StarMetro Timeline

StarMetro Celebrates 50 Years Logo

1973

Fixed-Route Service Began
The City of Tallahassee purchases the public transit system from Cities Transit Company and renamed it "Taltran." The cost of a bus ticket- $.30 cents. Taltran begins with a fleet of 21 buses.

Seminole Express Starts
Taltran and Florida State University started the Seminole Express. The Seminole Express Bus Service provides transportation to, around, and from campus to the surrounding Tallahassee areas for faculty, staff, students and visitors.

1984

Dial-A-Ride Service Began
Taltran began operating its paratransit service. StarMetro's paratransit service, Dial-A-Ride, provides transit service for senior and disabled customers.

1986

C.K.Steele Plaza Bus Plaza Built
C.K. Steele Bus Plaza is a Central Hub Station for StarMetro. The plaza is named in honor of Reverend Charles Kenzie Steele (1914-1980), who led the Tallahassee Bus Boycott in 1965, around the same time as the more well-known Montgomery Bus Boycott.

1990

Anniversary
StarMetro celebrates 25 years in service.

1993

Fare-Free Passes
Taltran offers fare free pass programs to Florida A &M University, Tallahassee Junior College and state agencies.

1996

Rate Increases
Taltran fare increases from $.75 to $1

2002

CTC
Taltran becomes the Community Transportation Coordinator (CTC). The CTC program is a curb-to-curb, advanced reservation, program for residents who are transportation disadvantaged, which is defined as unable to transport themselves or purchase needed transportation because of physical or mental disability, income status or age.

2005

StarMetro
Taltran changes its name to StarMetro and launched a new era called the Renaissance Project. This project included new buses, new bus stop signs and new routes.

2008

Wi-Fi
StarMetro offers free Wi-Fi on its fixed route buses and at C.K. Steele Bus Plaza.

2011

Decentralization
StarMetro restructured its network from one focused on the downtown, a classical radial pattern, to one that was decentralized, a gird-like pattern to serve a wider array of travel destinations.

2012

Electric Buses
The Federal Transit Administration awarded StarMetro over $5 million dollars in monies from the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) II grant to pursue electric buses. StarMetro purchases five electric buses.

2014

FLEX Service
StarMetro adopts the new FLEX routes. The FLEX service is a "call ahead" curb-to-curb, flexible transportation service, which serves a dedicated area in the Lake Jackson area. Riders can be picked up and dropped off at any location within the FLEX area. The FLEX also has time points to connect with the main fixed route buses. In 2016 a FLEX route was added to the Southside of Tallahassee.

2015

Find My Bus App
StarMetro launched the Find My Bus app. This feature allows participants to track their bus in real-time. The Find My Bus feature is available in the existing City of Tallahassee app, DigiTally, and can be downloaded for FREE via iPhone or Android.

2016

Token Transit App
StarMetro rolls out a new transit system that returns to the hub- and spoke system. Token Transit was introduced to the StarMetro system. This mobile app allows riders the option to pay for a bus pass with credit or debit card and the pass is on the mobile device.

2017

More Electric Buses
StarMetro received a $1 million-dollar federal grant from the US Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration to purchase 15 new electric buses.

2019

STAR Program
StarMetro launched the Student Transportation for Academics and Responsibilities (STAR) Program: A StarMetro, City of Tallahassee (COT) and Leon County Schools (LCS) pilot program to encourage K-12 students living in Leon County to use public transportation for school, work, extracurricular activities, or other responsibilities free of charge.

FSU Fleet Electrification
Florida State University signed a 10-year contract with StarMetro and added 15 all-electric buses, making the Seminole Express fleet fully electric.

2020

New Ways to Plan & Pay
StarMetro upgraded the fareboxes in all Fixed-Route vehicles to accept rechargeable smart cards, magnetic stripe cards, mobile tickets/QR codes, and cash.

StarMetro introduced the Ticket Vending Machine at C.K. Steele Bus Plaza and Moovit App for planning trips.

2023

Grants
StarMetro was awarded the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant, the Buses and Bus Facilities / Low or No Emission (Low-No) Grant, and $1 million in legislative appropriation, amounting to an impressive $36 million.

2024

Braille
StarMetro currently has a fleet of 66 buses, 157 shelters, and near 1,000 stops. It is one of the only systems in the state to have 100% Braille on its bus stops. The current price of a bus fare is $1.25.

Greyhound Joins C.K. Steele Bus Plaza
Greyhound Bus Lines moves to Gates 3 & 4 at C.K. Steele Bus Plaza, increasing mobility options for residents and visitors alike.

2025

SSTC
StarMetro's Southside Transit Center will be the first public transit center built in our community since C.K. Steele Bus Plaza in the 1980s. The SSTC is scheduled to open in 2025.