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Hillsborough Area Regional Transit |
Driven to Serve |
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Lets Talk Service Changes..
HART is implementing service changes that went into effect March 17.
These new modifications are just one more step in the agency's ongoing commitment to optimize its budget and resources in a maximum way while improving its services with the tools and transportation options that riders want. Click here for more information.
Summary of Service Changes:
Routes 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 30, and 27LX will have minor schedule adjustments.
Route 18 - final trip of the night will be extended to Marion Transit Center.
Route 46 is being extended by a total of six miles from Westfield Brandon Mall to Dover Road via SR 60 (Brandon Blvd), which will include over four miles of previously unserved territory from Parsons Road east to Dover Road. Route 46 will offer weekday hourly service from 6:00 a.m. to approximately 8:30 p.m.
Route 46 will serve the Wal-Mart Supercenter, Strawberry Ridge Retirement Community, and numerous other businesses along the route.
Route 46 will also connect through Marion Transit Center to other downtown HART routes including MetroRapid, HART Local/Express routes, and PSTA Express.
Route 46 will no longer serve Davis Islands. Passengers can still take Route 19 to Davis Islands.
Whether you are going to work, to the store or simply out on the town, HART is the most affordable way to get around. Learn about HART fares and discounts.
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Driven to Serve You!
Going the Extra Mile
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When asked to explain what service to HART customers means to them, here is what some of our team members had to say:
Customer Service Representative, Beverly Mitchell - an 8-year veteran of HART - summed it up beautifully, saying "Customer service is our driving force."
 Marco Sandusky, Manager of EEO and Compliance Programs for HART, said "For me, the word that comes to mind is selflessness. We do this work for our customers and community, not for ourselves."
Dan Rodriguez, Project Manager I, who has been with HART for more than eight and a half years, explains "It's the very fabric of why HART exists, our number one focus is the citizens of Hillsborough County and their need for safe and efficient transportation. Starting at your front door or at the bus stop or at one of our transit centers. We are 'Driven to Serve' until they
reach their place of employment or a doctor's appointment, even a place of recreation and most of all back to wherever they call home. That is why HART exists, we are here to serve you."
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APRIL PUBLIC MEETINGS & EVENTS
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HART Board of Directors Regular Meeting at HART Administrative Office on April 7, 2014 @ 9:00 a.m.
HART Finance, Governance & Administration Committee Meeting (FGA) at HART Administrative Office on April 21, 2014 @ 9:00 a.m.
All meetings will take place at the HART Ybor Office, 1201 E. Seventh Ave.
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Tampa Tribune
Ted Jackovics
March 18, 2014
Fox 13 News
Alcides Segui
March 18, 2014
Mass Transit Magazine
March 13, 2014
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International Bus Driver Appreciation Day!
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Tuesday, March 18, 2014, is International Bus Driver Appreciation Day.
Why March 18?
That's the day that bus service is believed to have debuted in Paris in 1662.
Here's a little background information on this day:
Bus Driver Appreciation Day was conceived in 2009 by some riders up in Seattle, it was a great way to honor the many hard-working bus and rail operators who keep us all moving every day.
HART bus operators have their day to shine, and so do HARTFlex, HARTPlus and Streetcar operators. For those who think driving a bus may be an easy task, contemplate this: for hours on end, operators manage to keep a schedule, check fares, give directions, announce stops, remember stop requests and more, all while safely maneuvering a 40-foot vehicle or sometimes even longer vehicles through unpredictable traffic, adverse weather conditions and some really tight spaces. They face unhappy riders at times, when the bus is late-even when it's because of traffic or other circumstances out of their control. The fact is, HART operators don't have an easy job, they just make it look that way.
On March 18, join us in celebrating the contributions of our hard-working HART operators. It can be as simple as a smile when you board the bus and a "thank you" when you leave. And, don't forget you can submit an official commendation for a job well done, so your drivers can be formally recognized for their efforts. (You can do that any time of year!)
Here is just one of our many stars!
Operator Theresa Ann Briseneau, who has driven Route 39, since November, is being given a new route. But she received a warm note of thanks from a Route 39 passenger who wanted to say how much the patrons on that route will miss her. Theresa said she often receives compliments and thanks from passengers, and it makes her day.
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HART Hats Off!
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Whether they're jumping into action to assist a customer in need, improving service for our customers, or serving as leaders in local organizations, our employees are already making the HART family and our community proud.
Hats off to all our great Operators, with special kudos to those who received personal thanks from happy HART riders during the past few weeks!
One patron, for example, wrote that Damon Davis noticed they were running to catch the bus and was kind enough to stop. Another client expressed gratitude for all HARTPlus Operators, explaining that each time she encounters them they are extremely helpful.
Nicholas Gammal also received high marks for wonderful Customer Service, and Rafael Collazo was described as "the most polite and respectful Bus Driver I have ever seen" by one customer who wrote to HART. Bus Operator Francis Beggan got high-fives from a patron who said he is always professional, helpful, and "so sweet."
Bus Operator William Benson was complimented on his professionalism and dedication for "going above and beyond his duties," and a rider expressed "deep appreciation" to Bus Operator Marcelino Mendez for "accommodating him and going beyond his duties to get him a ride home."
Another rider said that for years she has been a customer of HART, and that she has always received valuable assistance from Margie Law. "It is always a joy to talk to her on the phone," she said, adding that Margie is "professional, pleasant, and extremely efficient."
Meanwhile Rafael Collazo extended special consideration to a patron who was rushing to get to work but did not have correct change. "The whole situation was embarrassing to me," the rider admitted, "yet the driver put me at my ease and handled my predicament with understanding, maturity, and professionalism. You are indeed fortunate to have such capable employees." and last but certainly not least, a rider described Bus Operator Gordon LeBlanc as an "Awesome" operator.
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HART Offers Spring Break Students a Free STAY-cation
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Students are able to really enjoy their independence while saving cash and leaving the driving to HART during this year's spring break. The HART STAY-cation program provides youth 18 and under unlimited bus riding during the whole month of March.
The offer is good on HART Local, Limited Express, MetroRapid, In-Town Trolley and HARTFlex services. The HART Spring Break STAY-cation program, now in its fifth year, is wildly popular. Last year, area students took nearly 56,000 free trips. STAY-cation is ideal for those kids who stay home during spring break allowing them to participate in sports, look for summer jobs, go to movies and concerts, have fun shopping, or simply visit friends and chill out.
Parents who usually wind up doubling as taxi drivers for their kids love the HART STAY-cation program too. They can enjoy a break from chauffeuring and paying for gasoline while they leave the safe and reliable driving to HART.
At the same time, young people experience the thrill, self-confidence, and mature independence of not having to depend on grown-ups to provide their transportation. Plus HART now has a cool high-tech downloadable Smart phone app, OneBusAway, and the Google Trip Planner to make mapping trips a breeze.
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Featured Rider of the Month: Pleasant Experience
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 Leon White, Guest Services Liaison for Howard Johnson Plaza Tampa Downtown, kindly wrote to thank HART for an outstanding job, explaining, "I must say that my experience on HART has been pleasant." White has
lived here since February 17, 2013, and started taking HART the very next day! He was job hunting, and lived in Brandon at the time. So he would ride lots of routes and buses. "I'd take the 37 to the 6 at NetPark, to the 5, the 39 to Yukon. I was going to all the populated areas to find hotel work. Busing was new to me because I had always had a car."
But moving to Tampa/Brandon with no job White opted to save money and ride the bus. "For the first 4 days I spent just about all day riding the bus with the $4 1-Day Unlimited Ride card, and I rode bus after bus to get accustomed to it and also learn the landscape of the area and what was accessible to me. I found each driver to be helpful with route information and I love the talking route and stop announcements on the bus rides"
White says that although he has been in Tampa almost a year now, he still has not bought a car because of the ease of the HART transit system. "HART bus drivers need a big thumbs up." he says, saying that they have a lot of courage to come out in the wee hours of the night and serve riders. "I do thank my drivers each time I ride and especially the trainees I tell them 'job well done.' I look forward to the many changes HART has planned and I say thank you for the latest route change to my route 5 with extended hours on the weekend! Now I can relax coming in to work a little later on weekends." White says that's great because "I am a homebody and love to cook and entertain."
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HARTinfo Line: (813) 254-4278
HARTplus: (813) 254-4278
www.goHART.org
HART's Web site receives over 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
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