Free WiFI Now Available on HART Buses!

FREE WiFi is now available on HART buses!

HART riders can now check emails, stream music or crush candy on their commute with free WiFi on all fixed-route buses! No more worries about your mobile data, as HART bus passengers will be able to use high speed WiFi free of charge on board.

To connect to HART WiFi, go to Settings > WiFi. Then, turn on WiFi, if it isn't already turned on. Your device will automatically search for available WiFi networks. Next, tap the name, HART-Patrons-OTC WiFi Network to access the free service. Please be courteous to your neighbors, and wear earbuds when watching videos or listening to music.

WiFi is actually a piece of a bigger puzzle at HART. Ultimately, this roll-out of WiFi technology will be the foundation of the upcoming smart card program, where passengers will be able to use their smart phones and dedicated account based cards to travel not only the HART system, but throughout the Tampa Bay region. 
Free WiFi will be installed on HARTFlex, HARTPlus and The TECO Line Streetcar System in 2017.

Connect to WiFi in 3 easy steps!

It's another way that HART keeps pace with your busy life. Stay productive on-the-go and let us do the driving! The expansion of WiFi is yet another reason for choosing HART, whether someone is going to work, to school or to the store. 

Plans are in place to extend WiFi to HARTFlex, HARTPlus and The TECO Line Streetcar System in 2017.

If you have any questions or comments about our WiFi service, please contact Customer Service at (813) 254-HART (4278).

 
Wherever you're heading, HART Takes You There.

* Please note that the WiFi signal is shared with other customers, so at busy times, your connection may be slower than normal.

Regional Fare Collection Project Moves Ahead

A new region-wide electronic fare management system will soon streamline the transit ticket-buying process for the whole Tampa Bay region. Riders will buy a card in one county and use it to catch a bus in any of the other seven counties. The solution will not only make it easier for patrons to manage their fares, but it will also speed up boarding times and cut back on time spent counting coins and bills coming out of bus fare boxes. With this long-overdue upgrade fare collection will be simpler, easier for patrons, and will also work seamlessly to provide one common fare media for all public transit passengers throughout the region. Transit agencies in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Citrus, Hernando, Manatee, Pasco, Polk, and Sarasota counties - which make up the Regional Working Group, have been partnering for nearly four years, to create this unified fare collection system to improve regional connectivity. The region-wide fare collection system solution, which allows passengers to purchase fares for travel throughout the entire region on any bus, is one step closer to deployment. For months a partnership coalition of various agencies has cooperated and collaborated to implement forward-looking smart technologies that benefit transit customers and the greater Tampa Bay region. "The Regional Working Group is excited to bring this innovative system to our riders," said Jeff Seward, HART CFO. "It will move our region into the future of transit fare collection and allow our riders an unparalleled, flexible rider experience. The project will provide great value to our region, improve on time performance, and reduce costs." On March 3, the multi-agency Regional Working Group will meet with the technology vendor, INIT Innovations in Transportation, to officially kickoff the final phase of the innovative project. On that day teams and leaders, along with the vendor, will confirm the steps and details and share status reports to set things in motion for the groundbreaking project. The outcome of this effort will provide riders with technology that lets them purchase fares using a convenient mobile device app or reloadable, account based fare card. "INIT is excited to partner with the RWG to deliver a modern fare system that will  provide passengers with better fare options and offer them greater mobility throughout the Tampa bay region", Roland Staib, CEO, INIT Innovations in Transportation, Inc., Chesapeake, VA.Within 6 to 8 months of the project kicking off riders will be able to use the mobile app across the Tampa Bay area by showing their purchased fare via the phone to the driver. By the end of the project fares will be validated using the new on-board validators that are to be installed. The new $12 million system will provide seamless and common fare media for passengers throughout the Tampa Bay region and will replace the outdated and less efficient fare collection systems in the area - including the system used by HART for more than 25 years. "With our strong base of out-of-town customers brought in by our nationally acclaimed tourism, the ability to pay fares instantly and mobility via smart phones will be a real game-changer," said Brad Miller, CEO of the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority. "Soon your vacation will begin the moment you land at the airport by simply downloading the app, hopping aboard, and the next thing you see will be the white sands of Clearwater Beach."

Wi-Fi Coming to HART Vehicles!

Free Wi-Fi will soon be available on HART vehicles

HART riders will soon be able to get more out of their commute with free Wi-Fi on all fixed-route buses. In April, you will be able to send emails, check the latest travel updates or even crush some candy without eating into your mobile data on board our buses! Starting Monday, April 4, bus passengers will be able to use high speed Wi-Fi free of charge on HART to browse the Internet, watch movies, listen to music and more.

Beginning Monday, February 15, Wi-Fi hardware will start to be installed on the HART system in phases with 6 buses being upgraded every day. Installers will be working during the evening and overnight hours to ensure that installation will not inconvenience passengers. Ultimately, this roll-out of Wi-Fi technology will be the foundation of the upcoming smart card program, where passengers will be able to use their smart phones and dedicated account based cards to travel not only the HART system, but throughout the Tampa Bay region. 

It's another way that HART keeps pace with your busy life. You can be productive and keep in touch, yet arrive at your destination safely. The expansion of Wi-Fi is yet another reason for choosing to ride the bus whether someone is going to work, to school or to the store. 

If you have any questions or comments about our Wi-Fi service, please contact Customer Service at (813) 254-HART (4278).

 

** Please note that the Wi-Fi signal is shared with other customers, so at busy times, your connection may be slower than normal.**

HART Seeks Grants for Regional Fare Initiative

Smartcards such at the Orca card allow Tap N' Go verification!

Imagine grabbing a HART or PSTA bus and paying with the same fare media that you just used to ride MCAT and Polk Transit. Later, you head to Pasco County and use the same fare media to ride the bus there. Moving to such a system is in the works in the Tampa Bay area.

HART is leading the push to secure important federal and state funds for the completion of a long-awaited regional fare collection system upgrade that will benefit a regional connectivity in the Tampa Bay region.

HART has applied for two separate grants that would provide more than $20 million to fund the Regional Revenue Collection and Inter-Jurisdictional Mobility Project.

The initiative, led by HART, represents a collaborative partnership between Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, and Sarasota counties. Once it is finalized, patrons will be able to travel across the entire multi-county Tampa Bay region using one single ticket in the form of a smart card that can also be instantly downloaded wirelessly to carry on mobile devices.

The Regional Working Group has spent more than two years planning and strategizing to ensure a smooth and timely transition to the high-tech system. The upgrade will allow transit passengers, including those with disabilities and the elderly, easy access to transportation throughout a multi-county region.

"This is a transformational moment for regional cooperation in the Tampa Bay area," said HART Chief Financial Officer Jeff Seward. "The benefits of a more connected fare collection system would be evident from the start from a regional standpoint, and would also help others upgrade their systems so that we all can be compatible. Eventually the customer that's out there would be able to use a smart card technology that would work seamlessly across all systems."

Customers will be able to check their smartcard balances at any time and buy or reload the cards at multiple, convenient card outlets or even online. Because the cards can be scanned instantly on transit vehicles with a digital fare reading device on board, the process of boarding will be accelerated for increased efficiency with a more accurate system that saves HART and its customer's time and effort.

Although $2,367,907 million of funding has been received to-date from a combination of State and TBARTA grants, there remains a shortfall of $10,232,093 based on full smartcard technology implementation at an estimated cost of $12,600,000 for hardware, infrastructure, and integration

December 2014 HART Board Meeting Highlights

Transparency was the word of the day at the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority Board of Directors meeting on Monday, December 1.

The main focus of the session was a presentation by Jeff Seward, Chief Financial Officer who provided an overview about this week's launching of the agency's online accountability center. HART will post a wealth of financial information on our website, including our budgets, individual financial transaction records, contracts information and historical data. Also, Seward asked the Board of Directors to approve the inclusion of the new HART transparency initiative into the agency's finance policy. 

HART is the lead on the regional fare collection project

During its regular monthly meeting, the HART Board approved all action items, including authorization of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART) and the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA) for financial support for the regional fare collection project. 

In other matters, HART Board of Directors Chairman Councilman Mike Suarez welcomed the newest HART Board of Directors members, Ms. Kathleen Shanahan and Commissioner Stacy White. In addition, Councilman Suarez recognized several re-appointed Board members and thanked them for their valuable contributions and commitment during their tenure on the HART Board of Directors. 

Several employees were recognized for their outstanding service and 30 plus years of commitment working at HART.

         

In addition, HART Board General Counsel David Smith asked the HART Board of Directors for a motion to initiate the process of revising the following HART Board Policies.

•  120: General Organization of HART; Sub-section 120.02: Board of Directors
• 1000: Environmental Policy; Sub-section 1000.02: Policy

The HART Board unanimously approved to move forward with the process of revising the HART Board Policies. 

The draft revisions to the HART Board Policies will be presented to the Finance, Governance, and Administration Committee on December 15, 2014 for their review and advancement to the January 5, 2015 HART Board of Directors meeting for the Board's consideration. 

Next Regular Board of Directors Meetings 

The HART Regular Board of Directors will take place Monday, January 5, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. at the HART Ybor Office, 1201. E. 7th Ave., in Tampa.

 

Closed captioning from the monthly HART Board of Directors meetings will be posted within 5 - 8 business days on the Hillsborough Television (HTV) website.

Click here to view video recordings from recent HART Board/Committee meetings.