Route of the Week: Route 9

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!

Today we're traveling between University Area Transit Center (UATC) and Marion Transit Center (MTC) on Route 9, our Route of the Week!

Route 9 operates 7 days a week, with weekday service from 4:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. and weekend service from 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Residential makes up a good portion of Route 9, and 5 public parks are served along the route. This emphasis on recreation areas, makes Route 9 the PERFECT route for summer days!

Copeland Park is accessible via Route 9 at 15th St./109th Ave.

Copeland Park will host a City of Tampa Summer Camp. Students will be able to play games and sports, make arts and crafts, go on field trips and more! Hop off Route 9 at 15th St. and 109th Ave.

Other parks along Route 9 include: Cuscaden Park (soccer fields/picnic area/playground), McDugald Park (baseball field/playground), Rowlett Park (trails/ball fields/picnic area/playground/racquet ball and tennis courts) and Sulphur Springs Park (pool/grill area/playground/volleyball).

Golfers will appreciate service to Rogers Park Golf Course. Opened in 1952, the public golf course features 18 holes over 160 acres, and is surrounded by the Hillsborough River on 3 sides. Let Route 9 chauffeur you to the course!

Hunger building after a day on the links? Route 9 serves a variety of awesome eats.

Original Taco Bus is a short walk from Route 9!

From one bus, to another. The bus that started all the fuss, the original Taco Bus is a short walk from the Route 9. Tortas, burritos, and quesadillas, oh my!

Tacos and tortas not your thing? Continue your trip a little farther south to the Ybor area. La Segunda Bakery has one of the best Cuban sandwiches in town (which is saying something). Spaghetti Warehouse for Italian, New World Brewery for lunchtime BBQ or late-night pizza, and The Bricks for eclectic food, such as the Elvis, featuring peanut butter, bananas, and bacon.

Route 9 connects to 3 transfer locations: UATC, Yukon Transfer Center, and MTC, which means you can connect to almost every route within the HART system!

From tortas, to trails, HART Takes You There.

Route 9 operates from UATC to MTC via 15th St.

Route of the Week: Route 12

Point A to be Point B. HART does that very well.

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!

This week we focus on the Route 12.

The Route 12 provides Weekday, Saturday and Sunday service from Downtown Tampa to the area surrounding The University of South Florida. Service operates northbound from 4:00 a.m. - 12:15 and southbound 5:00 a.m. - midnight, during the week and 6:35 a.m. - 9:35 p.m. on the weekends. The Route 12 is averaging roughly 71,000 monthly rider trips in FY2016.

Operating just west of The University of South Florida, the Route 12 provides a nice mix of things to do (University Mall, Centro Ybor, etc.) and places to see and experience (Copeland Park and Rowlett Park Trails, Sanwa Farmer's Market, Perry Harvey Park).

HART drops off for Erwin Tech. Center at 22nd St./Hillsborough Ave.

Erwin Technical Center, a Hillsborough County public vocational school, is accessible to students and faculty via a Route 12 stop at 22nd Street and Hillsborough Avenue. Starting March 1, Hillsborough County students (ages 18 and under) will be able to catch a ride to Erwin Technical Center (or anywhere else in the HART system) for FREE with their Hillsborough County School or HART Youth ID. The HART STAY-cation promotion ends June 10.

Service to New York is accessible via Amtrak's Silver Star

Interested in riding the rails? The Route 12 provides convenient service to Union Station, where riders can catch Amtrak's Silver Star, with service to New York, Miami and a number of destinations in between. Connections to The TECO Line Streetcar are available at Nuccio Parkway and 7th Ave, walking distance to Cadrecha Plaza Station.

As with a number of routes, the Route 12 connects to 28 different routes at Marion Transit Center, located at 1211 N. Marion St. in downtown Tampa. Intercity service to Miami, Tallahassee, etc. is also available via Megabus and RedCoach connections at Marion Transit Center.

From attractions, to education, HART Takes You There.