Pinellas Commissioner proposes taxpayer funded Über Sky Taxi

Pinellas County Commissioner Janet Long is promoting a sky taxi as a transit solution for the Tampa Bay Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA) to consider.

 TBARTA was recently awarded by Tallahassee $1.5 million for its annual operating expenses and $1 million to study transit solutions.  Their mission is to focus on regional connectivity for all and not only a select few. The sky taxi is taking off in Dubai, but they have more money than they know what to do with. We do not have such luxury.

So, we need TBARTA to focus on on-ground mass transit, increase the use of our waterways for mass transit, build infrastructure for electric cars, buses, at grade bus rapid system, bicycles, hoverboards, pedestrian safety, innovative ways to eliminate our carbon footprint, pedestrian overpasses and other innovative transit solutions that will reach the highest number of people. 

I admit I love flying, but the sky taxi idea is not an immediate mass transit solution for our region.