Hillsborough Area Regional Transit

Driven to Serve


January 2015

HART 2014 YEAR IN REVIEW: Innovation continued, community support grew, and ridership skyrocketed!

HART completed 2014 with historic levels of ridership, and expects to serve over 15 million riders in FY2015. Groundbreaking technological innovation and a host of new customer-oriented programs have made public transit a better way to travel throughout Hillsborough County. Plus HART continues to strengthen its partnership with those it serves to improve the local economy and enhance the quality of life for everyone in the community.

"We are excited for a New Year filled with more service and  additional ongoing initiatives to make riding the HART system easier along with more solutions for our communities." said HART Chief Executive Officer Katharine Eagan.

The following is a look back at some of the top HART stories of the year:

January: HART Celebrated the New Year with Councilman Mike Suarez Elected as HART Board Chair

The HART Board elected Councilman Mike Suarez as Chair, and Temple Terrace Councilman Eddie Vance was elected Secretary for FY2014.


"It is a great privilege to be elected as HART Board Chairman and continue working alongside the dedicated Board members to serve our customers, employees and the community." said Chairman Councilman Mike Suarez after the vote.  


Councilman Suarez has been a Board member since April 2011 and has served as HART Board Secretary since 2012. Councilman Suarez is a third generation resident of Tampa, with deep roots in West Tampa. 
February: HART CFO Jeff Seward Named Tampa Bay Business Journal 2014 CFO of the Year in Government Agency Category
Jeff Seward, HART Chief Financial Officer, was honored as CFO of the Year in the Tampa Bay Business Journal's 2014 CFO of the Year Awards in the Government Agency category.
   

The award ceremony is an annual event hosted by the Tampa Bay Business Journal to recognize top financial executives and finalists are chosen by an independent panel of judges. The event honors Chief Financial Officers from Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee, Sarasota, Polk and Hernando Counties. Six distinct industry categories are honored, and Seward won in the Government category.

  

As CFO, Mr. Seward is responsible for Accounting & Financial Reporting, Budget, Cash Management, Internal Audit, Procurement, Contracts Administration, Grants & Planning. Those vitally important departments execute the long-term financial strategy of HART, manage major capital projects, secure grants to enhance our current infrastructure and implement investment tools to improve fiscal sustainability.

 

January 2015 Public Meetings 

   

HART Board of Directors Regular Meeting at HART Administrative Office on
January 5, 2015 @ 9:00 a.m.

      

 

HART Finance, Governance, and Administration Committee Meeting (FGA) at HART Administrative Office on
January 26, 2015 @ 9:00 a.m.

All meetings will take place at the HART Ybor Office, 1201 E. Seventh Ave.
   


HART is looking for safety-minded and customer-focused individuals to join the HART team.

HART is currently looking for Bus Mechanics, Bus Operators, Transit/Rail Safety and Security Administrator and several other positions.

HART provides competitive pay and a great benefits package, including participation in the Florida Retirement System. Apply online today!

 
 Click here for more details.

TECO Line Streetcar System Rolls into 2015 with 6th Streetcar Live Concert Event

On Saturday, January 3, passengers on the TECO Line Streetcar System will be treated to the first concert of 2015.

The
Porch Sessions and Shae Krispinksky (of Y Los Dos Pistoles), who were handpicked by the Gasparilla Music Festival, will provide the entertainment.

The Porch Sessions band will board streetcar #434 at 6:40 p.m. and then perform aboard the historic streetcar from 7:00-9:00 p.m. as it clangs along between Centennial Park Station (Station #1) and Whiting Station (Station #11).  
March:HART Extends Route 46 and Adds Improvements


HART announced new and improved service enhancements along Route 46 that both optimize the agency's budget and resources and enhanced services with options that riders want. Route 46 was extended by six miles from Westfield Brandon Mall to Dover Road via SR60 (Brandon Blvd.) The route serves the Wal-Mart Supercenter,Strawberry Ridge Retirement Community, and numerous other businesses along the route.  
April: HART Board of Directors Name Katharine Eagan New Interim Chief Executive Officer and HART Opened Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Fueling Station Becoming the First Public Transportation Agency in Florida to Convert to CNG 
 
The HART Board of Directors appointed Katharine Eagan, AICP, new Interim HART CEO, and Ms. Eagan assumed the role when CEO Philip R. Hale retired.

Ms. Eagan originally joined HART in 2009 as Chief of Service Development, directing service planning and scheduling, as well as marketing and community relations. During those years she helped build ridership, implement unique and targeted marketing promotions, and promote strategic route planning. 

In addition, HART celebrated the grand opening of a $5.5 million Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling facility at a ribbon cutting ceremony on April 24.


Florida Secretary of Transportation, Ananth Prasad, Director of the Office of Energy, Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services Patrick Sheehan and Mark Riley, regional Vice President, Clean Energy were among the guests who helped commemorate the grand opening of the fueling station. Nearly 100 community stakeholders attended the ribbon cutting event at the HART 21st Avenue Operations facility.

HART Board of Directors Chairperson Councilman Mike Suarez, thanked those in attendance as well as the many community partners for making this project a reality. "A project like this does not happen on its own," Suarez said. "This kind of innovation is at the core of the HART philosophy and strategy for serving the public."  

 

 

May: HART Partners with Megabus.com for Expanded Intermodal Services and Revenues and HART Operators Honored with Million Mile Club Awards  

Starting May 15,Tampa residents were able to travel express to and from Miami and Orlando for as little as $1, out of the HART Marion Transit Center (MTC). By making other connections, residents gain access to 120 cities across the USA. That dramatically expanded the Intermodal system at MTC and was made possible through a 5-year partnership agreement between HART and Megabus.com. The additional revenue can be reinvested by HART to further enhance MTC. 

  

The partnership was just another example in FY2014 of how HART staff was focused on attracting new ridership, fueling revenues, and enhancing service through strategic innovation. The HART intermodal approach strives to connect various modes of transportation such as walking, bicycling, and using the TECO Line Streetcar System, Park-n-Ride facilities, and paratransit system.  

 

Another great achievement in May took place when the Tampa Area Safety Council honored nine HART Operators with the One Million Mile Club Award at their 34th Annual Safety Awards Luncheon on May 13. Those presented with the coveted One Million Mile Club awards for 2013 were Desmond Coulson, Demetra Jackson, Charles Evans, Rigoberto Oquendo, Luis Garcia, Thomas Palmore, David Gonzalez, Al Hughes, and Antonio White.

 

Each of these extraordinary Operators has been diligent about maintaining passenger safety as a top priority during their long, outstanding careers with HART that trace back to the late 1990s and early 2000s. To qualify for membership in the One Million Mile Club, a Bus or Van Operator must complete an average of 14 consecutive years or a million miles without a preventable accident. As a team these honorees have earned a combined safe driving record of nine million miles, the equivalent of driving to the moon and back 38 times without an accident.

 
 
June: HART Celebrated National "Dump the Pump" Day and The HART Environmental and Sustainability Management System (ESMS) Core Team completed the FTA Environmental Management Workshop

HART joined public transportation agencies across the country on June 19 by offering a free 1-Day Pass incentive to Tampa area riders. All the customer had to do was provide the Operator a gasoline receipt upon boarding the vehicle, and the offer was valid on all of HART Local, Express, Limited Express, MetroRapid, In-Town Trolley, and HARTFlex routes.

Dump the Pump Day
was a way to motivate and inspire more people to try HART while "going green" and improving their health and overall quality of life. HART Board of Directors Chairman Councilman Mike Suarez
and Hillsborough County Commissioner and HART board member Mark Sharpe rode HART buses on Dump the Pump Day.   

 

  

 


In addition, the HART Environmental and Sustainability Management System (ESMS) Core Team completed the final FTA Environmental Management workshop at Virginia Tech. HART is one of only 15 transit agencies in the country to have been selected by FTA for this training and will be one of only four agencies in the country ISO certified.
July: HART Celebrated Another Ridership Gain in July and HART Staff Receives COMTO "Best Grass Roots Activities of the Year"

HART ridership continues to gain steam with a 4.6 percent increase, compared to the same month last year.


A total of 1,235,600 trips were taken last month, which marks the tenth consecutive month of serving more than 1 million bus riders in FY2014. This continues a strong upward ridership trend for HART, coming after a record year in 2013 with 14.6 million riders.


Meanwhile, HART staff was rewarded with the Conference Of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) 2014 award for "Best Grass Roots Activities" of the year. Across the nation 39 chapters competed for the honor which recognizes the chapter that demonstrates excellence in the planning and implementation of grass roots activities or events which enhances the COMTO image.

August: HART and Hillsborough Community College Launched HCC Semester Pass and Streetcar Live Concert Series Kicked Off 
HART and HCC partnered to kick-off the HCC semester pass pilot program in August. The semester pass costs $110, compared to $48.75 for the discounted 31 day pass. The pilot program was developed with HCC Ybor City, and the HCC President's Cabinet asked that the pilot be expanded to the Dale Mabry, Brandon, and South Shore campuses.

The TECO Line Streetcar System and The Gasparilla Music Festival launched a new concert series called Streetcar Live. The series continued the 1st Saturday of each month, with streetcar riders treated to live music from bands handpicked by Gasparilla Music Festival.

 

Streetcar Live celebrates and showcases all that Tampa has to offer by featuring local musicians on board a true Tampa icon, The TECO Line Streetcar System.
September: HART Sets All-Time Ridership Record and HART Rolls Out Bus Arrival Information Enhancement 

HART had two big reasons to celebrate in September - total annual ridership on HART reached just under 15 million rides in FY2014 (October 1, 2013 - September 30, 2014), and September 2014 marked the highest September on record in HART history.   

 
This year's achievements include increases in ridership and slight increases in revenue, while delivering services under budget. County-wide, HART enjoyed a 2.2 percent increase in ridership over the previous year by breaking last year's record by 325,993 trips. This total represents the 5th straight year of setting another record for the authority. We've hit record ridership 10 of the past 11 years.   

Also, after seeing the widespread use and success of its OneBusAway app, HART introduced another powerful GPS-based customer service innovation on September 8. The new SMS text messaging feature is free, user friendly, and empowers HART customers by putting bus arrival times at their fingertips.

 

Real-time bus arrival information via SMS is the latest in a long list of cutting edge technologies HART has recently introduced, from the OneBusAway platform. This is all part of the agency's ongoing commitment to innovative solutions that result in superior customer service.   

October : HART Has Highest Ridership Month Ever!


October 2014 marked the highest month for bus ridership in the agency's long and stellar history. October 2014 ridership marked 79,183 more trips than in October 2013 - which set a new record. MetroRapid set an all-time monthly high with 57,513 riders, and October 2014 was also the first time HART monthly bus ridership exceeded 1.4 million trips.   

 

Once again, thank you for coming on board in record numbers!   
November: HART Debuts New Online Job Application Technology and Katharine Eagan Permanently Hired as HART CEO 

HART launched its new Applicant Tracking System (ATS) using NeoGov, a well-recognized leader in public sector government human resources platforms. The NeoGov ATS has advanced features that allow applicants to create accounts within the system.  


"It's important for us to stay at the forefront of technology and using the latest technology continues to be a measured, forward-thinking process,"
said Katharine Eagan, HART Interim Chief Executive Officer. "The new NeoGov Applicant Tracking System is another testament to our commitment to be good stewards of the public's dollars and the work of our HART staff."

 

The new system is one of many steps HART is taking to ensure its role as an employer of choice in the Tampa Bay area. The new program also allows hiring managers to more effectively create minimum qualifications to sort through a pool of applicants. With the new system, administrative work and technical maintenance costs are reduced as this workload is handled by the NEOGOV system.    

 
The HART Board of Directors selected Katharine Eagan as the agency's new Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Eagan had been the HART Interim CEO since the previous CEO Philip R. Hale announced his retirement in May 2014.

"The HART Board of Directors has been impressed with Ms. Eagan's ability to meet significant challenges in her first six months, and we are fortunate to have a seasoned professional step in with more than 17 years of experience in the transportation industry and five years at HART ," said Chairman of the HART Board of Directors Councilman Mike Suarez. "She's a consummate professional, and we're eager to move the agency forward under her leadership." 

December: HART Accountability Center is Launched
HART closed out 2014 by launching an online accountability center.

To further ensure HART transparency in how it does business, the agency launched the accountability center, an online portal where interested taxpayers can keep tabs on every dollar HART spends.


HART will post a wealth of financial information on our website, including our budgets, individual financial transaction records, contracts information and historical data. We've made the information easy to find and review so that interested citizens can keep tabs on every dollar we spend. 
HARTinfo Line: (813) 254-4278
TDD (813) 626-9158
HARTplus: (813) 254-4278
www.goHART.org

The HART web site receives over 7.8 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 [email protected]