Ride HART. Be SMART: Be Prepared to Board!

Many factors are in play when you arrive on time.

Our goal at HART is to provide customers with a safe and efficient ride, but we can’t do that alone. Schedule adherence relies on a number of factors, which include bus operators knowing the routes, and following traffic safety laws, the HART Maintenance Department keeping buses in service, the HART Service Development Department carefully planning bus schedules that allow operators to make trips within their timepoints and probably most importantly, our customers!

HART has seen record ridership growth over the past few years and while this is great, we're challenged with providing as much service as possible within out fleet and funding constraints. Adding a few million in ridership, while operating with the same funding levels of 2006, means buses are stopping at more stops and on some routes, are standing-room only. Good problem to have... right?

Precious seconds tick away the moment you board the bus

How you can help? 

Every time someone boards the bus unprepared, countless seconds tick away and pin HART against the clock. In the video below, HART Bus Operator Jason Eames, talks about how it takes roughly 3 seconds for one person to board the bus, if they're prepared with fare ready. However, the boarding process can take as long as 30-45 seconds for unprepared customers, especially if they can't locate their fare cards!

The importance of being ready to board is explain in depth in the June edition of Next Stop with HART, which you can view below.

"Those precious seconds add up, when you're doing a route that is 15 minutes like the Route 2, those few seconds at every stop... you're adding up to 10-15 minutes to the route sometimes or even more," Eames said.

Being prepared to board not only assists us in getting you (and your fellow bus-mates) to work on time, but it could also lead to more service.

Here's an astonishing number: If HART trimmed 5 minutes from each run on daily routes, we could save $3 million annually! For a little perspective, the average route running a 30-minute weekday frequency with 30/60 minute frequency on weekends costs roughly $1.3 million annually to operate.

So, that $3 million saved annually could lead to reinvestment into existing routes to relieve crowding and improve schedule adherence, or invested in expanding service to growing areas such as Brandon and New Tampa.

All from just shaving some time off of our routes... Addition by subtraction!

Do your part! Next time you Ride HART. Be Smart.

From the Driver's Seat: Service Changes

Every now and then, Jason Eames, one of our HART Operators will give insight From the Driver's Seat, on a number of things pertaining to HART.

HART services are reviewed for efficiency three times a year

If you’ve been a public transit user for any length of time, you no doubt have noticed that every few months there are modifications to bus routes and schedules you’ve become accustomed to.  These modifications may result in other changes -- a different person behind the wheel or perhaps your bus stop was relocated.

I’m pretty certain you’ve asked yourself, “Why does this happen?”  This time period is what is known as a markup. Bus schedule and route modifications brought on by a markup may seem a bit confusing as you at first, but rest assured it’s all done in the name of improving the overall bus system. And, believe it or not, bus drivers also have a little getting used to.

Many of you have grown accustomed to a familiar face every week or every day, and now that face may change. And I can tell you that from the driver’s seat, I become friends with many of my “regulars.” But please know the operator that will be taking over for the next few months is just as reliable and helpful.  After the operators have made their selections for their new routes they have a two week time period that they use to familiarize themselves with routes that are new to them and to old routes they may not have driven in a while.

The purpose of these markups are to implement patron and operator suggestions to make the existing service better and to better meet the needs of you, the patron.  No matter what city you have lived in or may live in in the future these markups happen at least three times in a year’s time. 

The impact that a markup has on an operator is a refreshing one in my opinion. At most jobs that you might work, you tend to do the same thing day in and out for your entire tenure. Bus operators on the other hand, get to change their daily jobs every four months.  While the actual job of driving the bus and serving the passengers does not change, the scenery and the roads we see each day do..  While this may sound minor, it can have a big impact on an operator.  There are some operators that do grow attached to the people they serve and getting used to not seeing those same faces can be tough on them.  Then you have your operators that choose to be an extra board operator.  These drivers come in every day not knowing which route(s) they will be driving that day and that means they have to know each route before they wake up that morning. 

Schedule books are available at HART sales outlets

Make sure to pick up a summary of the route and schedule changes distributed on all buses a few weeks before changes take effect. Updated Route Schedule Books will also be available for purchase for $2 – I personally recommend getting one of these!  When a new markup begins and you aren’t 100% sure if your normal commute has changed you can always the HART Trip Planner, an awesome tool powered by Google.  You can plan your entire commute with easy access on the go. You can also use this tool on your smart phone or tablet when you are in transit to a new destination. And, of course, when in doubt, call HART Customer Service, open seven days a week at (813) 254-4278.

I hope this better explains what a markup is.  Say hi to your new operator!


Mr. Eames has been with HART for one year.