Michael York HART Board

All of us at HART firmly believe that 2011 is going to be a great year! Last month's edition of A Community with HART focused on a year in review, and I don't think that anybody could argue that it was an exceptional year for HART. Probably the most outstanding achievement was receiving the 2010 Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award among agencies in North America carrying between 4 - 20 million passenger trips.

In this New Year, HART has many aspects to be proud of and also many goals to continue striving for. We will work together to constantly improve our customer experience, safety will remain at the forefront of our minds, and our organization will continue to deliver services that benefits our entire community. Congratulations should be given to Ms. Alison Hewitt who was elected Chair of the HART Board in December 2010. Ms. Hewitt is the picture of dedication and professionalism, and with a unanimous vote, clearly the entire Board is behind her efforts.

After serving for two years on the HART Board, and recently being appointed to the Tampa Historic Streetcar Board, I firmly believe that HART is headed in the right direction. Our new Chair will no doubt work hand-in-glove with Mr. David Armijo, CEO of HART, to bring many projects to fruition. The streetcar expansion to Whiting Street is now open for business, bringing riders straight into the heart of downtown. In 2011, construction will begin for our first MetroRapid project along the Nebraska Avenue corridor, HART's busiest route. Further, exciting developments with HARTFlex are coming in 2011.

It has been my great pleasure to serve as just one of the more than 750 team members at HART. I look forward to another exceptional year in 2011.

Steve Hendershott HART Chief of Operations

It's a minor miracle every time a HART bus pulls up to one of Hillsborough County's 3,800 bus stops on time -- a minor miracle the HART Operations Division helps make happen hundreds of times every day through hard work.

The Operations Division has more than 400 bus operators, van operators, and streetcar motormen and women who serve as the "face" of HART. But for every operator a rider meets, there are many more HART employees behind the scenes who also play an important role in making sure that each day thousands of residents are connected from Point A to Point B on time and safely.

At peak periods, the Operations Division is responsible for rolling out more than 158 clean, safe buses to service 58 fixed routes that span Hillsborough County's 1,100 square miles; 35 Paratransit vans for door-to-door service; and four streetcars to cover the 2.7-mile streetcar line. HART operators carry out this day-to-day service, but they have dispatchers, customer service representatives and road supervisors to help make sure each bus is on time, every time.

"Our customers expect reliable on-time transportation with clean buses", Hendershott said.  "Our bus, Flex, paratransit, and streetcar operators are on the frontlines to ensure that our customers receive the high quality service they expect."

Hendershott joined HART in June 2010 as the Special Projects Director and in November 2010, he was named Chief of Operations. He previously was Chief of Operations for the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority for six years, but his transportation and public administration experience spans more than 20 years.

Behind the scenes in the Operations Division, dispatchers are responsible for identifying efficient detours so operators can arrive to bus stops on time, despite last-minute road closures or other challenges that may cause delays, such as accidents. Customer Service keeps this timely information at their fingertips to answer questions from riders quickly and accurately, and they efficiently schedule HARTPlus and HARTFlex pick-ups and drop-offs. Road supervisors monitor operator performance and provide face-to-face assistance to operators to quickly resolve any issues and investigate accidents.

In a time when many public transit agencies are increasing fares or cutting service, looking ahead in 2011, Hendershott knows maintaining HART's patronage and public support is accomplished by the key qualities that make this agency dependable for thousands of residents every day:  efficiency, safety, quality of service and, of course, on-time performance!

Debbie Godwin HARTPlus Patron

I discovered HARTPlus just a few months after I arrived to Tampa more than three years ago. I take HARTPlus to medical appointments, to go shopping and I take it to the Bob Sierra Family YMCA for my aerobics class. It goes to many of the places I need to go, but I would like to see the service expanded. I attended several of HART's public meetings earlier this year in support of expanding public transit services, including paratransit service. I use a wheelchair, but I lead an active lifestyle. If I didn't have HARTPlus to help me get to places, I would have to stay home or maybe rely on family and friends.

All of the HARTPlus drivers are very caring, and I have made friends with many of them. Whenever I need to make a reservation for a pick-up, I just call HART's Customer Service Department. The phone lines are recorded so call takers can go back and double check that reservations were accurately noted.

HARTPlus is transportation for people with disabilities. Persons are eligible for this service if they have physical, cognitive, emotional, visual or other disabilities that prevent them from using HART's fixed-route bus system. For more information to apply for eligibility, visit www.goHART.org