Celebrate National Bike Month with Bikes on Buses!

All HART buses and vans feature bike racks!

May is National Bike Month and HART makes connecting to the bus by riding a bike a breeze!

Discover how easy (and quick!) it is to Bike & Bus. HART has bike racks on every bus and van so you can experience the ease of riding HART with your bike year-round. National Bike Month is a great opportunity to give it a try!

At HART, we're dedicated to getting our riders to their destination as quickly and efficiently as possible. We see bikes as complementary to our service and that's why we added racks to our buses over 20 years ago. More recently, bike racks have also been added to all of our HARTFlex vans.

Need a bike for just the first or last mile of your trip? Coast Bike Share stations are set up at a number of HART locations, including Marion Transit Center, and Dick Greco Plaza Station.

Have a folding bike? HART also permits them in carrying bags aboard all HART buses and HARTFlex vans. Users of bicycles with larger wheels should continue using the bicycle rack. Each HART bus and HARTFlex van accommodates two bicycles. Only single-seat, two-wheel bicycles are permitted on buses; no tandems or three-wheelers.

Heading to Pinellas County? The Bikes on Buses program also enables riders to take their bikes with them and transfer from a HART bus to the PSTA network without a special permit.  

Four easy steps to loading your bike on a HART bus

Bike-friendly transit provides customers with quicker commutes and additional commuting options.

Customers might not view a 30-mile round trip bike ride to downtown as an attractive commute. However, pair a quick 1-2 mile bike ride with a HART route to pick up the majority of the miles and you have some serious pedal power.

Cycling HART riders (almost 20,000 monthly trips) find that bikes not only speed up their commutes but also provide them greater exercise, ground coverage, and route options. 

Want to learn the ropes of cycling around town? Find a "bike buddy"! TBARTA helps match cycling commuters together.

Click here to learn more about the HART Bikes on Buses program, including how to secure your bike on the bus bike rack.

March is Florida Bike Month!

Coast Bikes can be rented from Marion Transit Center and Dick Greco Plaza

Happy Florida Bike Month! We're celebrating alternative commutes and looking at the relationship between personal (bikes) and public transportation.

Once seen as a child's toy, bikes are now considered a serious commuting option. Coast Bike Share, a bike rental service, has rolled out dozens of bike hubs throughout Tampa (and now St. Petersburg), including at our Marion Transit Center in Downtown.

At HART, we're dedicated to getting our riders to their destination as quickly and efficiently as possible. We see bikes as supplemental to our service and that's why we added racks to our buses and rubber-wheeled trolleys almost 20 years ago. More recently, bike racks have also been added to all of our HARTFlex vans.

In November 2011, folding bikes - in proper carrying bags - were allowed on board.

Bikes on Buses saves time, money and the environment!

Bike riders might not view a 30-mile round trip bike ride to downtown as an attractive commute. However, pair a quick 1-2 mile bike ride with a HART route to pick up the majority of the miles and you have some serious pedal power.

Cycling HART riders find that bikes not only speed up their commutes, but also provide them greater exercise, ground coverage, and route options.

For example, you might live within walking distance of a route 34 stop, but possible transfers don't work well with your schedule. Instead, you choose to bike to the route 1 stop where you can catch a straight shot to Marion Transit Center and save 10 minutes. Couple those time savings with the low-cost of a HART 1-day pass ($4.00) or 31-day pass ($65, $2.10 a day) and you've saved time, money and the environment!

Don't take our word for it though. Roughly 20,000 Bikes on Buses trips were taken last month.

Click here to learn more about the HART Bikes on Buses program, including how to secure your bike on the bus bike rack.  We also have a Bikes on Buses how-to video on our YouTube page here.

Placing your bike on the bus is easy! Just follow these quick steps.

Ride on!

Bikes on Buses for National Bike Month!

Happy National Bike Month! We're celebrating alternative commutes and looking at the relationship between personal (bikes) and public transportation.

Coast Bikes can be rented from Marion Transit Center

Over the years, bicycles have gone from being seen as a child's toy, to becoming a serious commuting option. Coast Bike Share, a bike rental service, has rolled out dozens of bike hubs throughout Tampa, including at Marion Transit Center in Downtown.

At HART, we're dedicated to getting our riders to their destination as quickly and efficiently as possible. We see bikes as supplemental to our service and that's why we added racks to our buses and rubber-wheeled trolleys almost 20 years ago. More recently, bike racks have also been added to all of our HARTFlex vans.

In November 2011, folding bikes - in proper carrying bags - were allowed on board.

Bikes on Buses saves time, money and the environment!

Bike riders might not view a 30-mile round trip bike ride to downtown as an attractive commute. However, pair a quick 1-2 mile bike ride with a HART route to pick up the majority of the miles and you have some serious peddle power.

Cycling HART riders find that bikes not only speed up their commutes, but also provide them greater exercise, ground coverage, and route options.

For example, you might live within walking distance of a route 34 stop, but possible transfers don't work well with your schedule. Instead, you choose to bike to the route 1 stop where you can catch a straight shot to Marion Transit Center and save 10 minutes. Couple those time savings with the low-cost of a HART 1-day pass ($4.00) or 31-day pass ($65, $2.10 a day) and you've saved time, money and the environment!

Don't take our word for it though. Roughly 21,000 participated in our Bikes on Buses program last month.

Click here to learn more about the HART Bikes on Buses program, including how to secure your bike on the bus bike rack.  We also have a Bikes on Buses how-to video on our YouTube page here.

Placing your bike on the bus is easy! Just follow these quick steps.

Ride on!

Bikes on Buses during National Bike Month!

Being National Bike Month, we're taking a look at the relationship between personal (bikes) and public transportation.

Once seen as a child's toy, bikes have become a serious tool for individuals looking to speed up their commute.

Bikes on Buses saves time, money and the environment!

Committed to getting our riders to their destination as quickly and efficiently as possible, HART has added racks to all buses, rubber-wheeled trolleys and most recently HARTFlex vans. Folding bikes - in proper carrying bags - were allowed on board beginning in November 2011.

Bike riders might not view a 30 mile round trip bike ride to downtown as an attractive commute. However,  pair a quick 1-2 mile bike ride with a HART route to pick up the majority of the miles and you have some serious peddle power.

Cycling HART riders find that bikes not only speed up their commutes, but also provide them more exercise, ground coverage, and route options.

For example, you might live within walking distance of a route 34 stop, but possible transfers don't work well with your schedule. Instead, you choose to bike to the route 1 stop where you can catch a straight shot to Marion Transit Center and save 10 minutes. Couple those time savings with the low-cost of a HART 1-day pass ($3.75) or 31-day pass ($60, $1.95 a day) and you've saved time, money and the environment!

Don't take our word for it though. Over 20,000 boardings were part of the Bikes on Buses program last month.

We see bikes as a supplement to our service as we celebrate a nearly 20-year relationship with the bicycle!

Click here to learn more about the HART Bikes on Buses program including how to secure your bike on the bus bike rack.  We also have a Bikes on Buses how-to video on our YouTube page here.

Ride on!

Just call us the Nickelback of commuting... better yet, don't.

P.S.

Falling under the alternative commutes umbrella, bicycling and public transportation, we hope to one day become as "alternative" as Nickelback.

Not sure how you can be "alternative" when you've sold over 50 million records worldwide? Exactly our point.

However, that's for another day, another post.

Answering Your Questions

Thank you to our HART customers who attended the public hearing on Wednesday, which is required as part of the application HART filed for federal funding.

We received some comments during the hearing that we would like to address.

Bikes on Buses

For instance, a comment was made about bicycle racks on the bus. The front of each bus comes equipped with racks for two bicycles, and if the rack is full, customers must be prepared to wait for the next bus or choose a safe location to lock up their bicycle. This is not new, but the increased use of these bicycle racks means more customers may be waiting for the next bus.

HART has previously tested racks that have room for three bicycles. However, this was considered a safety hazard because it increased the length of the bus and limited its turn radius. HART drivers already manage some tight turns throughout Hillsborough County’s 1,100 square miles, and bus routes are carefully planned to make sure all turns on a route allow for a safe turning radius.

But, there is a silver lining! In November 2011, bicycle racks were installed on all HARTFlex vans and folding bicycles are now permitted on all buses and HARTFlex vans. Lastly, MetroRapid North-South will open to the public in early 2013, and medium and large MetroRapid stations will feature bicycle racks so customers have a safe and convenient place to lock up their bicycles.

Route 15

Some other questions were asked about Route 15, a popular route that saw 16 percent growth in 2011 compared to the previous year. Some customers present at the meeting suggested removing the International Plaza stop on Route 15 to add more time to the route. However, keep in mind that ridership numbers indicate that this stop is among our top 5 percent in bus stop activity (pick-ups and drop-offs).

Bus Stops

Other residents had questions about what factors are considered to remove, relocate or add bus stops. HART has a program in place to make a route-by-route assessment of all bus stops to make sure they meet, most importantly, ADA standards, as well as spacing standards to help maximize the efficiency of bus schedules. HART also considers the unique circumstances of each site, including convenience of passenger transfers to other routes, open and visible spaces for personal security and passenger visibility, protected crossings at signalized or stop-controlled intersections, among others. Bus stops are usually spaced about 750-1,250 feet apart.

Because of this bus stop improvement program, in FY2010, 113 shelters were installed and 79 bus stops were upgraded; in FY2011, 50 shelters were installed and 218 bus stops were upgraded. More shelters are planned for installation over the next year, including for Routes 6, 34 and 39. This is good news for HART customers who seek protection from the sometimes harsh weather elements of this area.

Have any questions that you want answered? Leave them in the comments section below and we'll get on them. If it's a common question, we'll probably address in a blog post like this!

Bikes on Buses... Expands to Vans!

Bikes on buses just got a whole new meaning! Customers may now bring their folded bicycles on HART buses and vans.

HART will host a demonstration of new ways to boost bicycle travel via transit during the popular 2011 Bicyle Bash on Sunday, Nov. 6, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Hillsborough County Flatwoods Park, 14302 Morris Bridge Road in Thonotosassa. Those who sign up for HART News receive a FREE bicycle flasher!

Folded bikes on buses must:

• Have 20-inch wheels or smaller; larger bicycles should be loaded on the bike rack.
• Be folded and bagged before boarding the bus.
• Be folded underneath the seat or in front of the customer so it does not take up extra seats or block the aisle.

Bike with larger wheels should continue using the bike rack.

Users of bicycles with larger wheels should continue using the bicycle rack. Each HART bus and van accommodates two bicycles. Only single-seat, two-wheel bicycles are permitted on buses; no tandems or three wheelers. Motor-powered vehicles are not permitted on the bus or on bicycle racks. If the rack is full, patrons should be prepared to choose a location to lock up their bicycle, or wait for the next bus serving that route.

Word to the wise! Bicyclists should attach an identification number to their bicycles -- whether it's the manufacturer's serial number, a license plate or a sturdy decal -- and keep a copy of this number with them. This will greatly facilitate the process of claiming lost bicycles. In addition, the Tampa Police Department encourages bicyclists to register their bicycles with its Bicycle Registration Theft Protection Program to assist in recovering stolen bikes.

Thinking about expanding your bicycle travel by getting on board with HART? Visit www.goHART.org or call 813-254-4278 (HART) for help with planning your trip!