Sharp Jump in Ridership for HART in February!

MetroRapid reached 50k monthly rides for the 1st time!

HART ridership has reached new highs by setting another record! February 2014 marked the highest month for weekday average bus ridership in HART history! Weekday average ridership reached 52,896 setting the highest weekday average ever.

Along with enhanced service and better on-time performances, HART registered a remarkable increase in ridership over the past year. New figures show that, from February 2013 to February 2014, the agency's bus ridership jumped by 3.5 percent from 1,199,670 to 1,242,223. The takeaway in one sentence: ridership for HART continues to climb and numbers remain strong.

It's an exciting time at HART," said HART Chief Operating Officer Katharine Eagan. "Our staff took advantage of many opportunities, and continued to provide high-quality service. We are poised to do an even greater job in 2014. We thank our riders for their loyalty to public transit."

Fast facts: 

• MetroRapid ridership in February was 50,587. 
• Last month, February 4 saw the greatest daily ridership throughout the month with 59,000 riders choosing HART.
• 15 of 20 weekdays exceeded 50,000 riders.
• Year-to-date (October 2013 - February 2014), bus ridership is up 1.8 percent; an increase of 110,632 trips, compared to the same period last year.

Meanwhile, according to a report released Monday by the American Public Transportation Association during its annual legislative conference, 10.7 billion trips were taken on public transportation last year, the eighth consecutive year that saw more than 10 billion trips taken on public transportation systems nationwide. 

Here in Hillsborough County, HART carried 14.6 million customers in FY2013 matching a national trend that saw Americans taking more public transportation to get around.