Tampa streetcar looks to maintain free fares as ridership soars

Tampa streetcar

TAMPA, Fla. — Ridership on Tampa’s TECO Line Streetcar System is growing double-digit percentages every fiscal year, thanks in part to a state grant subsidizing its operations and allowing it to offer free fares. However, funding has expired and to sustain the ridership momentum, streetcar operators are looking for a new solution.

In 2018, before a Florida Department of Transportation commuter assistant grant subsidy allowed for free fares, ridership was around 302,800 riders. In the streetcar’s 2019 fiscal year, the first year it offered free fares, patronage skyrocketed to more than 850,000 people. It dipped slightly in 2020 and 2021, due to the pandemic, but ballooned to 1.08 million riders in 2022 and expanded to 1.31 million in 2023. Ridership is on par to eclipse 2023’s ridership when the streetcar’s fiscal year ends Sept. 30. Since the free fares took effect, ridership has increased more than 300%.

Meanwhile, state funding for the commuter assistance grant expired in 2023, and while the state has provided temporary bridge funding, the streetcar needs a permanent fix.

“We are in talks with the city to maintain fare-free service. However, we are also underway with a fare equity study and outreach campaign just in case we do need to implement a fare again,” says Frank Wyszynski, a spokesperson for the TECO Line Streetcar System. “However, the hope is we can come to an agreement with the city.”

It costs about $3.7 million per year to operate the streetcar, including $2.7 million in operating costs, and a $976,000 insurance policy for a rail crossing between the streetcar and CSX.

These costs are historically offset with a special tax assessment for businesses along the streetcar’s route, which generate about $1.4 million per year, about $800,000 from the state’s now-expired commuter grant, around $759,000 in community reinvestment funds, $531,000 from the City of Tampa, $200,000 from the Federal Transit Administration, and $235,000 from a mix of other sources, including advertising, contributions and donations, according to the streetcar’s most recent fiscal year data.

Before this diverse funding structure allowed for free fares, the streetcar charged $2.50 for a single-ride fare and $5.00 for a day pass.

The 2.7-mile streetcar connects downtown Tampa with the city’s Channel District and historic Ybor City. The streetcar is located along popular downtown venues and helps drive foot traffic to local businesses.

The streetcar operates with nine replica streetcars built by The Gomaco Trolley Co., of Ida Grove, Iowa. They were designed to resemble the double-truck Birney streetcars native to Tampa’s streets in the 1920s to 1940s. One original Tampa & Ybor City Street Railway Society Birney streetcar No. 163 is also part of the fleet and is Florida’s only restored operating streetcar. An eleventh streetcar, a 1984-built open-air “Breezer” streetcar is also operational, similar in design to the open-air streetcars used by Tampa beginning in 1914.

Today’s electric streetcar system serves 11 stations on 12-minute intervals during peak hours, and 15-minute intervals the rest of the time, using several passing sidings along the right-of-way allowing for meets between southbound and northbound streetcars. The streetcar opened for service in 2002 and has plans for an expanded second phase.

“The main piece of Phase II is the construction of a 1.3-mile fixed guideway with overhead power within existing rights-of-way from the western terminus of the existing system through the core of downtown Tampa to Tampa Heights — creating a loop,” says Wyszynski.

This would create a U-like system and add an estimated 10 station stops to the route.

As part of the streetcars expansion plans, it also included a modernization piece that would include newer, larger-capacity streetcars, but Wyszynski says due to a lack of funding, the streetcar, its operators, and the city are looking at only the route expansion and not the modernization at this time.

“Main issue to advance the project is the lack of overall funding — primarily a local match for federal funding and annual operating costs of roughly $8 million,” he says.

Wyszynski notes that the project did secure a Florida Department of Transportation grant for the state’s match, however the project lost dedicated funding from a transportation tax that passed in 2018, but was later found to be unconstitutional.

“The project continues to advance through the federal process with the city recently issuing a [Request for Proposals] for [Project Development and Environment]. This should be completed within two years or so,” he says.

Today’s streetcar operates on an agreement between three parties. The Tampa Historic Streetcar, Inc., has a board governing its operations, the City of Tampa owns the stations, and Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, better known as HART, operates the streetcar, owns its equipment, and one station.

For now and at no cost, visitors to Tampa can enjoy the 2.7-mile streetcar system and its modern, though historically-mirrored streetcar equipment as it operates through some of the city’s more historic urban neighborhoods. As the city looks ahead, and continues to grow, these streetcars could one day be replaced by newer, larger-capacity equipment similar to what is seen on other urban streetcar systems.

More information on the streetcar is available here.