HART Board Recap: Employee Recognition, Yukon Construction

Monday's meeting kicked off with recognition of HART employees:  Harold Ward and James Chapman, each who received first runner up for the Florida Public Transportation Association's Mechanic and Driver of the Year, respectively.

Left-right: HART Mechanic Harold Ward, HART CEO Philip Hale

Mr. Ward is a master mechanic who has been with HART since 1981. He always shows a positive, can-do attitude and his calm demeanor is an integral part of the success of HART Fleet Maintenance. One of this agency's goals has been to reduce bus failures and increase the mean distance between failures. During the past two years, Harold has lead a team of mechanics to reduce monthly unit failures by 6 percent and increase the monthly mean distance by 1700 miles. Harold is an outstanding technician who leads by example and promotes teamwork.

HART Operator James Chapman and his wife

Mr. Chapman has been a bus operator with HART since 1984. He is an exemplary employee and leader among his peers. He has been named bus operator of the month five times throughout his career, and this year was inducted into the 2 million mile club for driving without a preventable accident for the past 27 years. He has been training operators since 1986 for on-the-job training and route familiarization. These are just a few of the initiatives he's taken on and accomplished at HART!

Yukon Transfer Center build out model

The HART Board also approved starting construction for an upgrade at Yukon Transfer Center, which serves about 800 customers each weekday and bus routes 1, 9, 14, 16 and 39. The upgrades will provide additional bays to accommodate increased demand and improve visibility. The total amount of the project is $600,000, paid for by state grants and HART funds. Construction is scheduled to begin before the year's end.

The HART Legislative Policy Statement for the 2012 Florida Legislative Session was adopted by the HART Board and includes monitoring legislation that relates to the consolidation of HART and PSTA, as well as working towards maintaining current funding levels for transit.

Lastly, Katharine Eagan, HART Chief Operating Officer, presented the HART Board with a summary of bus ridership in 2011, highlighting significant gains in holiday and Sunday service. View 2011 HART Ridership At-A-Glance 

Next Meeting:  HART Major Projects & Legislative Committee meeting is scheduled Monday, Nov. 14, 9 a.m. at the HART Ybor Office.