July service changes begin July 10 View new bus schedule

From plan to pavement, many sign-offs are required along the way by planners, budget analysts, operations staff and more. But remember, HART's most important stamp of approval is from our customers.

Service changes are made three times a year as HART continuously assesses all routes to make sure they match the demand as much as possible, and HART has been planning for more than seven months to prepare for service changes that begin July 10.

Planning for service changes starts with talks between the HART Finance and Service Development Departments to ensure that proposed service changes match the budget numbers and reflect the best investment.

Once these numbers are crunched, the following are then considered:

• Ridership trends
• Impact
• Overall bus route schedule
• Alternative options

HART planners take into account new housing complexes, businesses, schools and other community developments to make sure HART effectively serves these riders, or potential riders. Proposed route changes are also based on suggestions by riders and drivers submitted throughout the year. Again, the goal is to provide transit service that is relevant to today's ridership trends.

New HARTFlex zones in Northdale, South Tampa and Town 'N Country begin July 11. View video about HARTFlex

If route changes are necessary, planners carefully design these updates so their impacts are minimal. They are truly amazing at finding cost-savings while still maintaining the transit footprint throughout Hillsborough County. For instance, because of new HARTFlex zones introduced as part of July's service changes, HART will be able to maintain the same level of transit service in a number of areas in Hillsborough County while keeping the operations cost low. Among other cost savings, HARTFlex uses smaller vans, instead of the traditional 40-foot buses. Best of all, it provides customers with a more flexible schedule.

New HARTFlex zones will be in Northdale, South Tampa and Town 'N Country. The first two flex zones were introduced last year in Brandon and South County. For more information, visit www.goHART.org/flex 

Planners also ensure that route changes complement the overall bus schedule, so that as many residents as possible continue to have access to transit. For instance, some areas have multiple routes serving them, and residents from these areas might be slightly inconvenienced if a route is changed or reduced. But a route change here means preserving limited routes in other parts of Hillsborough County, which for residents of these areas, may be their only connection to employment and business hubs, such as downtown Tampa and University of South Florida.

Public comment is a big part of the process for service changes. July's service changes are a great example of this. Based on public comments from online surveys, six community meetings and a public hearing, original proposed modifications for four routes were changed, or just simply disregarded. Its cliché, but it's true. At HART, your two cents count!

After route changes are approved by the HART Board, rolling it out means new schedules for more than 400 bus and van drivers, as well as training drivers who are unfamiliar with new routes. July's service changes also mean installing, relocating or consolidating nearly 400 bus stops and notifying customers about these bus stop changes. Brochures outlining route-by-route changes are available on all buses and at transit centers, and new bus schedules are available online at www.goHART.org 

HART knows sometimes customers feel that route changes are made somewhat suddenly. But, there's much more involved in this process, and it requires a lot of thought and consideration.

It's not

Pearl Neal, HART Bus Operator

 just a slogan; Driven to Serve is everyday business at HART!

Customers are the heart of HART. Whether it's training a new class of bus drivers, planning for bus routes or overseeing day-to-day operations, customer service is the bottom line. Each HART employee carries forth this commitment to service in everything they do.

Albert Perry, HART Transit Supervisor

"My No. 1 rule in customer service is to give

patrons respect, be on time and go the extra mile. But No. 1 is always respect," Pearl Neal, Bus Operator.

"I've learned to place myself in the individual's place. I get complete information from them so I can best assist them," Albert Perry, Transit Supervisor.

John Creaton, HART Scheduler

"Customer service is an organizational theme that requires a lot of teamwork, right from the bus operator, to dispatchers, to planners, and up through the big boss, the CEO," John Creaton, Route Scheduler. 

Joe Escobedo, HART Director of Transportation.

"The best way to create a culture of customer service is through example. As managers, instructors and mentors, we try to emulate what good customer service is," Joe Escobedo, Director of Transportation.