Another sign of a return to normalcy iin the Tampa Bay region post Hurricane Irma’s arrival as a Category 1 storm: The two largest public transit agencies, the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit agency (HART) and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), have returned to regular operations.
There are no easy answers to improve transit in the Tampa Bay area, at least for now. But that could change soon as officials behind a much-hyped regional transit feasibility study — set for completion early next week — will begin the first of three community workshops in Pasco and Hillsborough counties to gather community input.
The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) proudly unveiled its sleek new Tesla Model X SUV’s at a news conference last week at the University of South Florida. While the futuristic-styled vehicles were a hit with many, the design led one Tampa City Council member to wonder: “What happens when it rains?” The cars, equipped with articulating rear doors, have become a central part of HART’s HyperLINK first-mile, last-mile service now available in the University area. One of its vehicles’ more original…
Board members with the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) received some rough news Monday when they were informed that the agency is staring at a budget deficit of more than $8.5 million going into the 2018 fiscal year. There are a number of factors behind that number including a continuing decline in ridership, a national phenomenon that has been reduced by more than 11 percent at HART since 2014, amounting to more than $2.5 million in lost revenue since…
The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) will announce next week a partnership with the Tampa Innovation Alliance to enhance transportation options in the USF area. The plan is to introduce a small fleet of cutting-edge Tesla vehicles into the local market. Since its implementation last year, HART’s HyperLink program has allowed riders to book a ride through a smartphone app to and from bus stops in three designated areas: North Tampa, Brandon, and Carrollwood. It’s designed to solve the “first mile/last mile” issue by…
In 2017, talk has been more than ever about the lack of transportation options in Hillsborough County and the greater Tampa Bay region. The Board of Hillsborough County Commissioners is finally investing in improving roads and bridges to the tune of more than $800 million, with just one percent of those funds allocated toward public transit. In an interview earlier this week with HART CEO Katharine Eagan and the board’s relatively new chairman, Les Miller, the two expressed their hopes and dreams for…
Hillsborough Regional Transit Authority (HART) CEO Katharine Eagan says that the transit agency’s marketing budget became a budget casualty when the Great Recession reduced funding years ago, but HART’s evaluation committee will soon be selecting a marketing agency to help with their marketing and communication strategic plan in 2017. “We are in the active evaluation of a firm for a communications plan,” Eagan told members of the Finance and Audit Committee meeting on Monday. The announcement came a day after the Tampa Bay…
