By Kyle LoJacono
Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) finds itself in a bit of a quandary.
HART has set ridership records each year since 2010, up to 14.2 million people using the authority’s fleet of buses and vans to get around the county in 2012, according to public information officer Sandra Pinto.
But while ridership continues to grow, the funding has started lagging behind the increasing demand.
HART planned to replace 91 buses and 76 other vehicles between this year and 2018, but questions about funding sources have put that timeframe in doubt, Pinto said. Early estimations have the authority coming between $8.3 million and $24.7 million short of that goal.
Pinto said HART still plans to replace 11 buses and 13 vans this year. The $11.3 million price tag of those new vehicles will be paid for during the 2012 and 2013 fiscal years.
Ridership on the 20X Pasco/Lutz Express line, which runs between downtown Tampa and Lutz, and 51X New Tampa/Pasco Express, which connects downtown with Wesley Chapel, has also increased the last few years.
The 20X line has seen a 2 percent increase from 2011 to 2012, up to 19,678 riders. The 51X route grew by 9 percent during that same time, up to 15,549.
HART’s Northdale Flex program, which runs between Carrollwood and Lutz, had a ridership of 47,105 in 2012, its first full year of operation.
Pinto credits the rise in ridership the last few years in part to increased public awareness about HART’s services while gas prices go up.
“Plus, HART has had a program of reducing or eliminating poorly producing services and segments and reinvesting operating dollars in areas that provide a better return on investment,” Pinto said.
Pinto said HART still plans to roll out its Metro Rapid service in late May or early June. The line will allow faster access between the 17.5-miles between Tampa and Fletcher Avenue along Nebraska Avenue.
HART will add 12 new buses to its fleet for Metro Rapid, which does not include the 11 used to replace old vehicles serving other lines.
Pinto said the authority will look to add Metro Rapid lines in the future, including one that would service New Tampa along Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. She said the new concept is just one of several things HART is doing to offer better transportation in the area.
“Record ridership for the third straight year in a row shows that the community has noticed HART’s transformation from the bus system of an earlier time,” Pinto said. “We have numerous capital projects going on, and we’re moving forward with significant transit system improvements.”
For more information about HART and its services, visit www.gohart.org.
—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker
HART Ridership
2010: 12,264,357
2011: 13,702,653
2012: 14,218,868
