StarMetro (bus service)


StarMetro is the city-owned and operated public bus service for Tallahassee, Florida, and was previously known as TalTran. StarMetro operates both fixed-route and dial-a-ride service in the Tallahassee metropolitan area.

History

Fixed-Route Service began when the City of Tallahassee purchased the public transit system from Cities Transit Company and renamed it “Taltran.” In 1984, the city began offering Dial-A-Ride service. Construction of C.K. Steele Plaza ended in 1986. TalTran changed its name to StarMetro in 2005 during a "Renaissance", which included new buses and improved stops. StarMetro received federal grants in both 2011 and 2017 to purchase battery-electric buses.

Routes

StarMetro operates every day of the year except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Weekday service consists of 15 regularly scheduled fixed-routes, two flex-routes, and one express route that operates during peak travel times. The "Saturday" schedule consists of 12 of the weekday routes, typically with the earliest trip eliminated and/or the headway reduced. The "Sunday" schedule consists of a completely separate system of four routes that is not as extensive as the weekday/Saturday routes. This Sunday route system is also run on weekday and Saturday nights. All weekday and Saturday routes are named for Tallahassee area locations and symbols while the Sunday routes are numbered. Additionally, Monday-Friday from 11:30 A. M. to 2:50 P. M. & on Friday and Saturday evenings from 4:30 P. M. to 1:00 A. M., StarMetro operates The "Lunch/Dinner Trolley" route, which offers free service to various entertainment locations in the Gaines Street, Downtown, Cascades Park and Midtown areas, serving each stop approximately every 20 minutes & 30 minutes. During "Celebrate America" on July 4th, StarMetro offers a special opportunity to view The Annual Fireworks at Tom Brown Park. So Park your car and enjoy a free bus ride to the event! Busses leave from The New Koger Center on Capital Cir. SE starting at 5:00 P. M., and continue operating approximately every 15 minutes until the last shuttle @ 8:30 P. M. After the Fireworks have concluded, or 10:00 P. M., return service will commence with the last shuttle leaving Tom Brown Park @ 11:00 P. M. Starting March 19, 2020, due to COVID-19, bus capacity will be limited to 15 passengers, until further notice.

Weekday Routes

Saturday Routes

Also operates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Veterans' Day & Day after Thanksgiving
RouteHeadwayDestinations
A – Azalea60 MinutesLowe's Shopping Center, Commonwealth, Tennessee St., C. K. Steele Plaza, Mahan Dr., *Fallschase Service to location funded by The Florida Department of Transportation
B – Big Bend60 minutesLake Jackson Town Center, Monroe St., C. K. Steele Plaza, Paul Russell Rd., from Fred George Road to Capital Cir SW
D – Dogwood60 minutesC. K. Steele Plaza, Innovation Park
E – Evergreen60 minutesC. K. Steele Plaza, TCC, Tharpe St., Governor's Square Mall, Park Ave., Capital Cir. SE, Conner Blvd., Sutor Rd. & Trojan Trail, Apalachee Pkwy. WalMart
F – Forest60 minutesHuntington Oaks, Mission Rd., Appleyard Dr., Jackson Bluff Rd., C. K. Plaza
G – Gulf60 minutesRidge Rd., Paul Russell Rd., C. K. Steele Plaza, Governor's Square Mall, Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, Capital Regional Medical Center to Centerville Rd. & Fleischmann Rd. *Limited service to Miccosukee Hills Apartments on Outbound trip
K – Killearn60 minutesC. K. Steele Plaza – Village Square
L – Live Oak45 minutesInnovation Park, Orange Ave., Blair Stone Rd., Apalachee Pkwy. Target & WalMart. This is the only route in the system that doesn't stop @ C. K. Steele Plaza
M – Moss60 minutesFrenchtown, C. K. Steele Plaza, Bond Community, South City
R – Red Hills60 minutesC. K. Steele Plaza, E. Lafayette St., Parkway Center, through Koger Center, Capital Cir. SE/NE
S – San Luis60 minutesC. K. Steele Plaza, E Tennessee St., N Magnolia Dr., Governor's Square Mall, TMH, Centre of Tallahassee, Macon Community
T – Tall Timbers60 minutesTCC, FSU,, Gaines St., CollegeTown, C. K. Steele Plaza

Sunday & Night Routes

Also operates New Year's Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July & Labor Day
RouteHeadwayDestinations
Route 160 minutesLowe's Shopping Center, Tennessee St., C. K. Steele Plaza, Miccosukee Rd.& Magnolia Dr. , Governor's Square Mall, Kroger Center, Parkway Center
Route 260 minutesMacon Community, Monroe St., C. K. Steele Plaza, Orange Ave., Woodville Hwy., Paul Russell Rd.
Route 360 minutesTCC, Pensacola St., Gaines St., C. K. Steele Plaza, Lake Bradford Rd.
Route 560 minutesFrenchtown, C. K. Steele Plaza, Bond Community, South City

FLEX Routes

StarMetro also offers two "FLEX" route which connects residents in the Lake Jackson area to the Lake Jackson town center, where riders can transfer to the Big Bend and Forest routes. The other "FLEX" route serves residents in the Southside, where riders can transfer to the Dogwood, Gulf, Live Oak and Moss routes. Riders must call StarMetro two hours before they wish to be picked up in order to use the FLEX routes.

Dial-A-Ride

Dial-A-Ride provides curb-to-curb transportation to citizens with a qualifying disability within 3/4 mile of StarMetro's fixed route system in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Riders can schedule their rides online or over the phone up to fourteen days in advance. The service costs $2.50 per ride.
Dial-A-Ride Hours of Operation:
StarMetro operates eight fixed routes on the campus of Florida State University when class is in session. StarMetro has been providing campus transportation to FSU since 1973. The FSU Nite Nole route operates Monday through Saturday nights. These routes are free to the public and connect campus with nearby student housing facilities. In Fall 2019, FSU signed a 10 year contract with StarMetro to continue providing campus bus services. As part of the new contract, StarMetro began purchasing all electric buses to run exclusively on FSU campus routes. Each Proterra Catalyst FC bus costs approximately $719,000 with a battery lease. The first campus route to go fully electric was the Heritage Route. Beginning in 2020, campus bus routes and times have been altered in order to prepare for the full roll out of electric buses across all routes. FSU is installing two overhead charging stations at their Doak Campbell Stadium bus stop and at Stadium Drive and Spirit Way. Currently, the university pays StarMetro a fee of $91.45/bus/hour to operate campus routes.
StarMetro used to also provide fixed routes on the Florida A&M University campus, but this was discontinued when the institution decided not to renew its contract with the agency and began providing campus shuttle services in-house.
Route AbbreviationRoute NameDestinationsFall & Spring Term Operation Times
GAGarnetOcala St, High Road, Ocala Corners Shopping, W Call Street, FSU First Circle, FSU Second Circle, Student Union, Jefferson Street 7:00am-7:51pm
Mon.-Fri.
GOGoldOcala St, High Road, W Call Street, FSU First Circle, FSU Second Circle, Student Union, Jefferson Street 7:10am-7:57pm
Mon-Fri
HEHeritageC.K. Steele Plaza, College Avenue, W Call Street, FSU First Circle, FSU Second Circle, Student Union, Jefferson Street, Heritage Grove, Ocala Corners Shopping7:05am-8:20pm
Mon-Fri
INInnovationFSU First Circle, FSU Second Circle, Lake Bradford Road, Levy Ave, Innovation Park, FSU/FAMU College of Engineering7:00am-8:10pm
Mon-Fri
NNNite NoleTennessee Street, Appleyard Drive, Pensacola Street, Ocala Road, Heritage Grove, High Road, W. Call Street, Stadium Drive, Jefferson Street, Macomb Street 8:00pm-3:00am
Mon-Sat
OSOsceolaFSU First Circle, FSU Second Circle, Call Street, Stadium Drive, Pensacola Street,
White Drive, Mission Road, Tennessee Street, Dixie Drive		7:00am-8:15pm
Mon-Fri
RERenegadeCounter-clockwise campus loop7:00am-7:50pm
Mon-Fri
TOTomahawkFSU First Circle, FSU Second Circle, Bellevue Way, Jackson Bluff Road, Madison Street, Jefferson Street 7:00am-7:35pm
Mon-Fri
Spirit ExpressJefferson Street between Stadium, Civic Center, and St. Augustine Garage.The Spirit Express shuttle runs only during football home games. It will begin running two hours before kick-off and stop one hour after the game ends.

Enhanced services

The regular, one-trip fare is $1.25 and the reduced one-trip fare is $0.60. The reduced fare is available for seniors, children, disabled persons and people on Medicare. Passengers who purchase a one-trip fare may request a transfer ticket from the driver, which are free; those are valid for up to two transfers within 90 minutes of the ticket being issued; round-trips & stopovers are prohibited. Kids below 6 ride for free with fare-paying rider; limit 3.
StarMetro offers three unlimited ride pass options: rolling 24 hours of unlimited rides for $3, rolling weekly unlimited for $10, and a rolling 31-day unlimited pass for $38.

Facilities and Infrastructure

C.K. Steele Plaza

StarMetro's main station is C.K. Steele Plaza, which was named for the Reverend Charles Kenzie Steele. It is located at 111 West Tennessee Street in downtown Tallahassee on the block bordered by Tennessee Street, Adams Street, Call Street, and Duval Street. The plaza features 24 covered gates for passenger boarding and alighting. Amenities at the plaza include restrooms, covered seating areas, bus driver lounge, and a customer service booth. Fourteen out of the 15 regularly scheduled weekday routes stop at the plaza, in addition to The Heritage Route serving Florida State University Campus, making it the single busiest stop in the system. In addition to StarMetro busses, Steele Plaza serves as the eastern terminus of the Gadsden Express route, which connects the residents of Quincy and Midway to Tallahassee. The new Havana Express connects with Big Bend & Forest Routes at Lake Jackson.
Plans to renovate the plaza and turn it into a mixed-use facility to include bus bays, StarMetro office space, and even leasable office space have been proposed. However, funding has not yet been procured.

Headquarters

The headquarters for StarMetro are located at 555 Appleyard Drive at the corner of Appleyard and Jackson Bluff Road. Only two routes pass this facility. Located on this property are administrative offices, a bus maintenance facility, bus parking lot, call center, and customer service window. StarMetro is planning to relocate their bus storage and maintenance facility to a larger plot of land to accommodate for their growing fleet.

Bus Stops

Bus stops are referred to as Star Stops, and they are denoted by a rectangular blue sign featuring a white star, route in appropriate color that serves particular location & days of operation. Stops served exclusively by FSU Campus Routes have a different sign with the Seminole Express logo and FSU colors. Many stops have no amenities, while the busier stops and transfer points have various amenities including benches, waste containers, and/or covered shelters.

Super-Stops

StarMetro plans to construct a series of "Super Stops" that will serve as transfer points in places where three or more routes currently or potentially intersect. These stops will be on a smaller scale of C.K. Steele Plaza and will feature covered walkways, benches, restrooms, and vending machines. StarMetro has plans to build three Super Stops on South Adams Street, North Monroe Street, and Hartsfield Road. Each Super Stop is estimated to cost $3 million to construct.
A temporary park, costing $300,000 is being constructed at the future South Side Super Stop on the corner of Orange and Meridian Roads. Funding for the Super Stop, which comes from a penny sales tax, will not be available until 2020.

Fleet

Active Fixed Route Fleet

Currently, StarMetro operates a mix of Gillig and Proterra buses on their fixed routes. Their buses are powered by diesel, CNG, or battery electric. In March 2020, StarMetro began fabricating barriers to separate drivers from passengers as a response to COVID-19.
YearBuilder and
model name		PhotoLength
Width
NumbersNotes
2000Gillig Trolley0039–0043Used for The Midtown College Town & Dinner Route. Fleet includes both open-air and closed trollies, depending on weather conditions.
2005Gillig
Advantage G29B102N4		0501 0503-0505 & 0508Equipped with wheelchair lifts & bicycle racks. Used as spare buses.
0507 is used as a Training Bus.
2006Gillig
BRT G29E102R2		0601Equipped with wheelchair lifts & bicycle racks.
2007Gillig
BRT G29D102N4, G27D102N4 		0702–0710Equipped with wheelchair lifts & bicycle racks.
2009Gillig
BRT G27B102N4		0901-0908Equipped with wheelchair lifts & bicycle racks.
2010Gillig
BRT G27D102N4		1001-1002,1004–10121003 Involved in crash on July 20, 2019, damaging front end and has not been returned to service. Equipped with wheelchair lifts & bicycle racks.
2011Gillig
BRT G27B102N4		1101–1103Equipped with wheelchair lifts & bicycle racks.
2011Gillig
BRT G27D102N4		1104–1105Equipped with wheelchair lifts & bicycle racks.
2012Proterra
EcoRide BE35		E002–E003Electric powered. Equipped with wheelchair lifts & bicycle racks. Originally wrapped in livery that advertised no tailpipe emissions and were used on city-wide routes. Buses were re-wrapped in new FSU livery beginning in Fall 2019 when they began operating on FSU campus routes exclusively.
2012Gillig BRT1201–1202Equipped with wheelchair lifts & bicycle racks.
2013Proterra EcoRide BE35E004-E005Electric powered. Equipped with wheelchair lifts & bicycle racks. Originally wrapped in livery that advertised no tailpipe emissions and were used on city-wide routes. Buses were re-wrapped in new FSU livery beginning in Fall 2019 when they began operating on FSU campus routes exclusively.
2013Gillig BRT1301–1302Equipped with wheelchair lifts & bicycle racks.
2015Gillig Advantage CNGFRG1501–1503CNG Powered. Equipped with wheelchair lifts & bicycle racks.
2017Gillig Advantage CNG1701–1706CNG Powered. Equipped with wheelchair lifts & bicycle racks.
2018Gillig Advantage CNG1801–1803CNG Powered. Equipped with wheelchair lifts & bicycle racks.
2019Proterra
Catalyst FC		35 ft
102 in
1901-1915Battery-electric powered. Equipped with wheelchair lifts & bicycle racks. Wrapped in new FSU livery. #1910 is wrapped in additional "City of Tallahassee" logos.

Dial-A-Ride & FLEX Route Active Fleet

StarMetro operates a mixed fleet of vehicles for its FLEX and Dial-A-Ride routes.
Model YearManufacturer/ModelChassisPhotoLengthNumbersNotes
2012Champion Challenger2301
2014Champion Challenger1401-1403
2014Mobility Ventures MV-1205 in2219-2222
2015Champion Challenger1501
2016Turtletop OddessyFord E4501631-1644
2017Champion LF Transport1645-1648

Promotional Fleet

Retired Fleet

Improvements/StarMetro Renaissance Project

From 2006–2009, StarMetro began a makeover including new routes, stations, and stops. One planned change is the addition of two new transfer stops. These stops will make it possible to travel across Tallahassee without changing buses at the downtown hub station. In addition, StarMetro is planning wireless internet and television in buses, GPS-enabled buses with live location maps over the Internet, solar-lighted stops with live location maps, and blinking lights at stops to let drivers know of waiting passengers. The C.K. Steele station includes renovation and installation of information kiosks. Seats on the newer-model buses are made of padded plastic and are arranged front-facing in rows and sideways against the walls, much like a subway car layout. All models in use except the Dial-A-Ride shuttle vans exceed 4000 pounds, and therefore are not equipped with seat belts. All buses are equipped with climate-control and interior lighting.
StarMetro implemented a complete route overhaul dubbed "Nova2010" in 2010, which reduced the current system to 11 routes, of which only 4 are intended meet at CK Steele Plaza. The routes now run at closer intervals than before, while providing transfer points all over the city — no longer requiring all two-bus trips to transfer at CK Steele Plaza. Some trips may now require two transfers, but will still generally result in a more direct and faster trip than transferring at the Plaza.