Hop on HART this School Year!

Welcome back, students! Another semester is here. If you're planning on using HART this school year, below is a quick reference guide on connecting to HART and the special fares available from your school.

What is HART?

Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART) is the public transportation service provider for Hillsborough County. HART serves Hillsborough County's employees, residents and visitors with bus, and van services. HART also operates the FREE 2.7-mile TECO Line Streetcar System, serving the restaurants, attractions and other entertainment venues of Ybor City, the Channel District and downtown Tampa.

HART Adult Student Fare program:

Schools participating in the HART Adult Student Fare program sell HART fare cards to their students for a 25% discount. Students can purchase a 31-Day Local Adult Student Fare Card for only $48.75 (normally $65) at their respective schools by showing their valid student ID. Please note, the adult student discount is not applicable if the pass is purchased at traditional HART sales outlets.

Click here for a listing of participating schools.

What's a fare card worth, if you can't connect to your school?

Luckily, HART has you covered with multiple routes connecting to over 20 colleges in Hillsborough County. Below, you'll find a listing of some of the schools that HART serves with bus, van, and streetcar services.

University of South Florida (USF)

USF Students ride HART FREE!

The following HART routes serve the USF area:

• MetroRapid (Route 400) - UATC/Fletcher Ave.
• Route 1 - Florida Ave.
• Route 5 - 40th St.
• Route 6 - 56th St.
• Route 9 - 15th St.
• Route 12 - 22nd St.
• Route 33 - Fletcher Ave.
• Route 42 - UATC
• Route 44 - UATC
• Route 45- UATC
• Route 48 - Fowler Ave./56th St./Morris Bridge
• Route 275LX - Bruce B. Downs Blvd./UATC

Students ride FREE on MetroRapid, HART Local, Limited Express and Flex routes with valid student ID. Faculty and staff ride for just 50¢.

For information on the U-Pass program, click here.

Hillsborough Community College (HCC)

We have a number of routes serving the HCC campuses throughout the county:

• Dale Mabry campus - Route(s) 7, 36
• Brandon campus - Route 37
• SouthShore campus - Route 31, HARTFlex South County
• Ybor City campus - Route(s) 5, 9, 12, the FREE TECO Line Streetcar

HCC Semester Pass: HCC students can purchase the HCC Semester Pass, providing over 4 months of unlimited rides on HART for just $110 - roughly 50% off! The Semester Pass can be purchased at all HCC Bookstores or by bringing your HCC Student ID to the Marion Transit Center or University Area Transit Center. The HCC Semester Pass is now a part of Flamingo Fares.

Students can also purchase a 31-Day Local Adult Student Fare Card for $48.75 at the bookstores of HCC's Dale Mabry, Brandon and Ybor City campuses.

 

UT students receive a 25% discount on 31-day passes

University of Tampa (UT)

HART serves UT via the following routes:

• Route 7 - West Tampa/Citrus Park
• Route 10 - Cypress St.
• Route 30 - Town 'N Country/Airport

Plan your school commute with HART

Your best bet is the HART Trip Planner. Simply type in your starting and endpoints, arrival time/date, hit "get directions," and let the planner do the rest.

Real-time HART arrival information and trip planning are also available with the OneBusAway Tampa app!

HART Travel Training 

The first Travel Training ride is FREE!

Need some assistance in getting started? HART Travel Training is a GREAT way to learn the ropes of riding public transportation. The service is FREE with trainers providing step-by-step instructions on how to understand the HART system (reading a map, signage, etc.) and figure out the best route that will take you to your destination.

You can call the HARTinfo line at 813-254-4278 to get started!

Have a GREAT semester!

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.

Get onboard with HART this school year!

Welcome back, students! Another summer is in the books and another school year is here. If you're planning on using HART this school year, below is a quick reference guide on connecting to HART and special fares from your school.

What is HART?

Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) is the public transportation service provider for Hillsborough County. HART serves Hillsborough County's employees, residents and visitors with 32 Local Routes, 13 Express Routes, and 5 Flex services. HART also operates the 2.7 mile TECO Line Streetcar System, serving the restaurants, attractions and other entertainment venues of Ybor City, the Channel District and downtown Tampa.

For a "how-to" video on riding HART, click here.

HART Adult Student Fare program:

Schools participating in the HART Adult Student Fare program sell HART fare cards to its students for a 25% discount. Students can purchase a 31-Day Local Adult Student Fare Card for only $45 (normally $60) at their respective schools by showing their valid student ID. Please note, the adult student discount is not applicable if the pass is purchased at traditional HART sales outlets.

Click here for a listing of participating schools.

What's a fare card worth, if you can't connect to your school?

Luckily, HART has you covered with multiple routes connecting to over 20+ colleges in Hillsborough County. Below, you'll find a listing of some of the schools that HART serves with bus, van and in some cases, streetcar service.

University of South Florida (USF):

The following HART routes serve the USF area:

• Route 1 - Florida Ave.
  
• Route 2 - Nebraska Ave.
• Route 5 - 40th St.
• Route 6 - 56th St.
• Route 9 - 15th St.
• Route 12 - 22nd St.
• Route 18 - 30th St.
• Route 33 - Fletcher Ave.
• Route 45 - U.A.T.C.
• Route 57 - U.A.T.C.

Students ride FREE on HART local, limited express and Flex routes with valid student ID. Faculty and staff ride for just 25¢.

For information on the U-Pass program, click here.

Hillsborough Community College (HCC):

We have a number of routes serving the HCC campuses around the county:

• Dale Mabry campus - Route 7
• Davis Islands (Admin. Office) - Routes 19, 46
• Brandon campus - Route 37
• SouthShore campus - Route 31, HARTFlex South County
• Ybor City campus - Routes 5, 8, 9, 12, 18, 46, the TECO Line Streetcar

Click here for a map of the HCC service area.

Students can purchase a 31-Day Local Adult Student Fare Card for $45 at the bookstores of HCC's Dale Mabry, Brandon and Ybor City campuses.

University of Tampa (UT):

HART serves UT via the following routes:

• Route 4 - Palma Ceia/MacDill
• Route 7 - West Tampa/Citrus Park
  
• Route 10 - Cypress St.
  
• Route 14 - Armenia Ave.
  
• Route 19 - Port Tampa
  
• Route 30 - Town 'N Country/Airport
  
• Route 46 - Davis Islands/West Brandon
  

Click here for a map of the UT service area.

Everest University:

HART serves Everest University with routes 34, 36.

Click here for a map of the Everest University service area.

Barry University:

Routes 7, 16 connected to Barry University.

Click here for a map of the Barry University service area.

Sanford Brown University:

HART connects to Sanford Brown via routes 6, 15, 32, 34, 37, 39, 41, 57

Click here for a map of the Sanford Brown University service area.

Ultimate Medical Academy:

HART connects to the Ultimate Medical Academy via routes 1, 9, 14, 39.

Click here for a map of the Ultimate Medical Academy service area.

Now that you've purchased your pass, what's the next step?

Plan your school commute with HART.

Your best bet is the HART Trip Planner. Simply type in your starting and end points, arrival time/date, hit "get directions," and let the planner do the rest. Bookmark the Trip Planner for easier access later. Can't get to our website, and need immediate assistance? Call the HARTinfo line at 813-254-4278, or visit us on Facebook and Twitter.

Hopefully, you found this guide helpful, if there is anything else that you think we should include (like your school), let us know in the "comments" section. Have a great school year!