Christmas is almost here and the the mall parking lots will be absolutely packed this weekend! 

Unless you're like my dad who has some freaky rock star parking gene (somehow he always gets that prime spot up front at 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve), you should really consider riding the bus as you finish your holiday shopping.

You don't need a parking space, PSTA has bus routes to pretty much every major shopping venue in Pinellas County.

Here's a list:

• Tarpon Mall - Routes 19, 66, and the new East Lake Connector
• Downtown Dunedin - Routes 61, the new Dunedin/Palm Harbor Connector, and Jolley Trolley's North Coastal Route
• Westfield Countryside Mall - Routes 19, 62, 67, 76, 78 and the new Dunedin/Palm Harbor Connector and Countryside/Oldsmar/Tampa Connector
• Clearwater Mall - Routes 19 and 60
• Largo Mall - Routes 18 and 59
• Seminole Mall - Routes 18, 58, and 74
• Indian Rocks Shopping Center - Routes 59, 61, 66, and 74
• Shoppes at Park Place - Routes 11, 19, 52, 74, 75, 97, and 444
• Gateway Mall - Routes 1, 4, 58, 59, 74, 75, and 100X
• Tyrone Square Mall - Routes 1, 5, 7, 18, 20, 23, 30, 38, 62, 68, 73, 75, and 79
• Grand Central District - the Central Avenue Trolley and all the routes that travel between Williams Park and Grand Central Station
• John's Pass Village - Route 68 and the Suncoast Beach Trolley
• Corey Avenue on St. Pete Beach - Route 90, the Suncoast Beach Trolley, and the Central Avenue Trolley

At just $2 per ride, or $4.50 for an all day pass, riding the bus is a great value, and it lets you skip the parking battle!

To find the times and exact routing for the bus routes listed above, please visit the schedules page on our website (make sure you remember to check times for your trip back home too!).

For help planning your trip, give our InfoLine a call at (727) 540-1900. Our customer service experts are standing by to help you find just the right route! And, our Real Time Bus Info system can tell you exactly when the bus will get to your stop so you can maximize your shopping time.

Thanks for riding, and have a happy holiday!

~Cyndi Raskin-Schmitt, RidePSTA Blog Editor