Get on Board with Public Transportation on April 25!

HART joins other public transportation systems nationwide participating in National Get On Board Day on Thursday, April 25.

Sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the 2019 National Get On Board Day is a day that encourages people to support public transportation and showcases the benefits it brings to communities. Each weekday in the U.S., 34 million people board public transportation. Locally, HART covers a service area roughly the size of Rhode Island (over 1,000 sq. miles) and carries 34,000 passenger trips daily.

HART will be participating in Get on Board Day by displaying public transportation facts at HART facilities and gathering signatures from customers and employees in support of transit.

Additionally, public transportation is a cornerstone of local economies in urban, suburban, and rural communities. Public transportation helps to make a community economically prosperous and competitive. According to APTA, every $1 invested in public transportation generates approximately $4 in economic returns, powering community growth and revitalization.

With a unified voice, the transportation industry will come together on April 25, 2019 to highlight the many benefits public transit provides to communities.

Please show your support and Get on Board on Thursday!

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.