Budget, AA Study Focus of Monday Board Meeting

September is budget hearing time for HART, as we seek input and approval for the next year's funding. Last night, the HART Board of Directors sat down for the first of two meetings on the agency's 2011 budget.

The 2011 Amended Proposed Operating Budget is $62 million, which encompasses operating costs for buses, paratransit service for people with disabilities, HART Flex service, and the TECO Line Streetcar System.

Next year's budget reflects a decrease of $3.5 million in ad valorem (local property tax revenue). Despite the shortfall, HART is working to maintain service by seeking out operating efficiencies and leveraging state and federal funding.

To view the complete 2011 proposed budget, click here.

The second and final public hearing on HART's 2011 budget is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Monday, September 27 at HART's administrative offices, 1201 E. 7th Avenue in Ybor City.

Alternatives Analysis
The AA update brought board members and the public up to speed on the study's latest findings. HART is working with important potential partners like CSX Transportation and the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority on possible routes and destinations for a future light rail system. In fact, HART's AA team reported last night that the Aviation Authority is looking at a couple of options for a light rail operations facility at the airport, possibly expediting a potential airport connection.

You can read news coverage of the update at Mitch Perry's Creative Loafing blog, and in today's article by the Tampa Tribune's Ted Jackovics at TBO.com.

Driver of the Month
HART's drivers are some of the best in the business, and the Board of Directors took time Monday to recognize this month's honoree, Mr. Pedro Irizarry. Pedro joined the HART team as a bus driver in April 2007, and in that time has shown outstanding professionalism and dedication to HART and our community. Congratulations Pedro!

Working Weekends? So Are We!

It's Saturday - and for a lot of people that means it's just another day at the office (or store, or construction site, or restaurant...).

If you're one of the many professionals who keep our community in business on Saturdays and Sundays, HART is here for you with weekend service on several of our busiest routes.

Routes with Saturday Service

Click on the links below for maps and schedules of routes that operate on Saturdays:

Route 1 - Florida Avenue 
Route 2 - Nebraska Avenue
Route 5 - 40th Street
Route 6 - 56th Street
Route 7 - West Tampa/Citrus Park
Route 8 - Progress Village/Brandon
Route 9 - 15th Street
Route 12 - 22nd Street
Route 15 - Columbus Drive
Route 16 - Waters Avenue
Route 18 - 30th Street
Route 19 - Westshore/Manhattan
Route 30 - Town 'N Country
Route 32 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
Route 33 - Dale Mabry Highway/Fletcher Avenue
Route 34 - Hillsborough Avenue
Route 36 - Dale Mabry/Himes Avenue
Route 37 - Grand Regency Plaza
Route 39 - Busch Boulevard
Route 45 - Rome Avenue

Sunday Route Schedules
The above routes also operate on Sundays, with the exception of Routes 16 and 37. For the complete Sunday schedule, click here.

Wherever you're going this weekend, HART is going your way!

Ride in Style to Festival del Sabor
Tampa's Hispanic Heritage Month officially kicks off today with Festival del Sabor, a fun event that will make your taste buds say "muy delicioso!"

If you're headed over to Ybor City's Centennial Park to enjoy the festival, be sure to hop aboard the TECO Line Streetcar System to get there. You can park in any of four garages along the streetcar route, and we'll take you right to the entrance of the event. Once you're there, enjoy great food, music, and a kids' area.

Festival del Sabor takes place today from noon until 7:30pm. Call (813) 259-8475 for more information or click here.

Service During Bucs/Browns Game Sept. 12
Remember, tomorrow is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' home opener, so bus travel around Raymond James Stadium will be affected by traffic management measures. Click here for detour information from HART's website, and call (813) 254-HART for details on stops that may not be accessible during the game.

Take HART to TIA - Free Tour This Saturday!

Gotta fly? HART offers easy, frequent bus service between Tampa International Airport and downtown Tampa. And this weekend, we'll give you a free ride to find out how it works!

HART's Route 30 provides service to the airport seven days a week, with service every 15 minutes on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. This Saturday's free tour will help you see first-hand how easy it is to take transit to TIA. The tour will start at HART's Marion Transit Center in downtown Tampa, where you'll meet your guide and be on your way.

Once you arrive, you're invited to browse the shops and restaurants in and around the airport with special offers at TGI Friday's, Ron Jon Surf Shop, International Plaza and more.

Plus, we'll hook you up with a free farecard for your next bus trip. (Seriously, tons of free stuff going on here!)

Once you see just how easy and convenient it can be to take HART to the airport, you may never travel the old way again.

But you'd better hurry! You need to book your tour 24 hours in advance, so tomorrow morning is it! For more information or to make your reservation, call (813) 449-4713 or send an e-mail to CampbellM@goHART.org.

For more information on HART's airport service aboard Route 30, click here.

Web Wednesday - We Want to Hear From You!

Meet with HART at our next open house event

Have you had a chance to talk to HART about the proposed transit improvement plan? There's still time to give us your input as we wind down the Alternatives Analysis study. And you know that means there's info on our website!

AA Community Open Houses
HART has scheduled a series of seven new open house events and two formal public hearings to gain input from the community on the AA. Drop by and get a look at the plans, ask questions and provide us with your comments on the plans.

The next open house is tomorrow (September 9) in East Tampa, followed by events in downtown Tampa, Seminole Heights, the University area and Westshore.

Click here for locations and details from HART's website. For more on the Alternatives Analysis, you can visit the project website, http://www.gohartaa.org/.
 
Web Wednesday Bonus - Report Shows Transit Creates Jobs
Today we've got a special Web Wednesday bonus link for you! Check out this story from Metro Magazine on a report that shows how an investment in transit adds up to more jobs than putting dollars into highway projects.
 
One more way transit helps make our community better.

Happy Labor Day!

August 2010 HART operator graduating class

We hope you're enjoying your Labor Day festivities! And if you do have somewhere to go today, rest assured that many members of the HART team are on the job to help you get to your destination.

We're proud of the all hard work our employees do to keep Hillsborough connected every day, rain or shine. Without them, we're literally going nowhere!

And we'd also like to salute all of the hard-working men and women in the Tampa Bay area who keep us moving in all facets of our daily lives. After all, Labor Day isn't just about cookouts and football - it's also about saying congratulations on a job well done.

Have a great day, and safe travels from all of us at HART!

More People Getting Onboard

HART's Route 2 is the busiest in the system

HART's ridership numbers for August are in, and thanks to you, the success story continues.

Last month, passengers took a total of 1,083,103 rides on HART buses, vanpools and paratransit vehicles. With a growth rate of 11.2% over August of 2009, people really are getting onboard.

Local service led the way with an increase of nearly 12% in rides from this time last year. Route 2 (Nebraska Avenue), the busiest single route in the system, carried more than 101,000 rides alone.

Paratransit service, which is specially designed for people with disabilities, is up more than 23% over August 2009.

Another interesting category of ridership you may not hear much about is bicycle boardings. The numbers for the past month show more people riding their bikes to the bus stop, with these boardings going up 8% since last August. Remember, every HART bus has a bike rack that can hold two bikes - so you can always use pedal power for part of your ride.

When you average it all out, that means about 42,000 rides on HART services every weekday.

The monthly totals put our year-to-date ridership at almost 11.3 million, compared to about 10.7 million at the same point in 2009. With just under a month to go in our fiscal year (it ends September 30), HART is looking to pass the 12-million mark for 2010.

So join the movement and hop aboard! Who knows - maybe you'll be the one who puts us over the top!

Labor Day Service Reminder
We reported this on Monday, but it bears repeating. HART will operate on a Saturday service schedule for the Labor Day holiday on Monday, September 7. Enjoy your holiday weekend, and if you get a chance, be sure to check back here for a special Labor Day message.

Web Wednesday - Moving You to Safety

These signs designate HART's
Emergency Evacuation Service

As we turn the calendar to September, the Atlantic hurricane season is nearing its most volatile period. According to this graph produced by the National Hurricane Center, the season peaks on September 10. And with two hurricanes threatening the East Coast of the US, it's an important reminder that we keep our guard up.

HART can help with some resources you can access right on our website.

Part of your hurricane plan should include knowing whether or not you're in an evacuation zone. Hillsborough County's updated evacuation zones and shelters map gives you a detailed look at the entire county, with shaded areas designating evacuation zones and the locations of shelters, including those for people with special needs or pets. We've linked to the county's map here.

If you're in an evacuation zone and have no other means of getting out, HART operates ten emergency evacuation routes that can take you to safety before a storm hits. The routes serve four designated Hillsborough County shelters. Click here to view a map (PDF) of HART's emergency evacuation routes.

HART and the Hillsborough County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) urge you to make your plans now, and to consider the evacuation bus routes only as a last resort.

Bus Service During Emergency Conditions
If a major storm threatens our area, you should plan for the possibility of service interruptions. To minimize inconvenience to our customers, we will announce the need to interrupt service as early in the day as possible, and will work to restore service just as soon as it is safe to do so.

For more detailed information on HART's hurricane evacuation service and service plans in case of emergency, please click here.

To learn more about hurricane preparation, such as how to put together your hurricane survival kit, where to get sandbags, and how to prepare your pets, visit the Hillsborough County hurricane information website by clicking here.