Clearwater – The City of Clearwater has partnered again with PSTA to provide free Park-and-Ride service to Clearwater Beach during spring break. The program allows visitors to park in designated downtown lots and ride a bus or trolley to the beach at no cost. Due to ongoing construction in downtown Clearwater, this year’s schedule and pickup locations differ from previous years.
Service will operate March 1 through March 22 and April 17 through May 3 on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to midnight, and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
There will be no free service Monday through Thursday during those dates.
Parking garage parking is free beginning at 6 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends.
The Gould Street Lot is free for the entire day of service.
During the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival, March 27 through April 12, service will run Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to midnight.
Park-and-Ride locations include:
Gould Parking Lot at the corner of Gould Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue (serviced by PSTA buses) Pinellas County Parking Garage, 310 S. Court Street (serviced by trolleys) Garden Avenue Parking Garage, 28 N. Garden Ave. (serviced by trolleys)
Return service to the downtown parking locations is available from Pier 60 and the Clearwater Beach Marina.
“Clearwater Beach continues to thrive as one of the top destinations in the state of Florida. While there is plenty of room to spread out over three miles of our sugar sand beaches, finding a place to park your vehicle can be challenging at times,” said Lisa Chandler, operator of the Pier 60 concessions and founder of the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival. “Alternative modes of transportation like the Clearwater Ferry, Jolley Trolley, buses and ride-sharing services are crucial to the success of our barrier-island economy and vitality, as they offer a convenient, cost-effective way to experience the best of Clearwater Beach.”
More than 50,000 vehicles travel through the Clearwater Beach roundabout on a typical spring break day. This is the seventh year PSTA and the city have partnered to provide enhanced public transportation services as an alternative to driving and parking at the beach.
For information about beach parking, visit MyClearwater.com/Parking or PSTA.net/SpringBreak.
Additional transportation options include the Clearwater Ferry service, Grouper Airport Express, Snapper On Demand, Uber, Lyft, and United Taxi.