Tampa Keeps Free Streetcar Service Running Through 2025 With $700,000 Boost
City leaders voted to keep free TECO Line Streetcar service rides going into 2025. With a strong 6-1 vote, Tampa‘s Community Redevelopment Agency Board locked in $700,000 to replace a state grant that ran out.
The money comes from three local areas. Ybor City will chip in $234,000, while the Channel District and Downtown will each put up $233,000. This funding keeps rides free on the 2.7-mile route linking Tampa’s hot spots.
“The Streetcar has been a very successful program,” said CRA Board Member Alan Clendenin, who made the motion to approve the funding, to CLTampa.com. “People spend way too much money on transportation. If we can eliminate the need to have a car payment, car maintenance, and a car insurance payment, they can start affording housing; they can afford to live. This is the future of Tampa.”
The numbers hit new highs last year. People took over 1.3 million rides, setting a 20-year record. Streetcars now come by every 15 minutes, with extra runs during busy weekends.
Councilman Charlie Miranda cast the only no vote. The local money takes over after Florida’s Department of Transportation pulled its yearly $700,000 support, which had kept rides free since 2018.
History rolls alongside modern times on Tampa’s tracks. A genuine 1946 streetcar still runs beside newer ones built to look just like the original. When the weather’s nice, riders can hop on The Breezer, Florida’s only open-air trolley.
Tampa’s streetcar history goes back to 1892. By 1926, an incredible 24 million people rode the rails before service stopped in 1946. The current line kicked off in 2002, later adding its eleventh stop in 2010.
For 22 years, HART, the city, and Tampa Historic Streetcar Inc. have teamed up to run this service. The route connects Tampa’s biggest attractions, running from the busy Channel District to the historic streets of Ybor City.
