HART Regular Meeting - February 2014 Recap

At Monday's meeting of the HART Board of Directors, HART Chief Executive Officer Philip R. Hale announced that he will retire effective May 2, explaining that he is retiring for family reasons. He offered his full assistance during the transition, and added "I'm incredibly proud of our accomplishments over the past three years and grateful to have had the opportunity to serve the people of Hillsborough County. During my tenure, HART has responded to many challenges, while always keeping in mind the best interests of our residents, businesses and all those who depend upon HART services. So, it is with a sense of fulfillment and some regret that I step away from the duties at HART to focus more on my family."

HART Board Members expressed their deep appreciation for Mr. Hale's hard work and dedication. During his tenure HART experienced some of its greatest growth and achieved historic accomplishments. Those included the launch of the first MetroRapid service in the state of Florida, high-tech innovations like the OneBusAway Tampa app, and an environmental step forward with the groundbreaking measure to transition vehicles to more eco-friendly Compressed Natural Gas.          

HART's first Compressed Natural Gas van recently arrived

In other matters, the HART Board of Directors approved several action items at its regular monthly meeting on Monday, February 3, including authorization to purchase 22 40-foot Gillig Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered heavy-duty transit buses, and approval to purchase one MV-1 paratransit van with mobility ramp.

During the meeting, Alvin Burns, HART Sr. Manager of Procurement and Contracts Administration, provided the Board an overview presentation of the legal services and solicitation process. The objective was to make the Board of Directors aware of the need to procure legal services for the upcoming expiring contracts in May 2014: General Litigation and Personal Injury and Worker's Compensation, and Labor and Employment. Mr. Burns discussed the various available procurement options in the solicitation process.   

The Board of Directors also received a detailed look at the authority's Fare Policy and Discounted Passes. Jeff Seward, HART Chief Financial Officer, gave a presentation on how HART staff has started to review the HART "Fare Structure and Fare Change Policy" and have identified further changes that the staff will recommend to the Board in its fare policy, along with regional fare structure. 

Next Regular Board of Directors Meetings

The HART Regular Board of Directors will take place Monday, March 3 at 9:00 a.m. at the HART Ybor Office, 1201. E. 7th Ave., in Tampa.

HART Ridership up 3.8% in August 2013!

Bus ridership for August 2013 was 1,268,962, or a 3.8 percent increase compared to the August 2012.    August 19 saw the greatest daily ridership throughout the month with 53,452 riders picking HART!   On average, each weekday HART is delivering more than 49,000 passenger trips on its growing network of buses, setting records in average daily ridership on HART fixed route service.  "This growth reflects the value of public transportation in the communities we serve," said HART Chief Executive Officer Philip Hale. "We are constantly looking for ways to better serve our customers and the boost in ridership is evidence that we are headed in the right direction." Fast facts:  MetroRapid saw 48,000 rides in August! MetroRapid ridership in August was 48,000 MetroRapid has increased 24.2 percent from June to August    Year-to-date (October 2012 - August 2013), bus ridership is up 3.0 percent; an increase of 391,028 trips, compared to the same period last year       Monthly bus ridership has been on the rise for the last 8 consecutive months    In addition, this year nearly 57,493 trips were taken as part of Summer Blast Pass. The purpose of the program is to familiarize youth to consider transit as alternative transportation, and it allows them to travel safely and independently throughout Hillsborough County. Some bus routes have demonstrated double-digit ridership growth over the past year,* showing that public transit use is up across all areas of Hillsborough County: Route 39 (Town 'N Country/Citrus Park to netp@rk Transfer Center via Busch Boulevard): 16.4 percent increase     Route 37 (Brandon to Netpark via Grand Regency Plaza): 13.8 percent increase Route 16 (Waters Avenue, between Northeast Tampa and Town 'N Country): 9.7 percent increase Route 9 (Downtown to University Area Transit Center via 15th street): 7.8 percent increase   Route 41 (Sligh Avenue, between West Tampa and NetPark): 7.6 percent increase (*January - August 2013)   For more information about HART, visit www.goHART.org.

HART Regular Board Meeting 7/15/13 - Recap

HART CEO Philip Hale

The HART Board held its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, July 15; the Board approved several action items on the agenda.

The HART Board's General Counsel also reported on HART Chief Executive Officer's performance evaluation. The board is pleased with Mr. Hale's performance and outstanding leadership.

In other matters, Jeffrey Seward, HART Chief Financial Officer, provided the Board an overview presentation of the FY2014 - FY2023 Transit Development Plan (TDP).   

Highlights of the Proposed FY2014 -FY2023 Transit Development Plan (TDP) Annual Overview:

• HART staff decided to do a complete TDP refresh in order to incorporate current community conversations and to ensure that the TDP and the HART budget are in alignment. (In the past the TDP and HART budget were not necessarily coupled.) 
• The TDP was a combined organizational effort involving input from every department to create a comprehensive overview of the agency
• The TDP is required in order to secure State Block Grant funding, and HART estimates that it will receive $4.3 million in FY2014
• HART will especially benefit from State Block Grant funding thanks to an increase in ridership. Ridership grew more than 18 percent between FY2008 and FY 2012, and more than 2.8 percent during the first eight months of 2013

Next Steps:

• HART Staff Finalize TDP Update 
• Full TDP Update for Board approval at first Budget Public Hearing in September
• The next step in the process is that HART will submit the approved TDP to the Florida Department of Transportation in late September 

Next Meeting:

HART Board Regular will meet Monday, August 5 at 9 a.m., at the HART Ybor Office, 1201. E. 7th Ave., in Tampa.

Smart Card technology and more discussed at HART Major Projects & Legislative Committee

An overview of capital improvement projects was provided during Monday's HART Board Major Projects and Legislative Committee at the HART Administrative Office in Ybor.

Construction on MetroRapid Park-n-Ride

Construction of MetroRapid North-South stations started on the north end of the corridor. This includes construction of six stations in Telecom Park, three stations in Hidden River, and Stations 42 and 44 at Magnolia Drive and Palm Drive on Fletcher Avenue. In addition, 14 Ticket Vending Machines were received by HART and are ready for installation! TVM's will be placed at large MetroRapid stations.  

HART is gearing up to begin design of a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling station by the end of this year, with construction scheduled to begin Spring 2013. In order to maximize the life of current HART vans and buses, conversion of the HART fleet will take place as older diesel-engine vehicles cycle out: CNG-powered vans and buses will be ordered to replace current diesel-powered vehicles that have reached their useful life. This conversion is scheduled to be completed within the next 6-12 years.

"Smart" fareboxes allow for various forms of payment

Lastly, HART announced that it will kick off a Farebox Replacement Working Group, and request participation by nearby transit agencies on a regional approach to modernize fareboxes and work towards a smart card system. This type of regional approach will assist with securing federal grants to fund this project, and increase user-friendliness by streamlining farebox systems.

"Fare media is connectivity," said Philip Hale, HART Chief Executive Officer, explaining that a streamlined farebox system is one of the best ways to make cross-county connections easy and seamless for customers.

The Farebox Replacement Working Group will evaluate the needs of existing and potential transit customers to first determine the most efficient type of modern farebox or smart card system that could be implemented at HART, if funding were available.  

Many HART fareboxes have been maximized beyond suggested usage, and currently only accept cash or HART farecards. Smart card technology increases customer convenience, speeds up boarding and reduces/eliminates fare collection. Various forms of "tap-and-go" smart card technology have been implemented by transit agencies throughout the country.

For more information about these HART and HART capital projects, visit www.goHART.org.

'Tis the Season for Giving

Mateo Baracaldo and his winning entry!

Mateo Baracaldo's ability to fully understand just how fortunate he is at the young age of 6, has garnered him (4) free tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Disney World in Orlando, along with some free Disney swag!

HART held a contest throughout November asking those 16 and under a simple question - what are you thankful for? Mateo's essay was picked by HART CEO Philip Hale, out of a number of written entries received by HART and Radio Disney.

While the Disney tickets are great and the swag is cool, this is the season for giving. So another part of Mateo's prize, was the opportunity to pick a deserving family to win a free 32" LCD TV and a $100 grocery gift card, presumably to be used on a Holiday dinner.

Mateo chose Ms. Nidias Burgos, his former Pre-Kindergarten teacher in the Head Start program, which is designed to ensure that every student has an equal chance to succeed in kindergarten. Mateo wrote to us to tell us why he selected Ms. Burgos. 

Mateo's and Ms. Burgos' families together with the gifts.

"I picked Ms. Burgos' family because she's very nice and helpful. She deserves it. Cause she bought my Dad a cake on his birthday and she's a hard worker and helps others. And I love her and she has a beautiful heart. And it's pay back time."

Now, Mateo and his family get to enjoy a magical day with the Mouse in Orlando and Ms. Burgos and her family get to enjoy a nice Holiday classic on their new 32" TV, following a nice dinner!

In life, a little cake goes a long way.

Keep an ear out for Mateo, because he will be on Radio Disney AM 1380's Kid's Concern Show in the coming weeks to discuss his essay and the nominated family.

A nice beginning to a HART-Felt holiday season!

HART Awarded $2.3 Million Federal Grant for CNG Fueling Station

A follow up on the HART Board recap in which there was discussion on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Thursday that HART is the recipient of a $2.3 million grant to fund a CNG fueling station and associated modifications to an existing HART maintenance facility. This is the first step for HART towards transitioning vans and buses from using diesel to CNG, which is cleaner and more efficient to use in public transit. "Natural gas offers a cost-effective alternative to diesel fuel," said Philip Hale, HART Chief Executive Officer. "Natural gas is available domestically and at this time, costs approximately 20-25 percent less than diesel." The preliminary project timeline includes design and construction through 2012, and an operational CNG fueling station in 2013. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation - Federal Transit Administration (FTA), HART is one of 46 innovative clean-fuel transit projects nationwide that will share $112 million in funding from two FTA programs: the Clean Fuels Grant Program and the TIGGER III (Transit Investment in Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction) Grant Program.   To view a summary of other HART capital projects underway, visit HART at Work.

About CNG & Public Transit

Natural gas is a clear, odorless and non-corrosive gaseous mixture of hydro-carbons. Natural gas vehicles show an average reduction in ozone-forming emissions of 80 percent compared to gasoline vehicles, according to a report from the California Energy Commission. Many transit agencies nationwide are transitioning to CNG vehicles, including DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit), which plans over the next three years to deploy more than 650 new CNG buses and paratransit vehicles as replacements for its current fleet of buses that began service in 1998. In addition, LA Metro (Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority) retired its last diesel bus in January 2011.