Celebrate Earth Day with 50% Off Your HART Fare! 🌱🌎

This Earth Day, HART is making it easier—and more affordable—to make a greener choice.

To celebrate, riders can enjoy 50% off stored value in the Flamingo Fares app or on FlamingoFares.com by using promo code EARTHDAY on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Whether you're commuting to work, heading to school, or exploring Hillsborough County, now is the perfect time to try a more sustainable way to get around.

Public transportation plays a vital role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and easing traffic congestion. Every trip taken on HART helps cut down on the number of cars on the road, leading to cleaner air and a healthier community for everyone.

With Flamingo Fares, going green is simple. The app and smart card system provide a convenient, contactless way to pay your fare—no paper passes required. Just load value, enter the promo code, and ride.

This Earth Day, small choices can make a big impact. Choosing HART means fewer emissions, less congestion, and a more sustainable future for our region.

Celebrate Earth Day with 50% off your HART fare—use promo code EARTHDAY in the Flamingo Fares app and start riding greener today.

*Offer only valid on Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Every Day is Earth Day at HART!

Over 50 years ago, the first Earth Day was held around the country with over 20 million people participating in the event to create awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural beauty. One day out of 365 days to appreciate the Earth and protect it. Shouldn't the Earth be a concern... every day? That's the thought process at HART. What we do naturally has a connection with "green", through taking cars off the road, reducing carbon emissions and providing for more walkable communities. 

In fact, the American Public Transportation (APTA), shows that public transportation saves the United States 4.2 billion gallons of gas annually and saves the U.S. $13.7 billion in congestion each year! As an organization, we feel it's necessary to be a responsible organization focused on environmental sustainability. That's why we don't just rest on the numbers above. HART has taken a number of steps to ensure that as an organization we are doing our part for the planet. With over 800 employees and 200+ vehicles, the meat and potatoes are in the waste that HART recycles during our day-to-day maintenance and operating of our organization.

Here are some of the steps that HART takes in regards to our fleet vehicles:

• The entire fleet is EPA-certified
  

• 

  HART operates 85 CNG buses

  Began fleet transition to cleaner-burner Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in 2014; currently operating 85 CNG vehicles
• Since 2014, the HART fleet has reduced Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 20%, the equivalent of removing over 3,000 cars off the road!
• Waste oil, used non-crushed oil filters, coolant, scrap metal, aluminium is all recycled
• Freon is reused after being captured by a reclaim system
• HART purchases recycled and environmentally-friendly coolants
• Use of synthetic oils, which extends the life of the oil and minimizes the number of times we have to drain it
• 80% recyclable vehicle wash systems

Steps HART takes in regards to our transit facilities:

• Waterless urinals and low-water consumption equipment are in place
• Solar film was installed at Marion Transit Center to improve cooling efficiency
• Motion sensor lights in restroom facilities
• Electric hand dryers
• Fluorescent bulbs are crushed; glass remains and mercury are recycled
• All chemicals and cleaners are green-certified
• Use of non-aerosol sprays
• No-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints that can have pretty serious health effects (liver/kidney damage)
• Bus shelters utilize solar panels for lighting
• All office paper, batteries, copier toner cartridges and electronic circuit boards are recycled

With over 800+ employees, 200+ vehicles, and 7.7 million miles traveled by our service vehicles last year, you can imagine just how much waste is recycled. 

HART also took the "LEED" during the renovation of our HART Operations Facility into a Leadership into Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building. The redesign introduced a slew of new windows into the building, taking advantage of natural lighting. Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting (consuming 50% less electricity than fluorescent lighting) also features throughout the building. 

The name of the game is sustainability. Using public transportation is one of a variety of possible sustainable commutes, but know that beyond the buses, vans and streetcars, HART is doing its part for the environment! 

Find out how much you can reduce your carbon footprint by using the Carbon Savings Calculator.

Ride HART FREE on Earth Day!

Public transportation takes cars (and their pollution) off the road!

The ultimate green initiative is public transportation!

Consider yourself environmentally conscious? Have energy-efficient light bulbs, low-flow shower-heads, and recycle bins in your house, but then drive a gas guzzler to work? There is still work to be done! Use Earth Day as a chance to give the ultimate green initiative a try - public transportation! You just might find out how easy it is to go on a car-free diet.

According to APTA, public transportation reduces energy consumption to the tune of 4.2 billion gallons of gas a year, or the equivalent to 320 million cars filling up - 900,000 times a day. A household's biggest carbon footprint contributor is their car. One person switching their 20-mile commute to public transportation can also reduce their carbon footprint by 4,800 pounds of CO2 annually. CO2, or carbon dioxide emissions have been linked to global climate change.

Ride Free on Earth Day

Ride FREE on Earth Day!

Still not convinced? How about a FREE ride on HART in celebration of Earth Day? Grab a friend, make a day of it, and try HART. We are providing FREE rides on all services on Monday, April 22.

We believe you will be pleasantly surprised at how affordable, clean, and convenient it is to get around with HART.

The cherry on top? There is a good chance that you'll be riding in a clean-burning, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) bus or van, as HART transitions our fleet away from diesel. HART currently operates 70 CNG buses.

Try transit! Your planet (and wallet) will thank you!

To calculate your carbon emissions savings by switching to transit, visit APTA's Carbon Emissions Savings Calculator.

Ride HART FREE with a Friend on Earth Day!

Public transportation takes cars (and their pollution) off the road!

The ultimate green initiative is public transportation!

Consider yourself environmentally conscious? Have energy-efficient light bulbs, low-flow shower-heads, and recycle bins in your house, but then drive a gas guzzler to work? There is still work to be done! Use Earth Day as a chance to give the ultimate green initiative a try - public transportation! You just might find out how easy it is to go on a car-free diet.

According to APTA, public transportation reduces energy consumption to the tune of 4.2 billion gallons of gas a year, or the equivalent to 320 million cars filling up - 900,000 times a day. A household's biggest carbon footprint contributor is their car. One person switching their 20-mile commute to public transportation can also reduce their carbon footprint by 4,800 pounds of CO2 annually. CO2, or carbon dioxide emissions have been linked to global climate change known as "global warming".

Ride Free with a Friend

Ride HART FREE with a Friend on Earth Day!

Still not convinced? How about a FREE ride on HART for Earth Day? Grab a friend, make a day out of it, and try HART. We are providing FREE rides for those riding with a friend on Saturday, April 22, in celebration of Earth Day.

We feel that you'll be pleasantly surprised at how affordable, clean, convenient, and awesome it is to get around with HART.

The cherry on top? There's a good chance that you'll be riding in a clean-burning, American-sourced, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) bus or van, as HART is currently transitioning our fleet away from dirty diesel.

Try transit! Your planet (and wallet) will thank you!

To calculate your carbon emissions savings by switching to transit, visit APTA's Carbon Emissions Savings Calculator.

EVERY day is Earth Day at HART!

Earth Month, Earth Day, Earth Week, Earth Hour... days, weeks and hours devoted to Mother Earth. What's it really mean when Earth Month shares April with Cranberries and Gooseberries Month, Straw Hat Month and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Month? Designations that are great company... if you're a gooseberry growing, straw hat wearing, IBS sufferer.

The point is that while it is great that society has taken the time to designate a day in celebration of the Earth, we ask if that's enough? Is one hour, day, week, month or even year good enough to celebrate and create awareness for the protection of the environment?

At HART, EVERY day is Earth Day. We live it, we breathe it, we love it and we're not alone. Environmentalism and public transportation go way back as transit by nature (no pun intended) is green.

One bus can take up 50 cars off the road!

It's easy to see why! Did you know that just one 40-foot bus can take up to 50 gas-guzzling, carbon emissions-spewing cars off the road? How about that a two-car household can reduce their carbon emissions by 4800 pounds or 10% annually, just by switching their commute to public transportation?

Do you love heavy doses of carbon dioxide? Neither does the environment. Carbon dioxide contributes to smog in cities as well as some scientists believing that it contributes to the gradual warming of the Earth. Luckily, public transportation saves 37 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. That number is equivalent to emissions resulting from electricity generated for ALL of the households in D.C., New York City, Atlanta, Denver and Los Angeles... combined.

Looking to reduce your carbon footprint?

The great thing is that there are fairly easy ways to reduce your footprint. Check out this Carbon Savings Calculator to see how much you can reduce your carbon footprint by switching part or all your travel to public transportation.

HART Green Initiatives

At HART, we not only help others go green, but we like to practice what we preach. Over the years,

CNG buses reduce carbon monoxide by 90% over diesel

HART has focused on being more environmentally responsible with a number of green initiatives including: transitioning our fleet to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), becoming ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management System (EMS) compliant (one of 14 agencies nationwide), solar panels on shelters, kickoff of employee recycling program, recyclable vehicle wash systems and a LEED-certified renovation of our Operations and Maintenance facility.

Want to do your part?

Businesses:

If you're looking to do your part as a business owner, Best Workplaces for Commuters has a top 10 list of ways to help green your employees' commute. The HART Corporate Transit Program may be an option. Federal law entitles all U.S. employers to a completely tax-deductible business expense of up to $255 per employee per month toward the cost of using public transportation.  Funds can also be allocated to vanpooling.

Individuals:

HART is a great way to start doing your part. Not only are you saving the environment, you're also saving money (up to $10,000 a year), reducing congestion and relieving stress.

If you're already riding HART, the next best thing to do is share how easy HART is with a friend. Go green and save some green too!

Green at HART

Forty-one years ago, the first Earth Day was held around the country with over 20 million people participating in the event to create awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural beauty. One day out of 365 days (366 when you throw a leap year into the mix) to appreciate the Earth and protecting it.

Shouldn't the Earth be a concern... every day? That's the thought process at HART.

What we do naturally has a connection with "green", through taking cars off the road, reducing carbon emissions and providing for more walkable communities. In fact, the American Public Transportation (APTA), shows that public transportation saves the United States 4.2 billion gallons of gas annually and saves the U.S. $13.7 billion in congestion each year!

As an organization, we feel it's necessary to be a responsible organization focused on environmental sustainability. That's why we don't just rest on the numbers above.

HART has taken a number of steps to ensure that as an organization we are doing our part for the planet. Sure we have some hybrid buses and some hybrid staff vehicles, but the meat and potatoes is in the waste that HART recycles during our day-to-day maintaining and operating of the buses and the 750+ employee organization.

Steps that HART takes in regards to our fleet vehicles:

• Entire fleet is EPA certified
• Replaced 38% of our bus fleet with the latest EPA-certified low emission engines
  
• Waste oil, used non-crushed oil filters, coolant, scrap metal, aluminum is all recycled
  
• Freon is reused after being captured by a reclaim system
• HART purchases recycled and environmentally friendly coolants
• Use of synthetic oils, which extends the life of the oil and minimizes the number of times we have to drain it
• 80% recyclable vehicle wash systems
  

Steps HART takes in regards to our transit facilities:

• Waterless urinals and low-water consumption equipment are in place
• Solar film was recently (April 2011) installed at Marion Transit Center to improve cooling efficiency
• Motion sensor lights in restroom facilities
• Electric hand dryers
  
• Fluorescent bulbs are crushed; glass remains and mercury are recycled
• All chemicals and cleaners are green certified
• Use of non-aerosol sprays
• No-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints that can have pretty serious health effects (liver/kidney damage)
• 65% of our bus shelters have solar panels, with plans to include panels on all our shelters within 2 years
• All office paper, batteries, copier toner cartridges and electronic circuit boards are recycled
  

With over 750+ employees, 200+ vehicles, and over 10 million miles traveled by our service vehicles last year, you can imagine just how much waste is recycled.

HART has also operated on a compressed work week schedule since 2008 for our Administrative Office in Ybor. The office is closed every other Friday, allowing HART to realize some energy cost savings through a reduction in energy consumption.

Shortly, HART will also take the "LEED" by beginning construction on the HART Operations Facility renovation into a Leadership into Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building - get it? Lead... LEED? The redesign will introduce a slew of new windows into the building, taking advantage of natural lighting. Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting (consuming 50% less electricity than fluorescent lighting) will also be featured throughout the building.

The name of the game nowadays is sustainability. Using public transportation is one of a variety of possible sustainable commutes, but know that beyond the buses, vans and streetcars, HART is doing its part for the environment!

In the past HART has been named a "Best Workplace for Commuters", given a "Clean Air Partnership Designation", and received "GreenFleet" status through the Enivronmental Protection Commission.

HART would like to extend the "green" gesture, by offering FREE rides on the HART system (not including the TECO Line Streetcar and HARTplus) on Earth Day, April 22, when you ride with a friend!

You can't beat saving a little green, while going green!

Find out how much you can reduce your carbon footprint by using the Carbon Savings Calculator on the HART of Green page at www.goHART.org/HART_of_green!

A Commute that Pays You Back!

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) released their new Transit Savings report showing how much Americans can save by leaving their car in the garage and taking public transportation. The APTA report shows that on average, Americans can save $10,116 a year or $843 a month.

Over $10,000 a year by giving up the wheel, picking up a book and letting HART do the driving! With the cost of a 1-day unlimited ride pass at $3.75 a day ($60 MONTHLY pass) and most routes running every 15-30 minutes, your weekly $60 fill up doesn't look so tantalizing anymore, eh?

We previously mentioned on this blog around the New Year, the Top 10 Reasons to Try Transit in 2011. Our #2 reason to try transit was the threat of $3-a-gallon gas. Only four months removed from that list, and crude oil prices on the rise, we are looking at close to $4-a-gallon gas.

Riding with HART makes even more sense when you realize that monetary savings are only one piece of the puzzle. Studies show that transit riders are three times more likely to meet fitness guidelines (30 minutes a day of physical activity) than drivers. Not to mention the reduction in stress by trading in the steer-wheel gripping gridlock for a nice book or end-of-day power nap.

The suh-weetest part of it all, is that should you find yourself in an emergency or an unplanned situation, you can catch a taxi cab ride to your destination, FREE. Actually, you can catch up to eight free taxi cabs annually. There are some restrictions, but as long as you ride the bus two times a week, TBARTA Commuter Services has you covered. To register, call them at (800) 998-RIDE.

If you're not yet convinced on transit, how about the good ol' fashion "everyone else is doing it" argument? Going "green" is in and terms like "global warming", "carbon footprint", and "eco-friendly" have all become a part of the general vernacular. Do you have energy-efficient light bulbs, low-flow shower-heads, and recycle bins in your house, but then drive a gas guzzler to work? Then, there is still work to be done.

The ultimate green initiative is public transportation!

According to APTA, public transportation reduces energy consumption to the tune of 4.2 billion gallons of gas a year, or the equivalent to 320 million cars filling up - 900,000 times a day. A household's biggest carbon footprint contributor is their car. One person switching their 20-mile commute to public transportation can also reduce their carbon footprint by 4,800 pounds of CO2 annually. CO2, or carbon dioxide emissions have been linked to global climate change known as "global warming".

Hopefully by now, you're at least considering a trip on HART. Should you need a bigger push, then try us out - FREE! On Earth Day - April 22, HART is offering FREE rides on all local routes when you board with a friend. They don't even have to be your BFF (best friend forever). Make a new friend at your stop and give HART a shot. We feel that you'll be pleasantly surprised at how affordable, clean, convenient, and awesome it is to get around with HART.

Trust us, your mind, body, and wallet will thank you!

To calculate how much you individually can save by switching to transit, visit APTA's Fuel Savings Calculator.

For information on HART services, visit www.goHART.org, or for a "how-to ride" HART video, visit our YouTube channel.