Google Trip Planner now uses HART Real-time Data!

 HART continues to set the transit agency bar higher as a trendsetting innovator by being the first in Florida to make real-time trip updates available on Google Maps starting October 10.      Google Maps allows riders to quickly and accurately plan transit trips from one location to another. That makes public transportation more user-friendly for new riders and gives seasoned, experienced riders a tool to help them get to their destinations in new, more efficient ways. Trip updates represent any changes in the timetables for predicted arrivals for stops along the route.   HART is the first transit agency in Florida to publish real-time trip updates via Google Maps, which is available on desktop and mobile devices in more than 40 different languages and in a format compatible with screen readers for the visually impaired. Trip updates can also provide for more complex scenarios where trips are canceled, added to the schedule, or even re-routed. Instead of sorting through timetables, riders simply enter the date and their desired time of arrival or departure. The trip planner automatically maps available routes and displays the travel time and number of transfers for each option, so riders can pick their preferred route.  Google Maps also includes transfers between different transit agencies in overlapping service areas for those who have made their schedule information available to Google. Detailed information on how to get to or from a transit station on foot is shown for transit results along with affording users the option to view aerial imagery, street level images via Street View, and additional local information such as business reviews.      HART continues to demonstrate building awareness of public transit in Florida through our efforts of exposing greater transit information to get riders to where they need to go. HART's newest innovation comes hot on the heels of its high-tech OneBusAway Tampa smart phone app, which provides instant access to real-time bus arrival information to answer the question "Where is my bus?" Google Maps, on the other hand, is a highly efficient trip planning solution that solves the challenge of "What is the quickest way to get where I want to go using the public transit system?" The two applications work hand-in-hand to save riders valuable time and make their travel easier and more enjoyable.

Google Trip Planner now shows real-time data from HART!

OneBusAway Tampa Arriving August 19!

Real-time schedule info on the go! Starting August 19, the innovative OneBusAway Tampa app from HART puts cool, convenient power at the fingertips of HART bus riders. HART is proud to make Tampa the third city in the nation to adopt this real-time technology, which first debuted in Seattle and New York. The OneBusAway Tampa app provides a suite of tools to deliver real-time bus tracking information to HART riders on the go. Click here for a list of features.   The super user-friendly OneBusAway Tampa is easy to navigate, and it seamlessly interfaces with Web-enabled devices such as computers, tablets, and smart phones. This app uses GPS technology to send up-to-the-minute details on bus arrival information. Available on a number of platfoms Downloading OneBusAway Tampa will be free, easy, and fast. Just tap the "My Location" icon and a map of the Tampa area appears on the screen, plus graphics that show all the active stops. Then tap on the bus icon and its estimated time of arrival is instantly displayed. HART is fully committed to providing the best customer experience with the recent implementation of HART MetroRapid North-South and the upcoming roll out of features like OneBusAway Tampa.      "With an assortment of ways of accessing OneBusAway Tampa, riders will find it extremely convenient and useful," said Philip Hale, HART Chief Executive Officer. That was confirmed by the experience of local resident Dustin Lemke, who has relied on HART for two years to get him around town, volunteered to test the app during HART's pilot program. "The OneBusAway Tampa app really helps me plan my time more wisely," remarked Lemke. "When you can't see the bus and it's running a few minutes late, you start to think you've missed the bus and then will be late for work and think your whole day is ruined. But this app helps keep me calm and knowledgeable about what's going on!" HART partnered with the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida, where the software was developed with funding from the National Center for Transit Research. Georgia Tech evaluated the system for HART too, thanks to funding from the National Center for Transportation Systems Productivity and Management. Visit www.goHART.org this Monday, August 19 for OneBusAway Tampa access/download instructions.

Real-time Bus Schedule Information may soon be only "One Bus Away"

During Monday's HART Major Projects & Legislative Committee meeting, HART unveiled a real-time passenger pilot project underway between HART and USF's Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR). The pilot is testing One Bus Away, transportation technology that tells users where their bus is and how much time until the next one departs. Similar technology is currently offered by PSTA to its customers. 

HART was chosen for this pilot because of its property size, physical proximity to CUTR, as well as previous partnerships that already involved the use of HART data. 

One Bus Away provides Real-time info

Over the next year, the pilot will focus on one or two major routes, and target its potential use for web, Droid Smartphones, and basic cell phones. The pilot will research the feasibility of deploying this technology to the entire HART network, including via text messages and integrating it with the current HART Interactive Voice Response system.

HART currently makes its data of scheduled times available for third-party application developers; and RouteShout, TransitTimes and Mapnificent use this data to provide customers with different online and smartphone applications.

Stay tuned for more updates about this pilot project!

Next HART Board Meeting

• July 16: Finance, Governance & Administration Committee, then Regular Board