Google Trip Planner now uses HART Real-time Data!

 HART continues to set the transit agency bar higher as a trendsetting innovator by being the first in Florida to make real-time trip updates available on Google Maps starting October 10.      Google Maps allows riders to quickly and accurately plan transit trips from one location to another. That makes public transportation more user-friendly for new riders and gives seasoned, experienced riders a tool to help them get to their destinations in new, more efficient ways. Trip updates represent any changes in the timetables for predicted arrivals for stops along the route.   HART is the first transit agency in Florida to publish real-time trip updates via Google Maps, which is available on desktop and mobile devices in more than 40 different languages and in a format compatible with screen readers for the visually impaired. Trip updates can also provide for more complex scenarios where trips are canceled, added to the schedule, or even re-routed. Instead of sorting through timetables, riders simply enter the date and their desired time of arrival or departure. The trip planner automatically maps available routes and displays the travel time and number of transfers for each option, so riders can pick their preferred route.  Google Maps also includes transfers between different transit agencies in overlapping service areas for those who have made their schedule information available to Google. Detailed information on how to get to or from a transit station on foot is shown for transit results along with affording users the option to view aerial imagery, street level images via Street View, and additional local information such as business reviews.      HART continues to demonstrate building awareness of public transit in Florida through our efforts of exposing greater transit information to get riders to where they need to go. HART's newest innovation comes hot on the heels of its high-tech OneBusAway Tampa smart phone app, which provides instant access to real-time bus arrival information to answer the question "Where is my bus?" Google Maps, on the other hand, is a highly efficient trip planning solution that solves the challenge of "What is the quickest way to get where I want to go using the public transit system?" The two applications work hand-in-hand to save riders valuable time and make their travel easier and more enjoyable.

Google Trip Planner now shows real-time data from HART!

Almost 15 Million Trips taken in FY2013!

HART has had a banner year in FY2013 - and has met or exceeded all ridership expectations! MetroRapid North-South has caught the public's attention and many people in the County are realizing that riding the bus is a great way to get around town. That's apparent in the most recent ridership reports, which show total ridership at HART exceeded 14.6 million passengers during the fiscal year that ended September 30, a year-over-year increase of approximately three percent.  This total represents the fourth straight year of setting another record for the authority. We've hit record ridership 9 of the past 10 years.         Almost 15 million trips were taken in FY2013! Ridership highlights:   FY2013 bus ridership was up by nearly 422,000 trips or three percent, compared to last year (FY2012: 14,218,868; FY2013: 14,640,375).  Combined mode ridership exceeded 15 million for the first time and was up 2.8 percent compared to FY2012. FY2013 bus ridership marks an all-time high for HART and breaks the annual record for the fourth year in a row! FY2013 bus ridership breakdown: Weekday average ridership up 7.3 percent Saturday average ridership up 4.2 percent  Sunday average ridership up 7.7 percent "These ridership numbers bring into focus how important public transit is to residents," said HART Board Chair Fran Davin. "We will continue to make the public transportation options the best they can possibly be and to provide our riders with an experience that will make them continue to think of HART as their primary mode of transportation."   HART Highlights in FY2013:  On June 10, HART launched the highly anticipated MetroRapid North-South bus service. MetroRapid N-S is the first public transit system of its kind in the State of Florida.  60 shelters on MetroRapid N-S along with 14 bus bays, one intermodal platform and ADA upgrades at 59 locations including sidewalks, 6 pedestrian crossings in Telecom Park with rapid flashing pedestrian warnings and one regional park and ride (Hidden River).    40 shelters, 200 ADA landing pads, 10,200 linear feet of sidewalk constructed in the City of Tampa, and four bus bays were built and/or installed by HART HART launched the innovative OneBusAway Tampa app, which provides a suite of tools to deliver real-time bus tracking information to HART riders on the go. HART was selected to participate in the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) 2013 Environmental Management Systems (EMS) Training and Technical Assistance program   New, smaller HARTPlus vans were added to the fleet, providing cost-savings and flexibility to operations.   A new, technologically advanced, seamless fare collection system was planned thanks to a regional collaborative partnership first initiated by HART.     For more information about HART, visit www.goHART.org