 cents per minute to use. Monthly passes are available for $20 per month, and annual passes are available for $99.
• Downtown has more than 250 personal bike racks.
• According to Bike Walk Tampa Bay, Tampa has 137 miles of bike lanes, with more than 15 current or planned lanes found in downtown.
• The bike path that runs along Jackson Street (between Ashley Drive and Nebraska Avenue) is Florida’s first cycle track to be built on a state road. Cyclists are protected from motor vehicles by a 4-foot raised island.
• In 2016, the separated bike lane on Cass Street was named one of the 10 best new bike lanes in the country by PeopleForBikes.
• 46% of downtown residents use a personal bicycle to get around, while 20% say they use Coast Bikes, according to the Tampa Downtown Partnership’s 2018 Worker-Resident Study. Residents who used a personal bike said they used it at least once a week.
SCOOTERS
Four vendors are providing the downtown area with electric scooters as part of the city’s year-long pilot program: JUMP, Lime, Bird and Spin.
• Each vendor has about 600 scooters, giving the city a total of 2,400 scooters.
• Lime recently introduced a new feature called Group Ride that allows one user to unlock up to five scooters, so groups of friends or family can ride together more easily.
• Jump: free to unlock, 29 cents per minute
• Lime, Bird, Spin: $1 to unlock, 15-20 cents per minute
PIRATE WATER TAXI
Launched in 2016 with four ships
• Captain Jack holds 46 passengers
• Pirate Pat holds 46 passengers
• Latitude Lindsey holds 34 passengers
• Matey Mason holds 29 passengers
• 15 stops in Downtown Tampa, Tampa Heights, Harbour Island and Davis Islands
• Later this year, the Pirate Water Taxi will unveil a new 100-passenger vessel and two new 20-passenger vessels, the first new additions to the company’s lineup since it launched. The 100-passenger water taxi will include a bar, climate-controlled seating and restrooms, while the 20-passenger boats will have a low profile that allows them to reliably access Sparkman Wharf.
• Passes start at $15 for adults and $5 for children, annual passes start at $90
• About 500 passengers ride per day (as of spring 2019)
• 500,000+ rides since launching in 2016
• The six-vehicle fleet includes five electric Chevy Bolts, plus one van.
• Covers Downtown Tampa, Harbour Island and Tampa Heights
• The Tampa Downtown Partnership won the International Downtown Association’s 2018 Downtown Achievement Award of Excellence for the Downtowner.
• 10 routes serve downtown, Tampa Heights and Ybor City
• 6 express and limited express routes serve downtown
• Downtown’s Marion Transit Center serves as one of the city’s major transit hubs.
• OneBusAway app gives you real-time information on when the bus is arriving and gives you route options based on your destination and desired arrival time.
• $2 one-way
• Reservable cars available for rent by the hour or day online, over the phone or via the Zipcar app
• Launched in 2016 with six cars
• Zipcar membership costs $7 per month or $70 per year and includes gas, insurance and 180 miles of driving per day. Car rental prices start at about $9 for a one-hour errand and go up to around $70 a day.
• Pickup and dropoff locations are the University of Tampa, Barrymore Hotel and Skyhouse Channelside.
• Free to ride through a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation
• Stops every 15 minutes
• Two days a year without service (Thanksgiving and Christmas)
• 25 minutes to run from one end of the line to the other
• 11 stations along 2.7 miles throughout Downtown Tampa and Ybor City
• Tampa’s first electric streetcar lines were built in 1892; the current system was revived in 2002.
• The TECO Line’s standard streetcars are 46 feet long and can hold up to 74 passengers.
• The line includes one Breezer, Tampa’s only operating open-air streetcar.
• 76,043 trips were taken on the streetcar in July, up from 26,113 trips in July 2018.
