Route of the Week: Route 34

With a diverse service area roughly the size of Rhode Island, Hillsborough County provides a great mix of urban, suburban and rural destinations for our riders. Think about the destinations that you can see and experience with the HART transportation network!

Route 34 operates between NWTC and Netp@rk

This week, we feature Route 34 as the Route of the Week!

Route 34 operates 7 days a week between Northwest Transfer Center and Netp@rk Transfer Center. Service operates Weekdays from 4:50 a.m. - 12:05 a.m. and on Weekends from 6:00 a.m. - 9:25 p.m.

Route 34 is currently the third busiest HART route, and our busiest east-west route. Roughly 620,000 rides have been taken so far in FY2016!

Operating mostly along Hillsborough Avenue, Route 34 serves parts of Town 'N Country, Seminole Heights, and East Tampa, providing residents with a healthy set of restaurant and entertainment options.

Here are some highlights:

Credit: Ichicoro Ramen

Once a blighted area, Seminole Heights has turned into a growing culinary and leisure destination. In terms of food, the area is a mix of culinary styles from fresh Mexican food at the original Taco Bus, to elevated American comfort food (Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe,) and ramen, rice bowls, etc. (Ichicoro Ramen).

Those looking for Happy Hour, will want to check out the Independent Bar and Cafe, offering 14 taps of craft beer with a cafe menu, and Red Star Rock Bar, with live music on Friday and Saturday nights!

Those looking for family fun in Town 'N Country have quite a few options to check out as well:

• Skateworld of Tampa features arcade games, laser tag, bounce houses, and a skating rink
• Pin Chasers Veterans is a 40-lane bowling alley feature pool, darts, etc.
• Northwest Family YMCA features a swimming pool, along with basketball, football, and soccer!
• Twistee Treat serves up ice cream scoops, sundaes, malts, and hot dogs!

Other Route 34 destinations include:

• Everest University - Students receive 25% off a 31-day pass
  
• Erwin Technical College - Students receive 25% off a 31-day pass
  
• Yummy House China Bistro
• Sanwa Farmer's Market
• United Skates of America

Riders can transfer to Routes 1,2,5,6,7,9,12,14,15,16,18,30,32,36,37,39,41,45,57,61LX, and MetroRapid from Route 34.

From Ella's to Everest University, HART Takes You There.

Route of the Week: HARTFlex Town 'N Country

With a diverse service area roughly the size of Rhode Island, Hillsborough County provides a great mix of urban, suburban and rural destinations for our riders. Think about the destinations that you can see and experience with the HART transportation network!

HARTFlex Town 'N Country is our featured Route of the Week!

HARTFlex is only $2 for an all-day pass!

Quick refresher on HARTFlex service. HARTFlex vans operate along a fixed route (like traditional bus service). However, the service will also "flex" from the fixed route within the designated zone. Patrons wanting to be picked up or dropped off outside the designated route, can make an advanced reservation. HARTFlex reservations may be made by calling 813-254-4278 anywhere from 2 hours, to 3 days in advance of your trip. Fares are $1.00 per trip, or $2.00 for an all-day HARTFlex pass.

HARTFlex Town 'N Country operates on a loop Monday-Friday. First trip leaves Northwest Transfer Center (NWTC) at 5:15 a.m. and the last trip is at 6:15 p.m. The service
departs NWTC every 60 minutes.

The Town 'N Country Flex zone serves a mix of destinations from educational facilities (Alonso High School, Town N Country Charter High School) to leisure (Pk's PlayZone and Grille, Skateworld of Tampa, Shimberg Park, Town 'N Country Nature Preserve, etc.).

Outdoorsy types should know that Tampa Bay's only Gander Mountain store is accessible via HARTFlex Town 'N Country. While fans of the sustainable, organic agriculture movement should drop by Sweetwater Organic Community Farm!

Westchase Town Center is home to a mix of dining, shopping, etc.

HARTFlex Town 'N Country also serves the Westchase area with service to the Westchase Town Center, home to the following mix of restaurants and services:

• Burger 21
• Tampa Pizza Company
• Maloney's Irish Pub
• Tijuana Flats
• The Grind Coffee Bar and Cafe
• Zen Bistro + Sushi Bar
• Belanova Salon
• Siam Thai
• World of Beer

Catch Twenty Three, Irish Pub 31 and YMCA West Park Village are also accessible in the Westchase area with HARTFlex service.

Transfers to Route(s) 16,30,34,39,61LX, and connection to Pinellas via the North County Connector from PSTA are available from NWTC.

From Skateworld to Westchase, HART Takes You There.

HARTFlex Town 'N Country Service Map

Route of the Week: Route 16

With a diverse service area roughly the size of Rhode Island, Hillsborough County provides a great mix of urban, suburban and rural destinations for our riders. Think about the destinations that you can see and experience with the HART transportation network!

New week and a new route featured! This week is the Route 16.

Route 16 operates between Northwest Transfer Center (Town 'n Country), and Yukon Transfer Center (Sulphur Springs) via Waters Ave. Service operates Monday-Saturday from 5:30 a.m. - 7:40 p.m.

At roughly 8.25 miles in length, the Route 16 is one of the shortest routes in the HART system.

The eastbound trip begins at Northwest Transfer Center, with connections to Routes 30, 34, 39, 61lX, HARTFlex Town 'N Country, and The North County Connector, operated by PSTA. The route is fairly direct, with the majority of the route being a straight line down Waters Ave.
  
Some highlights of Route 16 include: 

AMC Veterans 24 - Large movie complex that features IMAX movies, as well as, new Hollywood blockbusters and indie films. AMC Veterans 24 is a short walk from the Route 16 stop at Waters Ave. and Anderson Rd.

Woodland Corporate Center - A large 25-building complex with over 1,000,000 square feet of office space. Occupants include Aetna, American Express, Hilton Hotels, Sprint and Verizon. Pick up Route 16 on Waters Ave. and Woodland Corporate Blvd.

Keiser University - Non-profit college offering Specialists, Associate, Bachelors' and Graduate Degrees in a range of fields from Accounting to Health Services Administration. As part of the HART Adult Student Fare program, Keiser University students receive 25% off the regular price of a 31-day pass! Keiser University is accessible via Route 16 at Waters Ave. at Savarese Blvd.

A bunch of chain restaurants call Waters Ave. home, however it also features the original Yummy House. Known for their traditional no frills Cantonese cooking, Yummy House is consistently named one of Tampa Bay's best Chinese Restaurants. The Route 16 stop is directly in front of the restaurant at Waters Ave. and Saulray St.

Hop on board and join the roughly 267k riders that rode Route 16 in FY2015!

Route 16 terminates eastbound at Yukon Transfer Center, with connections to Routes 1, 9, 14, 16, and 39.

From corporate offices to Cantonese cooking, HART Takes You There.

Route 16 operates between Northwest Transfer Center and Yukon Transfer Center

Service changes are coming July 10!

As the weather changes, so does HART service. Or, so it may seem...

It actually kind of does. Three times a year, (usually in March, July and November, or Florida's equivalent to seasons) HART implements service changes to continue to make the system more efficient and effective. Service changes allow for us to constantly tinker with routes, adding additional trips to provide a better connection to other routes, or shaving off layover time to keep the run on schedule.

While we only roll out three service changes a year, HART staff is constantly reviewing Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) data in order to identify potential routes for modification. HART Planners are always looking at ways to make service more efficient. AVL provides the opportunity for our schedulers to review route runs, which show where our Operators may need some help, time-wise. It really is a fascinating process, and if you are interested in learning more about transit planning and how a route goes from plan to pavement, we covered that in a two part blog series. The service change process is a long and exhaustive process, planning for the July 2011 changes began in December/January.

July service changes go live Sunday!

The times they are a changin' ... literally. July service changes are around the corner - July 10. If you have not seen the July 2011 service changes, you can find the changes here. Please take this week to finalize your game plan for next week. If you need any help with trip planning before July 10, call HART Customer Service at (813) 254-4278, after July 10, use the Google Trip Planner on goHART.org. We would like to thank the community for all of your help in the planning process. HART held six community meetings and one public hearing in March to discuss the proposed July changes.

HARTFlex is coming...

One of the biggest changes in the July service changes is the expansion of HARTFlex from Brandon and South County to three new areas: Northdale (Carrollwood), South Tampa and Town 'N Country. If you are not familiar with Flex and how it works, visit www.gohart.org/flex. Basically, it is an on-demand, curbside pickup van service. Flex service, mostly operates along a route like normal bus service, except the van "flexes" a certain distance from the route. The exception is the Brandon Flex, which operates within a zone and without a set route. Patrons can pickup the Brandon Flex at the Westfield Brandon Mall. By replacing local route service with Flex service in those areas, HART is able to maintain service levels and save over $500k annually.

For maps, service hours and other information on HARTFlex, please visit www.gohart.org/flex.

HART Service Changes:
July 10, 2011 service changes
Proposed November 2011 service changes