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| Top story doesn't involve Gov. Scott |
1. No more Robin Hoods
Quick summary: Back in April, a local man allegedly robs a Wachovia bank and uses a HART bus as his getaway vehicle. The story gets more interesting, when the man begins handing out the stolen cash (Robin Hood-style) to patrons on the bus. A HART supervisor calls the operator to report the criminal on the bus. The operator announces a "mechanical failure" on the bus and pulls over, where deputies are waiting for the robber.
Moral of the story? Next time pay off the driver. We kid, we kid.
In case you're interested in the full story.
Let's leave the crazy with Cee-Lo in 2012.
2. No more Platt St. Bridge closure
Who knew we'd miss the bridge so much - we get dirty looks on Kennedy. January can't come soon enough!
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| Photo credit: Michael Esser, Boss Magazine |
Boss Magazine recently held a photo shoot with a pair of lovely ladies on the ol' Birney streetcar and he can't stop talking about them. Fulfill his wish - more (camera) action.
4. Economy turns around
Who doesn't want this one? We need money! When home values drop, our funding goes down... big time.
And on that note...
5. Win the lottery
Goes hand-in-hand with #4. Service enhancements cost money, which we're currently lacking. In the past, we've mentioned researching possible alternative funding sources. Want to know what we've come up with? Powerball! Have you seen those payouts? That's demonstration line money.
Don't worry though, even if we don't hit the lotto, we're still here to serve you!
6. HARTline finally dies
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| R.I.P. HARTline and "motion sickness" color scheme |
Sidenote: You can't do much with that color combination. We believe the combo was called "motion sickness".
7. Drivers yielding to buses
Remember to yield to buses, it's the LAW - as in a fine and possible jail time. If a bus is attempting to pull out of a bus bay, you MUST allow them back into traffic. Either that, or you're probably rear-ending the bus. We've seen it happen - not pretty.
8. Stay off the tracks!
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| Driver of car didn't see stop sign. Photo credit: Don Lamison |
The only driver on the tracks should be the motorman. Give up the keys and take a seat, we can always use the entertainment.
9. Entering and exiting
We hope more people enter the front and exit the rear... on the bus we mean. You know, the rear - on the bus - blocks the doorways when riders are headed in both directions.
10. FTA Weight Regulations
We hope the FTA doesn't have to raise the assumed passenger weight for passenger capacity regulations again. It means less passengers allowed on the bus at one time.
Not sure what they're looking at though, considering studies have shown that transit riders are 3 times more likely to get the recommended 30 minutes of daily physical activity.
11. More people "occupying" the Streetcar
If you want to occupy something, occupy the streetcar. We could always use more ridership.
And finally...
12. More eyes reading this blog
For those that read the blog regularly, we thank you! If you like the content, please don't hesitate to share it with your friends, families, co-workers, pets, etc. Sometimes it feels like we're a comedian playing a Bar Mitzvah. Is this thing on?
Have a happy and safe New Year from all of us at HART!
Passenger 5 "commandments" for the new year. Have tickets or money ready. Be at the platform on time. (Don't wait till the bus pulls out and then try to run for it.) Do not block the aisles in the bus with your stuff. Do not walk in front of the bus when you exit. Do NOT get on a bus going the wrong way just because you see that one coming first! (This one sounds very stupid, I know but you would not believe how often this happens!)
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to take a minute to tell you that you have a great site! Keep up the good work.
My wish: More hilarious live updates from @clarkbrooks on Twitter. I know budgets are tight but if there's any way you guys could hire him to just ride around on the bus all day and talk about it on Twitter, that would be great!
ReplyDeleteWe love him too! Sorry though, no money in the budget for a comedian. :P
ReplyDeleteHave tickets or money ready.
ReplyDeleteI second that BIG time!
And of course it will be very nice when "Tampa Bus System" decides to be efficient (too many delays, too many missed connections) and when route 30 has a better weekday schedule. A 30-minute schedule is not (and has never been) an efficient idea for such a long route, with so many traffic points that always create a delay.
I started walking more (great!) and taking another route, that is always on time.