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: 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.