HART Regular Board Meeting 7/15/13 - Recap

HART CEO Philip Hale

The HART Board held its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, July 15; the Board approved several action items on the agenda.

The HART Board's General Counsel also reported on HART Chief Executive Officer's performance evaluation. The board is pleased with Mr. Hale's performance and outstanding leadership.

In other matters, Jeffrey Seward, HART Chief Financial Officer, provided the Board an overview presentation of the FY2014 - FY2023 Transit Development Plan (TDP).   

Highlights of the Proposed FY2014 -FY2023 Transit Development Plan (TDP) Annual Overview:

• HART staff decided to do a complete TDP refresh in order to incorporate current community conversations and to ensure that the TDP and the HART budget are in alignment. (In the past the TDP and HART budget were not necessarily coupled.) 
• The TDP was a combined organizational effort involving input from every department to create a comprehensive overview of the agency
• The TDP is required in order to secure State Block Grant funding, and HART estimates that it will receive $4.3 million in FY2014
• HART will especially benefit from State Block Grant funding thanks to an increase in ridership. Ridership grew more than 18 percent between FY2008 and FY 2012, and more than 2.8 percent during the first eight months of 2013

Next Steps:

• HART Staff Finalize TDP Update 
• Full TDP Update for Board approval at first Budget Public Hearing in September
• The next step in the process is that HART will submit the approved TDP to the Florida Department of Transportation in late September 

Next Meeting:

HART Board Regular will meet Monday, August 5 at 9 a.m., at the HART Ybor Office, 1201. E. 7th Ave., in Tampa.

Take the Streetcar to Channelside Fireworks!

"Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty." - Louis D. Brandeis

Celebrations of this sacrifice for freedom will take place across American on Thursday, July 4. Locally, Channelside is hosting the 12th Annual 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular. The TECO Line Streetcar is a proud sponsor of the event taking place in the waters near Channelside Bay Plaza. 

The fireworks display begins at 9 p.m. on Thursday, with live music starting earlier in the day. The event draws a HUGE crowd, so it is suggested that visitors arrive a couple hours early in order to get a good viewing spot. Only the first 3,500 people will be able to see the fireworks from the Wharf area of Channelside, with wristbands being handed out.

Channelside Bay Plaza is located at the Tampa Tribune Station

Officials suggest taking the TECO Line Streetcar to avoid the congestion and parking hassle that Channelside will face with thousands converging on the area.

The streetcar system is extending service until 11 p.m. on Independence Day to ensure you get to your car safely!

Suggested parking garages are the Palm Avenue garage in Ybor City or the Ft. Brooke garage in downtown, both garages are less than a block from the TECO Line Streetcar System.  Click here for an interactive map of downtown/Ybor City showing the location of the parking garages to the streetcar line.

HART Bus and Van service will be operating on a Sunday schedule in observance of Independence Day.

For more information on the Channelside Fireworks Spectacular, visit www.channelsidebayplaza.com.
   

Visit www.tecolinestreetcar.org for TECO Line Streetcar System hours, fares and schedules.

Assisting Older Americans on National "Dump the Pump" Day!

Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART), Hillsborough County, Aging Services Division, Town 'N Country Senior Center, Florida Public Transportation Association (FPTA), Florida's Safe Mobility for Life Coalition (SMFLC), and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) have joined together to create a "Dump the Pump" Day event at the Town 'N Country Senior Center in Tampa. 

The 8th Annual National Dump the Pump Day on Thursday, June 20 is a day to highlight that using public transportation is a great alternative to driving that not only saves money, but is also a reliable and safe transportation option for older adults who no longer drive. Hillsborough County has been identified by the SMFLC as one of the Top 10 Priority Counties based on Five Year Average Crash Frequencies for Aging Road Users 65 Years and Older.

 

"By using public transportation, older adults can gain access to the services that they need in an efficient and safe manner to help them remain independent and active in their community" said Lisa Bacot, Executive Director of FPTA. "This will also help them prepare to transition from driving when it's no longer a safe option."

 

In order to increase the use of public transportation, this event will both encourage and introduce the use of the HART transit system to safely move older adults throughout Hillsborough County. The participants at the senior center will have the opportunity to learn about the available transit services provided to older adults, the benefits of using public transportation, and how these resources can help ease the transition from the driving process. Then, the participants will travel together to the closest bus stop to ride the HART system to a local destination.

 

The event will begin at 10:00 am (with the bus ride occurring at 11:10 am) at the Town 'N Country Senior Center, located at: Hillsborough County, Aging Services Division, Town 'N Country Senior Center 7606 Paula Drive Tampa, FL 33615

HART Ridership Continues Growth in May

HART bus ridership numbers for May are in!

• Bus ridership for May 2013 is 1,255,586, up 3.5 percent compared to the same month last year.
• Bus ridership is up 2.8 percent year to date (October 2012 - May 2013), compared to the same months last year.
• May 6th saw the greatest ridership throughout the month with 53,802 riders choosing HART.

Ridership isn't the only thing going up at Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART). Numbers show HART's new premier bus service is becoming popular among our riders. During its first 4 days of service, MetroRapid ridership was 4,336. A clear indication that our riders are shifting to MetroRapid.

Last week was the last week for Hillsborough County public school students, which means it's time to blast into summer with HART's Summer Blast Pass. (SBP) For just $30, students 17 and under get unlimited rides on HART local bus routes all summer long. HART's SBP is a perfect way to get to summer jobs, the movies, the mall and all of your favorite places. The HART Summer Blast Pass is now on sale, and may be used on any HART local bus route May 13 - Aug. 31. 

Summer Blast Passes are available for purchase at any of the following four HART locations:

• Downtown Tampa: HART on Franklin, 403 N. Franklin
• Downtown Tampa: Marion Transit Center, 1211 N. Marion St.
• University Area: University Area Transit Center, 13110 N. 27th St. 
• Ybor City: HART Administrative Offices, 1201 E. Seventh Ave.

Summer Blast Pass is not valid for use on HART Express, HARTPlus, or the TECO Line Streetcar System. Proof of age is required at the time of purchase.

Last year nearly 67,134 trips were taken as part of Summer Blast Pass. The purpose of the program is to familiarize youth to consider transit as alternative transportation, and it allows them to travel safely and independently throughout Hillsborough County. 

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

HART Regular Board Meeting 6/3/13 - Recap

During its regular meeting on Monday, June 3, the HART Board approved several action items. The main focus of the session was a presentation on the Proposed FY2014 Operating and Capital Budget by Jeff Seward, HART Chief Financial Officer.

"We are pleased to be able to provide the community a balanced budget which has a planned increase of service hours to our riders," said Jeff Seward, HART CFO. "Including new late night, midday, and weekend service on some of our key routes. All of that was achieved through strong fiscal stewardship yielding over $1.2 million of savings."

Highlights of the Proposed FY2014 Operating and Capital Budget

• FY2014 goals provide stable foundation for 5 years with continued emphasis on out-year fiscal sustainability.               
   
• Primary goals include: maintaining current levels of service, supporting continued ridership increases, and providing enhancements to selected current services, with a general focus on long-term fiscal sustainability, in order to enable migration from federal reliance.
        
• Cost saving measures include: across-the-board spending controls and realignment of resources. Reinvestment of savings will add $1.2 million of service enhancements.

• The Proposed FY2014 Operating and Capital Budget is balanced at $77,252,226, which is 26.7% under the FY2013 Amended Budget.     
• The Proposed FY2014 Operating Budget is$62,034,259, which is $453,748 higher than the FY2013 Amended Budget. 
                    
• The Proposed FY2014 Capital Budget is $15,217,967, which is $28,567,682 less than the FY2013 Amended Budget.   
                   
• Despite increased needs and only slight increases in revenue, HART's FY2014 proposed budget offers the following key elements:

     - Maintains current bus and paratransit service levels 

     - Adds over 16,000 hours of service enhancements to 9 routes   

      - Teamster step increases and non-bargaining cost of living wage adjustments 

     - Addition of operator and customer service positions for increased service levels 

     - Absorption of anticipated 11 percent increase in healthcare costs 

     - Funding for activities including a passenger survey, HART website and bus tracking system upgrades, DBE training, Streetcar safety assessment, and CNG operations/maintenance

Next Meeting 

The Transit Oriented Development Committee will meet Friday, June 14 at 9 a.m., at the HART Ybor Office, 1201. E. 7th Ave., in Tampa.

MetroRapid: Boom or Bust?

With our MetroRapid North-South service only a few days old, local Fox affiliate took to the streets to gauge opinion of the new service with a "boom or bust" feature. Below are a few of the best responses.

"Boom! And it's like a lightning bolt, that fast! - Gabriel King

"It's the boom man, I think it's a good project that the HART line company got going on for the people that's trying to get somewhere faster." - Jyrale Carter

MetroRapid buses feature bus preferential technology

The best part?

They couldn't find anyone for the segment that believed MetroRapid was a bust!

If you're interested in the full article with a few more quotes from MetroRapid riders, check out the link.


MetroRapid North-South is a premier bus service from HART featuring traffic signal priority that extends green lights and shortens red lights when the bus is behind schedule, off-vehicle ticket vending machines, modern stations, and special low-floor buses. The service operates every 15 minutes (30 minutes from UATC to Hidden River Regional Park-N-Ride) Monday - Friday from 5 a.m. - 8 p.m. Try the service for FREE until June 7th, after that the service costs the same as local route service ($2.00 one-way; $4.00 all day). Click here for more information about MetroRapid.

New modern MetroRapid station

Ride the (Heat)Wave with the TECO Line Streetcar this Friday and Saturday!

A Heatwave is expected to hit Ybor this Friday and Saturday - over 60 bands across ten stages. Yeah, that's a Tropical Heatwave.

For over 30 years, WMNF 88.5 FM has provided the annual musical buffet of local and semi-local acts along with vendors selling food, drinks and other wares. The stages are as diverse as the performers with the Cuban Club in west Ybor; the Ritz in south central Ybor; and The Crowbar in east Ybor (among other venues) all housing acts throughout the day.

With so many venues spread throughout Ybor, your best bet is the TECO Line Streetcar. Three streetcar stations are located within 1 block of all the venues, so save your feet for dancing and hop on! The TECO Line Streetcar runs every 20 minutes and operates until 1:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Click here for a map of TECO Line Streetcar service. Visit the TECO Line Streetcar website for fare, map and schedule information.

Breakdown of streetcar stations serving Heatwave venues:

Tampa Bay Federal Credit Union Station (Station #2)

• Crowbar 

Streetcar Society Station (Station #3)

• El Pasaje Plaza
• The Cuban Club (Band shell on the Patio, Ballroom & Cantina)
• The Ritz
• The Roosevelt 2.0

Cadrecha Plaza (Station #4)

• Creative Loafing's CL Space
• New World Brewery
• The Bricks

For more information on WMNF 88.5 FM's Tropical Heatwave, click here. Save your legs and some time with the TECO Line Streetcar! Enjoy the shows!