HART Invites Community to Help Shape the Future of Transit in Hillsborough County

HART is inviting residents to help shape the future of public transportation in Hillsborough County. Beginning Monday, March 2, through Friday, April 3, 2026, community members can participate in an online survey and attend in-person Vision Workshops to share their ideas and priorities for transit improvements over the next decade.

HART is updating its Vision Plan in 2026 to establish a list of strategic priorities that will guide how and where public transportation grows in the years ahead. The plan will explore potential service frequency improvements, new routes, alternative service types, and enhancements to the overall rider experience.

While many of the proposed projects identified in the Vision Plan may currently be unfunded, public input will play a critical role in shaping HART’s long-term direction and future investment priorities.

Take the Survey

The primary way to participate is by completing the online survey at HARTVisionPlan.com between March 2 and April 3, 2026.

At the end of the survey, participants may enter for a chance to win a $150 gift card.

Attend a Vision Workshop

In addition to the survey, HART will host 10 interactive Vision Workshops throughout March and early April. These sessions will provide opportunities for deeper discussion and feedback tailored to specific communities across the county.

All workshops will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the following locations:

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library

2607 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Tampa, FL 33610

Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Everglades University, Tampa Campus

5010 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33609

Thursday, March 12, 2026

North Tampa Branch Library

8916 N. Blvd., Tampa, FL 33604

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Victor Crist Community Center Complex

14013 N. 22nd St., Tampa, FL 33613

Thursday, March 19, 2026

Town ’N Country Regional Public Library

7606 Paula Dr., #120, Tampa, FL 33615

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

HCC SouthShore Campus

551 24th St. NE, Ruskin, FL 33570

Thursday, March 26, 2026

Brandon Regional Library

619 Vonderburg Dr., Brandon, FL 33511

Monday, March 30, 2026

Emanuel P. Johnson Recreation Center

5855 S. 78th St., Tampa, FL 33619

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Tampa Firefighters Museum

720 E. Zack St., Tampa, FL 33602

Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library

3910 S. Manhattan Ave., Tampa, FL 33611

Help Create the Vision

HART encourages residents, businesses, community leaders, and stakeholders to participate and help create a clear, community-driven vision for transit improvements.

To take the survey or learn more, visit HARTVisionPlan.com.

 

HART taking System Redesign to the Community

HART is now in the midst of redesigning its transit system in time for FY2018 in October.

Recognizing that a one-size-fits-all approach to transit does not meet every community's needs, HART began working with Hillsborough County residents last year to identify transportation options that are more cost effective and better meet their needs.

Employment centers and commuting patterns have changed quite a bit since the last time a Comprehensive Operations Analysis of HART service was done in 2003. This service redesign takes that into account with new proposed connections, such as Brandon and the University area to WestShore and Tampa International Airport.

In the first phase, we collected community feedback on travel preferences and with this next phase, we are taking the result of those conversations (a redesigned network) to the public.

In the short-term, the service redesign will provide better travel times and more direct service to roughly 80% of current riders.

Long-term, HART is preparing for the future. The proposed network hits the "reset button" on HART service, providing a solid foundation for the future expansion of the HART network, as laid out in our 10-year Transit Development Plan. The proposed redesign provides the right mix of services and connections to get people where they need to go as our communities grow.

Plenty of opportunities to comment on the proposed redesign!

HART is Seeking Input 

HART will be hosting a series of public meetings beginning June 14 for residents and riders to give feedback on the proposed network redesign. HART staff will be on hand to gather feedback and answer any questions. A public hearing will be held on July 26.

Following extensive community outreach throughout June and July, HART staff will present the plan to the HART Board of Directors at the August meeting.

Your ideas are encouraged at any of the following public meeting opportunities.

In addition, you can visit www.goHART.org/TDP for more information on this important plan, including an interactive map of the proposed network redesign.

Recap of June 20 HART Finance Committee Meeting

Highlights of the Transit Development Plan (TDP) were presented during the most recent HART Board Finance, Governance & Administration Committee meeting, held June 20. 

The TDP is a 10-year transportation blueprint and business plan for HART to meet the mobility needs of this community. The State of Florida requires local transit agencies to produce yearly progress reports of their TDP and undertake a major update of it every five years. This year, HART is undertaking a major update.




Visit http://www.gohart.org/TDP for TDP info

  Since April, HART has been seeking public input for its TDP, receiving feedback from residents on the types of new and enhanced transit services they would like see over the next decade. In addition to public input, the HART Planning Department has been incorporating new available data into the TDP update, such as 2010 Census numbers, ridership trends and funding projections. An overarching vision plan has been developed, as well as an action plan, which focuses on bus service and other cost-affordable strategies.

View a summary of the comments gathered during April and May

Residents may view the most current TDP at http://www.gohart.org/tdp, where they can also submit their feedback. The TDP is scheduled to be finalized in August.  

Leading into the TDP presentation, Betty Kennedy of Baycare highlighted Legislative Transportation Days, a recent example of how more legislators, businesses and community leaders are becoming aware about the benefits and challenges of public transportation.   



HART Board Member Sandra Murman
hosts a group for
Legislative Transportation Awareness Day

During May, HART partnered with Baycare to host this successful event, which created awareness about the important role public transportation plays in decreasing the cost of healthcare and dependency on government programs. For instance, by teaching people to use public transit to get to their doctor's appointments for preventative care, less taxpayer money is spent on expensive hospital room stays for emergency care.



More than 50 legislators, business owners and community leaders participated in Legislative Transportation Awareness Days, including representatives from the offices of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis and Kathy Castor.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandra Murman hosted a mixed group of business, community and state leaders for a tour of the route 30 running from Downtown Tampa/Tampa International Airport to Town ‘n Country.  The group caught the bus heading west from Marion Transit Way in downtown, for lunch at Westshore Plaza.  Shortly after lunch, the group was on its way back to downtown.  Overall, the group was impressed with the cleanliness, convenience, and cost of the service.

Upcoming Meetings

In honor of Independence Day, the HART Board will not have its regular meeting Monday, July 4. The next Finance Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 18, 9 a.m., at the HART Ybor Office. 

Tackling the TDP... We Need Your Help!

HART is in the process of updating our Transit Development Plan (TDP). The TDP is a plan to serve the mobility needs of Hillsborough County residents, employees and visitors over the next 10 years. HART is currently undergoing a major update to the plan, which is required every 5 years. Throughout the months of April and May, HART staffers were out in the community gathering feedback on the Needs phase of the plan. The Needs phase of the TDP asked for community comments on what the county's transportation needs were. This is what we received...

HART staff collected this data, looked at variables that could affect HART over the next 10 years, and drafted the 2012-2021 Vision Plan. The Vision Plan will be used to guide HART transit planning over the next 10 years.

Staff also reviewed HART revenues currently available to HART and projected out the amount of funding that would be available to HART over the next 10 years. These projections led to the creation of the Status Quo Plan. Basically, the Status Quo plan looks at what projects and services HART could take on with existing funding.

The two plans are currently in draft form. This is where you come in...

Just like the first phase of the plan, HART is asking for feedback on the plans from the community. You can find the Transit Development Plan on the HART website here. There you can look at an overview of the two plans and even leave us comments on the plans via the web.

This is your chance to help shape the direction of transit planning in Hillsborough County over the next 10 years.