ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — For those looking to take a ride on the Cross Bay Ferry, there are only a few days left. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Cross Bay Ferry service ends Wednesday, April 30 

  • This was supposed to be the first year of year-round service

  • St. Pete city officials said the operator of the ferry service, HMS, defaulted on their agreement with Hillsborough County after trying to swap out the ferry for a slower boat

This was the last weekend the ferry ran between St. Petersburg and Tampa before shutting down on Wednesday, April 30.

Robin Perkins has been riding the ferry for years and said this service has given her an easy way to cross over.

“When I first moved here, we didn’t have anything like it,” she said. “I always said to my friends we need something that can get us over to Tampa.”

Perkins said she didn’t want the ferry to stop running.

“I was really upset,” she said. “My first thought was, why?”

According to St. Pete’s Transportation Director Evan Mory, the service is ending early because operators wanted to swap out the ferry for a slower boat that would’ve taken twice as long to cross the bay, which violated their agreement with Hillsborough County.

Hillsborough County commissioners then terminated the agreement with HMS Ferries on April 16.

St. Pete officials said they are working with the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority and government partners to issue a request for proposals and explore options to provide a new ferry service.