Reminder: Schedule and Fare Changes are coming Nov. 11!

 

Customer feedback is a big part of schedule changes!

Throughout the year, HART planners assess route productivity and update bus service every spring, summer and fall based on improving safety and efficiency, ridership demands and trends, and customer feedback. In addition, fares are reviewed every two years to determine if changes are warranted. The last HART fare change took place in November 2008. Below is a summary of changes to routes, schedules and fares effective Sunday, Nov. 11.

Summary of Route Changes:

• Routes 50X and 61LX: Due to low performance as compared to other express routes fully subsidized by HART, 50X and 61LX will merge as a single, local-fare route. Therefore, 61LX will extend to serve Carrollwood Baptist Church and Citrus Park Park-n-Rides, previously served by 50X. View 61LX eastbound schedule and map. View 61LX westbound schedule and map.
• Brandon Flex: North boundary of the zone will expand from Oakfield Drive to Brandon Boulevard. In addition, to improve neighborhood circulation and ridership demand, regularly scheduled weekday route will be initiated within the Brandon Flex zone. View Brandon Flex map. View locations of Brandon Flex bus stops.

Summary of Schedule Changes:

• Route 28X: Due to low performance as compared to other express routes fully subsidized by HART, 28X will be reduced from two trips in the morning and two in the afternoon to one trip in the morning and one in the afternoon. View schedule. 
• Route 16: Minor schedule adjustments.  
• Routes 30, 34 and 39: Frequency will improve from 35 minutes to 30 minutes.  
• View Route 30 eastbound schedule
• View Route 30 westbound schedule
• View Route 34 eastbound schedule 
• View Route 34 westbound schedule
• View Route 39 eastbound schedule
• View Route 39 westbound schedule 
• Brandon Flex: Due to low ridership, Saturday service will be eliminated.
• Holiday service: To match service to ridership demand and streamline various levels of service provided on holidays, the following days will be migrated from Saturday to Sunday level of service: Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. Most holidays will now operate on a Sunday level of service; Day After Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Martin Luther King Jr. Day will operate on a Saturday level of service.

Fare Changes:

The last fare change took place in Nov. 2008

View new HART fare schedule. HART farecards purchased before Nov. 11 must be activated by Dec. 31, 2012. New HARTPlus fares are effective Nov. 11 regardless of when passes are purchased.

For general information about HART, visit www.goHART.org or call HART Customer Service at 813-254-HART (4278).

Serving Those Who Serve

You served your country with distinction.
Now HART is returning the favor.

If you're active duty or retired military personnel, or a military dependent, we'd like to thank you for your service by providing free rides on HART buses Sunday, November 11, in recognition of Veterans Day. Just show your military ID when boarding for your free ride.

It's our way of saying thank you for standing up for all of us.

Click here for more details on the Veterans ride free for Veterans Day. Free ride

Promotion does not cover HARTPlus and the TECO Line Streetcar System.

HART Helps Get Out the Vote for Nov. Elections!

FREE rides on HART on Election Day!

On Tuesday, Nov. 6, Election Day, HART will offer free rides to customers with a valid voter registration card. The card must be presented to the driver when boarding to receive the free ride.

Free rides are provided during regular bus service hours on Election Day. Riders should determine in advance which routes will get them to or near their polling site. To plan an Election Day trip, call HARTinfo at 813-254-4278 or use the Google Trip Planner feature on www.goHART.org.

This promotion is not valid for use of HARTPlus service or the TECO Line Streetcar System. Click here to view the flier.
 

Regardless of who you vote for, we just want to make sure that you exercise your right to vote!

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.

Another Record Year for HART!

14.3 million trips were taken on HART buses in FY 2012! The latest numbers are in to close out HART fiscal year 2012, which ended Sept. 30. Ridership highlights: Fiscal year 2012 bus ridership was up by nearly 600,000 trips or 4.3 percent, compared to last year (2011: 13,730,705; 2012: 14,314,610) Fiscal Year 2012 bus ridership marks an all-time high for HART and breaks the annual record for the third year in a row! Fiscal Year 2012 bus ridership breakdown: Express average ridership up 11.4 percent Saturday average ridership up 4.7 Sunday average ridership up 2.2 percent "Transportation has occupied the attention of this community for the past few years, and although we may not yet have light rail to serve commuters and visitors, record ridership for the third straight year in a row shows that this community has noticed HART's transformation from the bus system of an earlier time," said HART Board Chair Fran Davin. "HART is on pace for even greater transformation next year, as we move forward with significant transit system improvements, including upgraded facilities, MetroRapid North-South, and a compressed natural gas fueling station."  HART Highlights in fiscal year 2012:  Secured $6.3 million in federal grants to build a compressed natural gas fueling station and purchase buses powered by CNG. Design-build of the fueling station is scheduled to begin early 2013. 54 shelters installed, 319 stops improved (i.e. landing pads, sidewalks, etc.) throughout Hillsborough County, including Cities of Tampa and Temple Terrace 2012 Summer Blast Pass ridership increased by 48 percent! This year, 66,215 trips were taken as part of this program, compared to last year's ridership of 44,732. New, smaller HARTPlus vans were added to the fleet, providing cost-savings and flexibility to operations. These vehicles are less expensive to purchase and operate, and can be assigned to paratransit trips with fewer passengers.   For more information about HART, visit www.goHART.org

HART Board Approves FY 2013 Budget

HART broke ground on MetroRapid North-South in August!

The HART Board approved the fiscal year 2013 budget, which includes an operating budget of $61,580,511 and a capital budget of $39,512,848. This vote took place after the final budget public hearing, held at the HART Administrative Office in Ybor City on Monday.

The operating budget supports:

• 44 Regular, Express, and HARTFlex Routes
• In-Town Trolley during rush time weekday mornings and late afternoons
• Paratransit operations, or transportation for persons with disabilities
• MetroRapid North-South, new service beginning Spring 2013
• Streetcar operations
• More than 200 buses and vans
• Nearly 3,500 bus stops and shelters throughout Hillsborough County
• Customer Service, seven days a week
• More than 1.1 million trips each month!

Yukon Transfer Center is of the facilities receiving upgrades

The capital budget funds MetroRapid North-South, Compressed Natural Gas Fueling Station, and efficiency and modernization upgrades to several HART facilities.

The approved budget also includes new strategic goals and objectives. 

Goals:

• Exceed customer expectations
• Ensure safety & security
• Maximize financial condition
• Foster a thriving internal environment
• Connect the county and region
• Embrace innovative practices and systems

HART is also on its way to outperforming last year's performance results for ridership productivity, safety, quality of service and on-time performance. Most notably, HART has improved its efficiency by reducing the gross cost per revenue mile from $6.71 to $6.42.* HART buses and vans travel a combined 8.8 million revenue miles each year, and this reduced cost per mile adds up to $2.5 million in efficiency savings for fiscal year 2012, ending Sept. 30. Lower cost per mile is due to reduced fuel and administrative costs, and these efficiency savings allow HART to improve bus service for the upcoming year and absorb new service, such as MetroRapid North-South.    

Budget documents are available at www.goHART.org.

Each year during the budget development process, two budget hearings are held in September. This year, budget hearings were held Sept. 10 and Sept. 24.