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Hillsborough Area Regional Transit
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Driven to Serve
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December 2013/January 2014
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January: HART Celebrated the New Year with a Federal Grant for Transit Employment Training and the Launch of a Digital Advertising System
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 Tampa was awarded $234,281 from the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Innovative Transit Workforce Development Program to implement "Meeting Today's and Tomorrow's Job Needs in Mass Transit," a recruitment and training partnership between the Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa, Inc. (CDC of Tampa) and HART. This project will recruit, train and employ up to 30 people in the transit industry, including transit operations and maintenance workers.
HART also kicked off a new advertising program that will use the existing annunciation system on buses to broadcast 10-15 second messages. The program is managed by transit media firm Commuter Advertising, which enables time and location-based commercials triggered by GPS systems. HART is one of 10 transit agencies in the United States to embrace this new transit advertising technology.
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February: HART Hosted aTransit
Workshop on Future Partnerships and Maximizing Resources and Set Another Ridership Record
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 HART led a successful transit workshop on February 1, on future partnership and funding opportunities in the Tampa Bay area. With more than 25 representatives from regional transit agencies, local municipalities and citizen groups, the workshop provided an update about the latest trends in the transit sector, future partnerships and alternate funding scenarios.
In addition, HART set another ridership record in February, after a record breaking 65,755 trips on February 5 - the most in HART history.
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January public meetings
HART Board of Directors Regular Meeting at HART Administrative Office on January 6, 2014 @ 9:00 a.m.
Special HART Board of Directors Meeting at HART Administrative Office on January 17 @ 9:00 a.m. (KPMG Study - Financial Analysis of Cost Savings, Transit Authority Functions & Activities Consolidation)
HART Finance, Governance, and Administration Committee Meeting (FGA) at HART Administrative Office on January 27 @ 9:00 a.m.
All meetings will take place at the HART Ybor Office, 1201 E. Seventh Ave.
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HART is currently looking for Mechanics, Bus Operators, and a Programmer Analyst - ERP.
HART provides competitive pay and a great benefits package, including participation in the Florida Retirement System. Apply online today!
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March: The Newly Formed HART Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Committee Held its First Meeting
|  The newly created HART Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Committee met for the first time on March 22. Much of the focus of the initial meeting was on exploring ways to fully maximize the multiple benefits of the areas surrounding the new MetroRapid routes.
According to studies, a well-designed and managed transportation system benefits both individual home owners and the overall local economy. That's why the newly formed committee will strive to leverage public and private partnerships for the benefit of the entire community, as it looks for current areas that are growing and setting desirable trends.
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April: HART Was Selected for Federal Environmental and Technical Training
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HART was selected to participate in the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) 2013 Environmental Management Systems (EMS) Training and Technical Assistance program. The program will enable HART to analyze, control and reduce the environmental impact of its activities, products and services and operate with greater efficiency and cost savings. Participation includes the FTA, ten transit agencies and The Center for Organizational and Technological Advancement (COTA) at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech).
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May: HART Unveiled the Groundbreaking MV-1 Paratransit Vehicle and Announced a Groundbreaking Regional Fare Initiative
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HART invited the press to photograph the new MV-1 minivan. It is the first minivan designed from the ground up as an Americans with Disability Act (ADA) compliant vehicle, as opposed to retrofitting a family minivan. The new fleet of vans added will better serve the paratransit community and make the ride for some users much more enjoyable.
HART also announced its new, technologically advanced, seamless fare collection system. HART Chief Financial Officer Jeff Seward presented the Regional Fare Collection Working Group Memorandum of Understanding to the HART Board, explaining that it will directly benefit those HART services with enhanced mobility and payment options. Each of the partnering transit agencies from Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Citrus, and Hernando County, as well as Polk and Manatee Counties will work toward providing a fare collection system that supports regional connectivity in the Tampa Bay area.
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June: HART Launched MetroRapid North-South State-of-the-Art Transit System
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 MetroRapid was officially launched on June 10, 2013 featuring limited stop service and premium stations. Several dignitaries spoke at the ceremonial ribbon-cutting to mark the official opening of the highly anticipated MetroRapid North-South bus service. MetroRapid North-South is the first public transit system of its kind in the State of Florida.
MetroRapid offers traffic signal priority, Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) at major connection points along the corridor, reduced travel time and improve the HART experience.
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July: HART Ridership Numbers Continue to Soar
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HART had another strong month for ridership in July with 1,181,409 total trips during the month, a 6 percent increase compared to July 2012.
Monthly bus ridership has been on the rise for the last 7 consecutive months.
"These are exciting times at HART, and we are pleased to have the opportunity to provide dependable service to a growing number of riders each and every month," said HART Chief Operating Officer Katharine Eagan.
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August: HART OneBusAway Tampa Empowered Riders with Real-Time Bus Location Information
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On August 19, HART launched the innovative OneBusAway Tampa app which put cool, convenient power at the fingertips of HART bus riders. HART is proud to make Tampa the third city in the nation to adopt this real time technology, which first debuted in Seattle and New York.
HART partnered with the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida, where the software was developed with funding from the National Center for Transit Research. Georgia Tech evaluated the project for HART, thanks to funding from the National Center for Transportation Systems Productivity and Management.
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September: HART Board Approved FY2014 Budget, FY2014-FY2023 Transit Development Plan and Strategic Goals
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In September, the HART Board unanimously voted to adopt the FY2014 budget and a millage rate of .5000. FY2014 budget goals were established based on the reality of available resources, providing a stable foundation for the next five years. The HART 10-year FY2014-FY2023 Transit Development Plan (TDP) was also approved.
In addition, the Board of Directors also approved strategic goals to strengthen the future sustainability and direction of the authority. These goals are now used company-wide by every HART department to ensure all areas of this agency are working to accomplish the same outcomes: Exceptional service!
Goals
Goal #1 Exceed Customer Expectations
Goal #2 Ensure Safety & Security
Goal #3 Maximize Financial Well-Being
Goal #4 Foster a Thriving Internal Environment
Goal #5 Enhance Connections Within the County and Region
Goal #6 Embrace Innovative Practices and Systems
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October : HART Ridership Dramatically Increased in FY2013 and Launched Real-Time Transit Trip Updates on Google Maps
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HART had a banner year in FY2013 - That was apparent in the most recent ridership reports, which show total ridership at HART exceeded 14.6 million passengers during the fiscal year that ended September 30, a year-over-year increase of approximately three percent. This total represents the fourth straight year of setting another record for the Authority. We've hit record ridership 9 of the past 10 years.
Once again, thank you for coming on board in record numbers!
HART continued to set the transit agency bar higher as a trendsetting innovator by becoming the first in Florida to make real-time trip updates available on Google Maps. Google Maps allows riders to quickly and accurately plan transit trips from one location to another.
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November: HART Cut Costs to Enhance Ridership Services
|  Thanks to a continued internal cost-cutting effort, HART staff slashed expenses that were proactively reinvested into HART services to provide the first enhancements of this kind since 2007. New service enhancements of night and weekend service were only possible through a healthy balanced budget and savings. |
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December: HART Continues to Move Ahead with Fueling its Future with CNG
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HART will become the first transit agency in Florida to convert from diesel to cleaner burning Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fuel produced right here in the USA. HART is moving ahead with installation of a new CNG fueling station at its 21st Avenue Operations facility.
The innovative and pioneering CNG system will be in full swing after construction, installation, testing, and preparation and will be fully operational by spring 2014. Among HART goals is to promote the use of CNG throughout its region and continue to reach out to our regional counterparts for cost-saving partnerships.
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HARTinfo Line: (813) 254-4278
HARTplus: (813) 254-4278
www.goHART.org
HART's Web site receives about six million hits per month! Use our website with ease to plan your bus trips with Google Transit Map Trip Planner.
For more information about this publication, contact
Sandra Morrison at (813) 384-6610 or MorrisonS@goHART.org
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