Hints on Riding StarMetro
Greetings, PARC-ers! In case you’ve never ridden StarMetro before – or if you missed the orientation meeting Aug. 30 – here are a few things to help make your travel experience easy and enjoyable.
Where to Park
Premier Health & Fitness Center is providing 30 PARC-ing spots in the far corner of its lot on South Maclay Blvd. Smith, Thompson, Shaw & Manausa law firm – located in the SunTrust building – is providing 10 PARC-ing spots in the far corner of its lot on Village Square Blvd. across the street from Po’Boys Creole Café.
Where to Catch StarMetro
PARC is focusing on two stops. There’s an unsheltered StarMetro stop on South Maclay Blvd. right in front of Sage Restaurant and Baden Baden. And there’s a newly refurbished sheltered StarMetro stop on Village Square Blvd. near Fresh Market.
StarMetro Schedule
Route 16 is scheduled to arrive at 10 minutes past the hour between 7:10 a.m. and 7:10 p.m. at the Village Square Blvd. stop – and a minute or two later at the South Maclay Blvd. stop. According to industry standards, an “on-time arrival” is within 5 minutes of the posted time, so don’t worry if the bus arrives a little later. You’ll still make your connection downtown. When express Route 80X starts running every half hour later this year, we’ll send you the schedule.
Using Your PARC Card & Transfer
All PARC participants are being given a special PARC pass from StarMetro. StarMetro has generously given each of you 31 days of free rides – which kick in the first day you use your card. When you enter the bus, hold your PARC card in front of the sensor on the fare box. If you’re not sure where that is, ask the StarMetro driver. You do NOT need a transfer; you’ll use your PARC card on connecting routes. Now simply find a place to sit and relax.
Once you arrive at the C.K. Steele Plaza downtown on the corner of Tennessee and Adams streets, walk to your next bus (more on this in a minute). Hold your PARC card next to the sensor on the fare box, find a seat, and let StarMetro do the driving.
Navigating at the Plaza
StarMetro schedules its routes really well. Route 16 is scheduled to arrive at the plaza at 38 minutes past the hour. This gives you just enough time to walk a few yards to your connecting bus – all buses are scheduled to leave at 40 minutes past the hour. Again, don’t be worried if the schedule is off by a few minutes. Drivers call ahead and let people at the plaza know to hold your connecting bus if Route 16 is a bit behind. Route 16 arrives at Gate N. If you are going to FSU (via Jefferson and Pensacola streets), just stay on the bus. Route 16 becomes Route 15. However, if you need to take StarMetro someplace else, do the following:
1. Go to
http://www.talgov.com/starmetro/routes.cfm
and find which connecting bus you need to take. During regular business hours, you could call the StarMetro office at 891-5200.
2. Note which gate your connecting bus leaves from.
3. When you arrive at the plaza, look for the gate letter of your connecting bus, or ask your StarMetro driver to direct you.
The plaza has clean bathrooms, plus soda and junk-food machines. There are a few benches near each gate under shelters. And there usually are several StarMetro employees (wearing uniforms) around who can help you with other needs.
Getting Home at Night
When you’re online at
http://www.talgov.com/starmetro/routes.cfm
, note which times your bus leaves your from-work stop – OR call StarMetro at 891-5200 and ask for the schedule. As long as you catch your from-work bus around 15 to 20 minutes past the hour, you should make the Route 16 bus without any problems. (NOTE: Depending upon where you work, you might be just fine if you catch your from-work bus as late at 30 minutes past the hour.) Give yourself plenty of time your first trip to see what works best for you.
Route 16 leaves from Gate M at 40 minutes past the hour. Most of you probably will be catching the 4:40 p.m., 5:40 p.m. or 6:40 p.m. buses, which will drop you off at the PARC-ing lots about 30 minutes later.
Record Your Rides
Each PARC-er has been given a yellow business-card-size diary in which to record when you ride StarMetro. Remember, as a PARC-er, you have agreed to ride StarMetro twice a week, on average, between Sept. 4 and Dec. 7. Bring your diary with you to our celebratory luncheon Saturday, Dec. 8. We’ll tally how many miles we’ve all traveled, how much gas we’ve saved, and how much less carbon dioxide we’ve dumped into the atmosphere.
Complete the PARC Survey
If you haven’t already done so, PLEASE complete the survey in your PARC goodie bag. The results will help us measure the effectiveness of the program and identify issues we need to address. Thank you. Use the self-addressed stamped envelope to return the survey to 2234 Monaghan Drive, Tallahassee 32309, as soon as possible. Do not sign the survey; we want your opinions, not your name.
Emergency Rides
If PARC-ers use StarMetro, carpooling, vanpooling, walking or a bicycle at least three days a week to get to work, then you qualify for the “Guaranteed Ride Home Program,” which is sponsored by Commuter Services of North Florida. You have received a GRHP registration form in your PARC goodie bag. Once registered, you will receive a voucher in the mail, which you can use to pay for a taxi to get home in an emergency when using StarMetro doesn’t work. Remember, the voucher is meant for emergencies when you can’t hitch a ride from someone else.
Still Have Questions?
If you still have questions, write to us at parkandridetallahassee@gmail.com, and we’ll do our best to answer your questions. See you Tuesday on StarMetro! The PARC Team
