HART CFO Jeff Seward Named 2014 CFO of the Year!

Jeff Seward, Chief Financial Officer of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, has been named CFO of the Year in the Tampa Bay Business Journal's 2014 CFO of the Year Awards in the Government Agency category. 

On Wednesday, February 26, at A La Carte Event Pavilion the Tampa Bay Business Journal made its much-anticipated announcement of the winners of the prestigious CFO of the Year Award. 

The award ceremony is an annual event hosted by the Tampa Bay Business Journal to recognize top financial executives and finalists are chosen by an independent panel of judges. The event honors Chief Financial Officers from Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee, Sarasota, Polk and Hernando. Six distinct industry categories are honored, and Seward won in the Government category.

Seward has more than 25 years of local government, private-sector and military experience, and providing leadership for various areas, including financial advising, strategic planning, economic development and auditing. Mr. Seward joined HART in 2011.    

As CFO, Mr. Seward is responsible for Accounting & Financial Reporting, Budget, Cash Management, Internal Audit, Procurement, Contracts Administration, Grants & Planning. Those vitally important departments execute the long-term financial strategy of HART, manage major capital projects, secure grants to enhance our current infrastructure and implement investment tools to improve fiscal sustainability.

His latest accomplishment is establishing the Regional Revenue Collection Working Group with 6 other regional transit agencies as well as partnerships with the FDOT and TBARTA to establish a streamlined fare collection system where passengers, regardless of where they live or transit service they use, can move between counties in the region with one single smart card.  This is the first of its kind public transportation regional partnership in the Tampa Bay area.  Partnering with FDOT will allow this to be a model that is used elsewhere in the State of Florida.

"This recognition is well deserved and we're fortunate to have Jeff, a proven leader and dedicated HART employee, as our CFO," said HART CEO, Philip R. Hale. "The CFO of the Year award in the Government category was competitive and we're happy that Jeff has been recognized for his unique vision and exceptional execution." 

"I am truly humbled by this recognition and I appreciate the opportunity that Mr. Hale, our CEO, has given me to help move this organization forward, but it is the HART Board and staff that truly deserve the accolades for getting HART to where it is today, and that is a provider of public transportation for over 14.5 million passengers a year - THAT is an achievement!" said Mr. Seward.

The announcement was made yesterday. View entire list.

Make it an Ybor Weekend: Flan Fest and Fiesta Day this Saturday!

The 67th Annual Fiesta Day
7th Avenue - 2/22 - 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

A day to celebrate Ybor City's culture and heritage, this free, family friendly "street festival" offers food, entertainment and shopping. Prepare your senses as the smells of Latin food and the rhythms of Latin music will fill 7th Avenue, along with vendors, dancing and a whole array of family fun.

Please note: 7th Avenue will be closed from 15th Street to 20th Street from 6:00am to 7:00pm to accommodate crowds and vendors. The TECO Line Streetcar might be your best bet as 15,000 attendees are expected and parking might become scarce. Simply park in the Channelside garage or any of Downtown's parking garages and catch the streetcar to Ybor.

Ybor City is served by TECO Line Streetcar stations 1-4.

Visit www.ybor.org for more information.


The 11th Annual Flan Fest
Centennial Park - 2/22 - 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Flan is the star of this fest!

Consider yourself a big flan fan? The fabulous dessert will be featured once again at Flan Fest, held in conjunction with Fiesta Day. The flan-tivities will be held this Saturday, Feb. 22 from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Centennial Park in Ybor City. The main attraction is the Annual Flan Bake-Off, a 40 contestant flan slug-fest to determine who has the best custard treat the Bay area. Judging (featuring a VIP HART judge) begins at noon with winners announced at 2:30 p.m.

The event will also feature live entertainment, shopping, and all day food and flan sampling.

And if you really, really, LOVE flan, a Flan Eating Contest is also scheduled for the event.

Flan Fest is a fundraiser for the Ybor City Saturday Market, a non-profit organization.  Make it a flan-filled day in Ybor and support a great Ybor City group! HART will have an information booth, so don't be afraid to come by and say hi!

Centennial Park is served by TECO Line Streetcar station 1.

MetroRapid, U-Pass Help Grow Ridership to over 1.2 Million in January!

On the heels of setting another annual record for total ridership by providing transportation services to more than 14.6 million Hillsborough County residents in FY2013, January marked another month of more than 1 million in bus ridership. The most recent ridership report shows 1,229,442 rides taken on HART buses to get around Hillsborough County in January. 

Fast facts:

• MetroRapid ridership has been on an upward trend for the first eight months of this innovative limited stop service. Ridership for January was 49,184.
• Last month, January 13 saw the greatest daily ridership throughout the month with 53,954 riders choosing HART. 
• Year-to-date (October 2013 - January 2014), bus ridership is up 1.4 percent; an increase of 69,079 trips, compared to the same period last year.

In addition, more University of South Florida faculty, staff and students are riding HART. U-Pass ridership has increased by 12 percent in FY2014 compared to FY2013. In fact, the U-PASS program represented 4 percent of HART January ridership. The U-Pass program is a partnership between HART and the University of South Florida that allows students to ride any HART local bus for free with a valid student ID; faculty and staff ride for 25¢.

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

HART Regular Meeting - February 2014 Recap

At Monday's meeting of the HART Board of Directors, HART Chief Executive Officer Philip R. Hale announced that he will retire effective May 2, explaining that he is retiring for family reasons. He offered his full assistance during the transition, and added "I'm incredibly proud of our accomplishments over the past three years and grateful to have had the opportunity to serve the people of Hillsborough County. During my tenure, HART has responded to many challenges, while always keeping in mind the best interests of our residents, businesses and all those who depend upon HART services. So, it is with a sense of fulfillment and some regret that I step away from the duties at HART to focus more on my family."

HART Board Members expressed their deep appreciation for Mr. Hale's hard work and dedication. During his tenure HART experienced some of its greatest growth and achieved historic accomplishments. Those included the launch of the first MetroRapid service in the state of Florida, high-tech innovations like the OneBusAway Tampa app, and an environmental step forward with the groundbreaking measure to transition vehicles to more eco-friendly Compressed Natural Gas.          

HART's first Compressed Natural Gas van recently arrived

In other matters, the HART Board of Directors approved several action items at its regular monthly meeting on Monday, February 3, including authorization to purchase 22 40-foot Gillig Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered heavy-duty transit buses, and approval to purchase one MV-1 paratransit van with mobility ramp.

During the meeting, Alvin Burns, HART Sr. Manager of Procurement and Contracts Administration, provided the Board an overview presentation of the legal services and solicitation process. The objective was to make the Board of Directors aware of the need to procure legal services for the upcoming expiring contracts in May 2014: General Litigation and Personal Injury and Worker's Compensation, and Labor and Employment. Mr. Burns discussed the various available procurement options in the solicitation process.   

The Board of Directors also received a detailed look at the authority's Fare Policy and Discounted Passes. Jeff Seward, HART Chief Financial Officer, gave a presentation on how HART staff has started to review the HART "Fare Structure and Fare Change Policy" and have identified further changes that the staff will recommend to the Board in its fare policy, along with regional fare structure. 

Next Regular Board of Directors Meetings

The HART Regular Board of Directors will take place Monday, March 3 at 9:00 a.m. at the HART Ybor Office, 1201. E. 7th Ave., in Tampa.

Smooth Sailing to Gasparilla with the TECO Line Streetcar and HART!

Take the streetcar to the Pirate frenzy!

Arrgh you ready?! Have your sights set on Gasparilla? Well, set sail with HART and the TECO Line Streetcar System. We're rolling out extra streetcar, bus and trolley service to ensure a safe and easy way to get around during Gasparilla on Saturday, Jan. 25. 

Service includes:

TECO Line Streetcar System

• For those parking in Ybor City, take the streetcar from Ybor City (Centennial Park Station) to Downtown Tampa (Dick Greco Plaza) View Map for Gasparilla 2014 -- Streetcar and Bus service
• Continuous service 9 a.m. - 2 a.m.
• $5 for an all-day pass, which may be purchased with cash at ticket vending machines (please bring small bills; exact change suggested) located at each streetcar station. This fare does not cover the City of Tampa parking fees.
• Station 11 will be closed all day.
• Stations 3 and 4 will be closed from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
• Stations 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 will be closed 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
• Continuous HART bus service will be available near select streetcar stations. See Map for Gasparilla 2014.

For more information on the TECO Line Streetcar System, visit www.TECOlinestreetcar.org.

HART Bus Service

• For those parking in Ybor City, bus service will be available from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. between Ybor City (Streetcar Society Station and Cadrecha Plaza) and Downtown Tampa (Dick Greco Plaza) View Map for Gasparilla 2014 -- Streetcar and Bus Service 
• $4 for an all-day pass, which may be purchased in advance at HART retail outlets or on board buses on Gasparilla Day with cash only (no change provided). Monthly bus passes may also be used. This fare does not cover City of Tampa parking fees. 

In-Town Trolley  

• On detour during Gasparilla Festival
• Provides a connection from the north end of Downtown Tampa (Marion Transit Center) to the south end of Downtown Tampa (Dick Greco Plaza).  View Map for Gasparilla 2014
• Continuous service 9 a.m. -  6 p.m.
• 25¢ or streetcar/bus all-day passes accepted

Getting to Downtown Tampa on HART

• From North Tampa:  Routes 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 12, 18
• From Temple Terrace:  Route 6
• From Brandon:  Route 8
• From West Tampa:  Route 7
• From South Tampa:  Route 19
• From Citrus Park:  Route 7
• From Town 'N Country/Westchase:  Route 30
• View HART system map 
• View Saturday bus schedule

Click here for a list of HART service detours during the Gasparilla Pirate Fest.



Leave the gray hairs to Jack Sparrow!


Have specific questions about HART service during this special event, call 813-254-4278 or visit www.goHART.org.  Never attended Gasparilla before? Learn how to party like a (responsible) pirate! 

Just remember, gray hairs may give Captain Jack Sparrow a "distinguished look." However, with over 500,000 swashbucklers expected to attend Gasparilla, don't test your luck - save yourself some gray hairs - and ride with us.

MetroRapid North-South Service Delivers for HART!



Photo source: TBO.com

The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) MetroRapid North-South (N-S) service turned the wheel on its first 7 months of operation on December 10, 2013. The innovative limited stop service has increased ridership, offering customers a more convenient, more flexible ride and has ushered in a new era of public transit choices. 

"MetroRapid N-S service has been even more successful than we originally anticipated and has become a valued service to the community," said HART Chief Executive Officer Philip Hale. "In just 7 months of operation, we've seen MetroRapid N-S increase 22.7 percent from June to December based on average daily ridership."
The MetroRapid N-S service route, the first of its kind in Hillsborough County, was officially launched on June 10, 2013. This limited stop service features cutting-edge technology including Transit Signal Priority (TSP) system, 16 Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) at major connection points along the corridor. MetroRapid N-S offers faster travel and enhancements for a new rider experience.  

The mix of new vehicles, stations and technologies have made MetroRapid the premium way to travel. Transit Ridership on MetroRapid has nearly doubled - averaging 2,288 daily riders in December in just its seventh month of operation. The agency's MetroRapid N-S service has heightened awareness of public transit benefits and opened the door to future plans for additional MetroRapid routes. 

On the travel side, customers may experience up to a 15 percent time savings over local service. This time savings can be attributed to the implementation of the high-tech Transit Signal Priority (TSP) system that advances buses throughout the corridor. It works by holding traffic lights green a little longer when a bus is running behind schedule and shortening red lights. 

Construction on the northward expansion of the Marion Transit Center is running smoothly. The project includes two new bus shelters, extra bicycle storage, and a pick-up and drop-off area for taxis, paratransit vans and private vehicles. A canopy will be elevated to connect MTC to the new intermodal site which is scheduled to open in April. 

For more information about MetroRapid, visit www.goHART.org/MetroRapid

HART Ridership Topped 1.2 Million in December!

The number of people riding HART in December outdid last year's record by 7 percent, with 1,204,729 riders compared to 1,126,360 riders in December 2012. The increase continues to be visible in our daily ridership December 3 saw the greatest daily ridership throughout the month with 56,659 riders choosing HART!

With the introduction of MetroRapid and providing transportation services to more than 14.6 million Hillsborough County residents - 2013 was a critical year for HART. This total represents the fourth straight year of record ridership for the authority, and 9 of the past 10 years.

Fast facts: 

• December 2013 ridership marked 78,369 more trips than the same month last year.
• 9 weekdays in December exceeded 50,000 daily riders.
• MetroRapid ridership in December was 45,769.
• Year-to-date (October 2013 - December 2013), bus ridership is up 2.4 percent; an increase of 89,239 trips, compared to the same period last year.
• Monthly bus ridership has been on the rise for 8 consecutive months. 

"When more people use public transportation, everybody benefits," said HART Chief Executive Officer Philip Hale. "Increased ridership and greater demand is wonderful news and affirms our value to the community."

In addition, Almost 230,000 trips from University of South Florida students, faculty and staff have been taken on HART services since July. In December the use of the HART U-Pass service for USF students, faculty and staff increased 23 percent compared to last year. The U-Pass program is a partnership with the university that allows students to ride any HART local bus for free with a valid student ID; faculty and staff ride for 25¢.