HART and Coast Bike Share Partnership Helps Tackle the 'First Mile, Last Mile' Problem

Three Coast Bike Share bikes will be stationed at MTC

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

The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) and Coast Bike Share are formally announcing that we have teamed up to add three Coast Bikes at the Marion Transit Center (MTC).

 

Through this partnership, bicycle racks with quality Coast Bikes are set up at high-activity hubs such as MTC, and dozens of additional hubs in the Downtown area, Ybor City, and Hyde Park. The MTC location will help residents, students, businesses and visitors to get around by combining HART and Coast Bike Share trips to explore the Tampa Bay area.

HART works hard to promote the growth in cycling around Tampa and seek proactive, long-term solutions to accommodate a growing market of transit users who travel by bike. Bicycle friendly transit provides cyclists with increased options to travel, and it also expands transit ridership.        

 

"The Coast Bike Share connection helps make HART a more convenient option for customers needing a way to start or complete their trip," said Jeff Seward, HART Chief Financial Officer. "With the additions of Coast Bike Share, RedCoach, to compliment the Megabus.com partnership, MTC has now become a busy inter-modal hub for Bus Rapid Transit in Tampa and a catalyst for travel throughout the state of Florida."

Coast Bikes can be reserved on Coast's mobile app, online at app.socialbicycles.com, or at the bike using its keypad. Coast to your destination and lock it to any hub or public bike rack. It's that easy!

Purchasing a monthly or annual membership to this program would provide a convenient, healthy transit alternative to run errands, make it to class on time, or simply sight-see. On a larger scale, the availability of public bikes would offset the costs of car pollution, parking lot use, add convenience to multi-modal travel, and strengthen the local culture of health and environmental sustainability.

  

This partnership is just one more example of how HART staff is focused on attracting new ridership, fueling revenues, and enhancing service through strategic innovation. The HART inter-modal approach strives to connect various modes of transportation such as walking, bicycling, and using the TECO Line Streetcar System, Park-n-Ride facilities, and paratransit system.  

HART CFO Jeff Seward Named 2014 CFO of the Year!

Jeff Seward, Chief Financial Officer of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, has been named CFO of the Year in the Tampa Bay Business Journal's 2014 CFO of the Year Awards in the Government Agency category. 

On Wednesday, February 26, at A La Carte Event Pavilion the Tampa Bay Business Journal made its much-anticipated announcement of the winners of the prestigious CFO of the Year Award. 

The award ceremony is an annual event hosted by the Tampa Bay Business Journal to recognize top financial executives and finalists are chosen by an independent panel of judges. The event honors Chief Financial Officers from Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee, Sarasota, Polk and Hernando. Six distinct industry categories are honored, and Seward won in the Government category.

Seward has more than 25 years of local government, private-sector and military experience, and providing leadership for various areas, including financial advising, strategic planning, economic development and auditing. Mr. Seward joined HART in 2011.    

As CFO, Mr. Seward is responsible for Accounting & Financial Reporting, Budget, Cash Management, Internal Audit, Procurement, Contracts Administration, Grants & Planning. Those vitally important departments execute the long-term financial strategy of HART, manage major capital projects, secure grants to enhance our current infrastructure and implement investment tools to improve fiscal sustainability.

His latest accomplishment is establishing the Regional Revenue Collection Working Group with 6 other regional transit agencies as well as partnerships with the FDOT and TBARTA to establish a streamlined fare collection system where passengers, regardless of where they live or transit service they use, can move between counties in the region with one single smart card.  This is the first of its kind public transportation regional partnership in the Tampa Bay area.  Partnering with FDOT will allow this to be a model that is used elsewhere in the State of Florida.

"This recognition is well deserved and we're fortunate to have Jeff, a proven leader and dedicated HART employee, as our CFO," said HART CEO, Philip R. Hale. "The CFO of the Year award in the Government category was competitive and we're happy that Jeff has been recognized for his unique vision and exceptional execution." 

"I am truly humbled by this recognition and I appreciate the opportunity that Mr. Hale, our CEO, has given me to help move this organization forward, but it is the HART Board and staff that truly deserve the accolades for getting HART to where it is today, and that is a provider of public transportation for over 14.5 million passengers a year - THAT is an achievement!" said Mr. Seward.

The announcement was made yesterday. View entire list.

HART Regular Board Meeting 7/15/13 - Recap

HART CEO Philip Hale

The HART Board held its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, July 15; the Board approved several action items on the agenda.

The HART Board's General Counsel also reported on HART Chief Executive Officer's performance evaluation. The board is pleased with Mr. Hale's performance and outstanding leadership.

In other matters, Jeffrey Seward, HART Chief Financial Officer, provided the Board an overview presentation of the FY2014 - FY2023 Transit Development Plan (TDP).   

Highlights of the Proposed FY2014 -FY2023 Transit Development Plan (TDP) Annual Overview:

• HART staff decided to do a complete TDP refresh in order to incorporate current community conversations and to ensure that the TDP and the HART budget are in alignment. (In the past the TDP and HART budget were not necessarily coupled.) 
• The TDP was a combined organizational effort involving input from every department to create a comprehensive overview of the agency
• The TDP is required in order to secure State Block Grant funding, and HART estimates that it will receive $4.3 million in FY2014
• HART will especially benefit from State Block Grant funding thanks to an increase in ridership. Ridership grew more than 18 percent between FY2008 and FY 2012, and more than 2.8 percent during the first eight months of 2013

Next Steps:

• HART Staff Finalize TDP Update 
• Full TDP Update for Board approval at first Budget Public Hearing in September
• The next step in the process is that HART will submit the approved TDP to the Florida Department of Transportation in late September 

Next Meeting:

HART Board Regular will meet Monday, August 5 at 9 a.m., at the HART Ybor Office, 1201. E. 7th Ave., in Tampa.