HART Operators Compete in Tampa Bay Regional Roadeo!

HART, MCAT and PSTA held the annual Regional Roadeo last weekend at PSTA's Operations and Maintenance Facility. Bus operators from HART, MCAT and PSTA showcased their driving skills in various challenges.

Almost 40 operators were judged on a rigid, scored course, consisting of different obstacles. Operators were evaluated on 16 criteria including a pre-trip inspection of their vehicle, uniform compliance, 11 different driving challenges, smoothness of operation, and safety habits - all on a timed course. 

Participants also had to conduct a vehicle inspection to locate pre-set defects that would render the vehicle inoperable and/or unsafe.

HART Bus Operator Crystal Edwards placed #2 out of 37 HART, MCAT and PSTA operators and was among seven HART operators competing in the Roadeo. 

Joining these competitors were employees and vendors from both agencies who volunteered as judges and assessed contestants driving skills, knowledge of safety rules, time performance and maintenance skills. 

HART's first, second and third place winners

Roadeo Results (Among HART operators)

• 1st Place - Crystal Edwards - 2nd place overall
• 2nd Place - Guarionex Falero Ramos
• 3rd Place - Tia Allen

Crystal Edwards now advances to the State Roadeo held in Orlando. Winners from the State competition move on to the APTA International Bus Roadeo.

HART Offers Free Rides to Cross-Bay Ferry Riders!

HART is providing free bus, van, and streetcar rides to passengers of the newly relaunched Cross-Bay Ferry! Riders simply need to show their ferry ticket to the operator and enjoy the ride.

In Hillsborough County, passengers can board any HART fixed-route bus or van service (HARTPLUS excluded), or the TECO Line Streetcar System for free. Ferry riders can pick up the TECO Line Streetcar at Dick Greco Plaza Station, just across the street from the Ferry Terminal.

Catch free streetcar service to Ybor across from Ferry Terminal

Streetcar service operates every 15 minutes, with weekday service (Monday through Thursday) from 7 AM - 11 PM, with extended hours on Friday until 2 AM. In addition, Saturday service operates every 15 minutes, from 8:30 AM – 2 AM and Sunday 8:30 AM – 11 PM.

Ferry riders can also connect to HART’s robust transit network to enjoy the sights and sounds of Busch Gardens, the shopping of International Plaza, and more. The HART Route(s) 8 and 19 are just a short walk from the Cross-Bay Ferry dock.

HART's central transit hub, Marion Transit Center, is located in downtown and provides a connection to roughly 15 HART routes. Riders can use the HART Trip Planner to map out their trip!

To enjoy the free ride, passengers are required to present a same-day Ferry ticket to the bus, trolley or streetcar operator upon boarding. The Cross-Bay Ferry runs from November 1, 2019, through April 22, 2020. The Ferry will operate seven days a week, except for holidays. Please check the schedule on the Cross-Bay Ferry’s website for the latest information.

Join the Flock: HART Needs Flamingo Fares Testers!

Join the flock - we need Flamingo Fares Testers!

Flamingo Fares continues to take flight!

HART and PSTA are currently seeking the public's help in beta testing Flamingo Fares, our new mobile ticketing app and smartcard system, before we release it to the general public later this year.

HART and PSTA, along with transit systems in Pasco, Sarasota, and Hernando counties are adopting Flamingo Fares as the regional fare collection system, which will allow riders to use a single payment method for travel on/between any of the participating transit systems.

Recruitment for the testing phase is now open and will run through mid-April. Hillsborough and Pinellas counties are each seeking 200 participants interested in testing the phone app and smartcard. Interested participants can apply at either gohart.org/FlamingoTesters or psta.net/FlamingoTesters, depending on the county in which they primarily ride. Selected participants will receive an email within two weeks of submitting their application with instructions and next steps.

Flamingo Fares has been in pilot testing (with limited fares) since 2016.

Fare Capping

A new feature that will launch with Flamingo Fares later this year is fare capping.

Fare-capping provides a "fairer" way to pay, with "pay-as-you-go" pricing!

For example, instead of a purchasing a 31-day pass upfront, once you ridden HART enough to "earn" a 31-day pass, you won't be charged the rest of the month! Take advantage of the financial benefit of purchasing a 31-day pass - without the upfront cost!

Check out the video below for more information on how fare capping works.



Our initial testing group will provide our teams with valuable insight and feedback to ensure a smooth deployment once the service launches later this year.

For more information on Flamingo Fares, click here.

Fun, Food, and Fierce Competition at 2018 HART/PSTA Regional Bus Roadeo

HART and PSTA held the annual Regional Roadeo last weekend at the HART Operations and Maintenance Facility. Bus and van operators from HART and PSTA, as well as, two teams of PSTA mechanics showcased their driving and vehicle maintenance skills. 

"I am proud of all our drivers who participated in the HART and PSTA Regional Bus Roadeo," said HART Chief Operating Officer Ruthie Reyes Burckard. "Their participation is voluntary and demonstrates their commitment to safety and strengthening their skills."

More than 29 operators were judged on a rigid, scored course, consisting of 11 different obstacles. Operators were evaluated on 16 criteria including a pre-trip inspection of their vehicle, uniform compliance, 11 different driving challenges, smoothness of operation, and safety habits - all on a timed course. The van operators competition consisted of the same obstacle course and also included a wheelchair deployment following ADA protocol as part of their criteria. The 6 PSTA maintenance technicians were tasked with finding preset defects on six modules including air conditioning, powertrain, and more. Participants also had to conduct a vehicle inspection to locate pre-set defects that would render the vehicle inoperable and/or unsafe.

Operators were judged on 11 different obstacles

Joining these competitors were approximately 75 employees and vendors from both agencies who volunteered as judges and assessed contestants driving skills, knowledge of safety rules, time performance and maintenance skills. First place finishers advanced to the State competition held in Daytona Beach on April 27 and could advance to the 2018 APTA International Bus Roadeo hosted jointly by HART and PSTA at the PSTA Operations facility in St. Petersburg on May 6, 2018.

Results

HART

HART - Bus Operators - Top 3

Bus

• 1st Place - Guardionex Falero-Ramos - Fourth Roadeo; two 2nd Place and one 3rd Place finishes
• 2nd Place - Maged Botros - First Roadeo
• 3rd Place - Eric McKethan - Fourth Roadeo; one top 10, and two first place finishes

 
Van

• 1st Place - Alfred Patterson - Third Roadeo; first top 5 finish
• 2nd Place - LaShawn Vickers - First Roadeo
• 3rd Place - Francisco Guerrero - First Roadeo

PSTA

Bus

PSTA winners

• 1st Place -Nehemia Guerra
• 2nd Place - Randy Pinto
• 3rd Place - Jose Colindres
  

Maintenance

• 1st Place - Tyler Johnson, Bobby Farris, and Paul Levesque
• 2nd Place - Derrick Brown, Zach Hulet, and Tim Sandmeyer

Fun was had by all!

Flamingo Fares is Taking Flight!

Smart card readers are installed on HART buses

The Now

By now, you have probably heard of the Flamingo Fares Tampa Bay app. For those that are unfamiliar, the app allows riders in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties to pay their transit fare via smartphone and (with a Regional Fare) travel on multiple services between HART and PSTA. Ultimately, Flamingo Fares will morph into a smart card system.

It appears that the holidays have come early to HART, as we will be the first agency in the region to install the smart card readers. Installation is currently underway and is expected to be completed in June.

Installation will then bounce back-and-forth between HART and PSTA, culminating in August, with the entire TECO Line Streetcar System being outfitted with the Flamingo Fares smart card readers.

The Near

A new iteration of the Flamingo Fares app will be available in September. Meanwhile, testing of the smart card readers will be taking place on board HART buses (and later streetcars) around the same time.

This is where YOU come in! We will be reaching out to our riders to help test the smart card system! Stay tuned to the HART social channels for more information as we get closer to that time.

Why are the readers going up so soon if we are not expecting to roll them out until Summer 2018? We are planning on testing the system for a year to ensure that the system is ready for customers on both sides of the Bay!

The Future

Flamingo Fares smart card design

Soon Flamingo Fares will bring HART and PSTA into the future by providing easier, faster, and more convenient ways for riders to pay their fares.

No scrambling for change. Save time and prepay your fare online, while you wait for the bus!

No stressing about losing your 31-day pass. Check your balance online daily!

Leave the worries behind. Just tap and go!

Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota Counties are also implementing the new technology in the coming years. HART and PSTA expect to have the complete system, which will include smart card technology, up and running by summer 2018.

From Flamingo Fares to autonomous vehicles, this is another way HART is going Beyond The Bus!

New Pass Options Available on the Flamingo Fares App!

New fares options on the Flamingo Fares app

The Flamingo Fares Tampa Bay app is taking flight! HART and PSTA have added five new pass options which are valid on all HART and PSTA bus services, including HARTFlex, Jolley Trolley, Looper Trolley. (Not valid on HARTPlus or PSTA DART.) Flamingo Fares has also expanded to include a new 1-day Streetcar pass, as well as, the $12.50 Family Pass!

Traveling the Tampa Bay region by bus and streetcar will continue to get even easier with mobile ticketing technology. Flamingo Fares, allows riders to travel throughout the greater Tampa Bay area using a single fare.

The new pass options provide more flexibility for HART and PSTA riders. Both agencies will continue to test the new system that will provide riders a new way to pay for transit fares, and seamlessly travel throughout the region from system to system. The launch of the full App is expected to be released in 2018.

Streetcar fare goes from yellow to grey/black to show its valid.

To pay with Flamingo Fares, customers download an app similar to the one Starbucks uses to enable its customers to pay quickly and digitally. Patrons simply purchase a ticket on the app and show the screen to the bus operator/motorperson upon boarding the vehicle.

The mobile payment app is free to download and available on the iPhone App Store and Android Google Play. Cash will continue to be accepted on both transit systems, but with a smartphone app, patrons no longer have to worry about carrying the correct change or buying separate fares for different legs of their trip.

Hernando, Pasco, Manatee and Sarasota Counties are also implementing the new technology in the future. Both agencies will continue to analyze all the data to determine what concerns need to be addressed before the full system is implemented in 2018.

HART/PSTA Consolidation Study Webinars

*Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Business Journal

HART and PSTA will host webinars to provide information and an update regarding a coordination study currently under way:

• Wednesday, Nov. 14 @ 6 p.m.  
• Thursday, Nov. 15 @ Noon 

To register for this webinar and receive the required web link and access code, please email MejiaM@goHART.org . If registration reaches capacity, please note that a recording of the presentation will be posted on www.goHART.org and www.PSTA.net after the webinars have concluded.   

About the HART/PSTA Coordination Study

During the 2012 Florida Legislative Session, legislation was passed that mandates a coordination study of HART and PSTA in order to achieve improvements in regional transit connectivity and implementation of operational efficiencies and service enhancements. This study is currently underway, and is due to the Florida Legislature on Feb. 1,2013 . To find out about the progress of this study, please join us for an informational webinar and an opportunity to ask or submit your questions. 

These webinars are being hosted by Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) and Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA). HART and PSTA awarded a contract to McCollum Management Consulting to conduct the coordination study, and HART and PSTA have held joint meetings to discuss the study and its progress.    

For more information about HART, visit www.goHART.org   

For more information about PSTA, visit www.PSTA.net