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Cross Bay Ferry

Rick Kriseman, Cross-Bay Ferry get mixed reviews from Tampa City Council

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

A year ago, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman requested and received $350,000 from the local governments of Tampa, Hillsborough County, Pinellas County and his own City Council to help fund the Cross-Bay Ferry public-private pilot project that ends Sunday. While those local governments won’t get close to that money back — they were never expected to — but final totals could end up bringing as much as $30,000 back to those local governments. Speaking before the Tampa City Council today…

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Cross-Bay Ferry pilot project to end on April 30

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

The Cross-Bay Ferry’s last trip from St. Petersburg to Tampa and back is scheduled for Sunday, April 30. The pilot project was always planned to last for just six months, and as that deadline approaches, the service has become increasingly popular. Ferry officials announced last week they had sold a record 7,990 tickets in March. That marked a 31-percent increase over its previous record, which ferry officials said was in February. The private partnership between HMS Ferries and St. Petersburg, Tampa,…

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Cross-Bay Ferry ridership set another record in March

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The Cross-Bay Ferry set another record in March with nearly 8,000 passengers paying for a ride across the bay. The 7,990 tickets sold during the month was a 31-percent increase over February numbers, which also set a record, and nine out of 10 passengers were residents, not tourists. “We are now in the final month of this pilot project, and the ferry is finishing strong,” said project advisor Ed Turanchik. “We are especially proud to have such strong support from organizations…

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Rick Kriseman says Cross-Bay Ferry is a success

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Five months into a six-month pilot program, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman said the cross-bay ferry program is a success. St. Petersburg, Tampa and Pinellas and Hillsborough counties foot the bill for the pilot program, which began sending ferries across the bay back in November. The pilot program’s goal was to test the waters for whether the area could sustainably support such a service. “The numbers have been more robust than expected,” Kriseman told Pinellas County commissioners. “I think this…

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Ferry adds routes to shuttle Rays fans to St. Pete in April

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With the Major League Baseball season poised to begin in St. Petersburg in 11 days, the Tampa Bay Rays, PSTA and the Cross-Bay Ferry are working together to make it easier for Tampa residents to attend Tampa Bay Rays baseball games. The ferry will adjust its schedule and add special, later routes to connect from Tampa to St. Petersburg and back in April, the last scheduled month for the ferry pilot project. The announcement was made aboard the vessel at the ferry…

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Cross-Bay Ferry revenues health enough that money is flowing back to taxpayers

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Although some transit supporters have downplayed its relevance, the Cross-Bay Ferry has some positive news to share. Officials with the ferry announced Thursday that for more than a month, revenues from ticket sales and concessions have surpassed the initial $150,000 fee guaranteed to Seattle-based HMS Ferries, with all that profit flowing back into the four local governments that put up a total of $1.4 million in seed money to fund the public-private partnership. The Cross-Bay Ferry began operations in November and is…

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Mitch Perry Report for 1.6.16 – Big time college athletics parks in Tampa this weekend

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Big time college sports makes its way to Tampa this weekend with the college football championship slated for 8 p.m. Monday evening at Raymond James Stadium. Both teams will be arriving at Tampa International Airport this afternoon, with Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney slated to headline a press conference tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. at the Tampa Convention Center. Don’t expect any sparking quotes from Coach Saban, who is in rarefied air as one of the greatest coaches in college football…

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