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.

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!

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