The PSTA is seeking a grant to buy eight open-air trolleys.
Officials hope that it cuts down on traffic, pollution and parking problems.
The trolley service, which planners see beginning in late 2000, would calm traffic along Gulf Boulevard and perhaps eliminate the hassle of renting cars or feeding a parking meter. The PSTA received approval in July from the Metropolitan Planning Organization, Pinellas County's transportation board, to apply for grant money to buy the trolleys. The vehicles will run on compressed natural gas. A fueling station would be constructed in Clearwater to supply the system. There is a bus and trolley system that currently serves the Clearwater beaches, but the new system would run the length of the beaches in the PSTA service area.