HART has you covered with upgraded bus stops and shelters!

One out of five of HART's 3,200 stops are shelters! 

HART is fully committed to its progressive Bus Stop Improvement Program, which will make all bus stops ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant; not just for someone in a wheelchair, but anyone with any kind of mobility device. For the past couple of years, a route-by-route assessment has been underway for all of the agency's approximately 3,200 bus stops and 681 shelters to ensure they comply with these standards. Sites scheduled for improvements are chosen based on ridership activity and demand, proximity to other nearby covered stops, adequate right-of-way, opportunities to sell advertisements, and planned neighborhood improvements. 

This project, known as the Bus Stop Improvement Program, also provides all riders with enhanced passenger amenities such as, bus bays, new sidewalks and shelters to help protect customers from the rain and hot sunshine. This is especially significant since 55.3 percent of HART riders board at shelters.

All new shelters are lit by solar power, saving taxpayer money on electrical costs and making them environmentally friendly. By using solar power the authority's energy savings will return the cost of investment while enjoying increased safety, less maintenance, and a smaller carbon footprint! Meanwhile HART has already tripled the number of covered stops from one shelter for every 15 stops to one shelter for every five stops.

The latest installation completed was placement of a bus bay on Fowler Avenue and 53rd Street in the City of Temple Terrace. To match the city's Mediterranean-style theme it was given a custom Spanish-tiled roof. The installation also includes stand-alone seating to accommodate the high volume of patrons that utilize the stop.    

Also, completed were bus bay projects on the south side of Progress Blvd east of I-75 at Valley Dale Drive in front of Villages of Bloomingdale Apartments and MLK Jr. Blvd and Interstate Corporate Center just west of I-4.

Improvements also have other practical benefits for riders, for example, an insufficient number of stops can diminish customer access to HART services, so creating new stops under the Bus Stop Improvement Program addresses that issue. Similarly, optimizing the distances between bus stops helps ensure that buses stay on schedule by cutting down on unnecessary, inefficient stops that can cause delays.

The Bus Stop Improvement Program is supported by federal funding, as well as local impact fees. In addition, this program is driven by partnerships. An advertising contract with Signal Outdoor, for instance, helps offset shelter costs. Signal Outdoor pays for shelters and their maintenance, in exchange for shared advertising revenue. HART also engages with private developers, local government and the Florida Department of Transportation for opportunities to obtain land easements or offset construction cost.

Answering Your Questions

Thank you to our HART customers who attended the public hearing on Wednesday, which is required as part of the application HART filed for federal funding.

We received some comments during the hearing that we would like to address.

Bikes on Buses

For instance, a comment was made about bicycle racks on the bus. The front of each bus comes equipped with racks for two bicycles, and if the rack is full, customers must be prepared to wait for the next bus or choose a safe location to lock up their bicycle. This is not new, but the increased use of these bicycle racks means more customers may be waiting for the next bus.

HART has previously tested racks that have room for three bicycles. However, this was considered a safety hazard because it increased the length of the bus and limited its turn radius. HART drivers already manage some tight turns throughout Hillsborough County’s 1,100 square miles, and bus routes are carefully planned to make sure all turns on a route allow for a safe turning radius.

But, there is a silver lining! In November 2011, bicycle racks were installed on all HARTFlex vans and folding bicycles are now permitted on all buses and HARTFlex vans. Lastly, MetroRapid North-South will open to the public in early 2013, and medium and large MetroRapid stations will feature bicycle racks so customers have a safe and convenient place to lock up their bicycles.

Route 15

Some other questions were asked about Route 15, a popular route that saw 16 percent growth in 2011 compared to the previous year. Some customers present at the meeting suggested removing the International Plaza stop on Route 15 to add more time to the route. However, keep in mind that ridership numbers indicate that this stop is among our top 5 percent in bus stop activity (pick-ups and drop-offs).

Bus Stops

Other residents had questions about what factors are considered to remove, relocate or add bus stops. HART has a program in place to make a route-by-route assessment of all bus stops to make sure they meet, most importantly, ADA standards, as well as spacing standards to help maximize the efficiency of bus schedules. HART also considers the unique circumstances of each site, including convenience of passenger transfers to other routes, open and visible spaces for personal security and passenger visibility, protected crossings at signalized or stop-controlled intersections, among others. Bus stops are usually spaced about 750-1,250 feet apart.

Because of this bus stop improvement program, in FY2010, 113 shelters were installed and 79 bus stops were upgraded; in FY2011, 50 shelters were installed and 218 bus stops were upgraded. More shelters are planned for installation over the next year, including for Routes 6, 34 and 39. This is good news for HART customers who seek protection from the sometimes harsh weather elements of this area.

Have any questions that you want answered? Leave them in the comments section below and we'll get on them. If it's a common question, we'll probably address in a blog post like this!