The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority

Pasco considered for new cross-county bus routes

By

Pasco County commuters may soon have easier access into neighboring counties, as two new bus routes are being explored along the Interstate 75 and Interstate 275 corridors.

Bus stops along State Road 56 and State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel would allow riders to catch buses traveling to Tampa and Saint Petersburg.

The bus rapid transit project would help travelers move around, while reducing congestion on the highway.

The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA) has been working on the idea in conjunction with the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) of Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

The regional transit authority began a study in 2019 to evaluate the 41-mile bus route.

If implemented, those in Pasco could travel south into Tampa, stopping near the University of South Florida and in downtown Tampa. Bus riders would have the option to continue riding southwest, ending up in downtown St. Petersburg.

The highway also may be widened to accommodate a designated lane for buses as well.

The initiative has transitioned into the Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study, with the support of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

Trying to find a way to improve transit and ease congestion has been an issue for decades.

Providing more public bus services across Tampa Bay could help reduce the estimated 50% increase in motorists expected over the next two decades, according to TBARTA.

Other cities across the nation —  including Los Angeles, Cleveland, Minneapolis and Las Vegas — already have bus rapid transit.

Routes can be selected based on where there is a high volume of businesses, attractions and daily needs.

Kurt Scheible is the director of Pasco County Public Transportation and sits on TBARTA’s Transit Management Committee.

He pushed for two bus stops when one was originally being considered for Pasco. This resulted in both State Road 56 and State Road 54 being selected, near their intersections with Interstate 75.

“(State Road) 56 is not really a good starting point for Pasco County, (State Road) 54 is,” Scheible said. “(State Road) 54 is where the customers are actually going to be. That’s where the people are and that’s where they’re going to go.”

Currently, the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) Authority offers bus rides from Wesley Chapel into Tampa.

While the exact locations of the proposed stops haven’t been pinpointed yet, they will be two new alternatives to the HART bus service.

With the support of FDOT, the project could cost up to $455 million.

Studies are scheduled for completion in 2021, but a construction timetable hasn’t been determined yet.

Published January 29, 2020

These drivers make safety a priority

By

The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) honored 17 operators for their stellar safe-driving records, and inducted them into the One Million Mile Club and the Two Million Mile Club.

New members of the Two Million Mile Club (Courtesy of HART)

To qualify for membership in the One Million Mile Club, a bus, van or streetcar operator must demonstrate an exceptional dedication to safe vehicle operations by completing 14 consecutive years without a preventable accident, according to a news release from HART.

To get into the Two Million Mile Club, an operator must accumulate 27 years without a preventable accident.

“Many of our operators are special, but this group represents the best of the best. We are proud to salute them,” said HART Chief Operating Officer Ruthie Reyes Burckard, in a release.

Burckard added that it takes skill and vigilance at all times to achieve this elite Million Miler status.

The newly inducted members to the Million Mile Club are: Robert Baker, Sabrina Brown Mills, Fernando Burga, Crystal Edwards, Debra Eskridge, George Freeman, Bernier Lalime, Gregory Lester, Carlos Martinez, Dwight Phillips, Gabriel Siragusa and Manuel Tejada.

The Two Million Mile Club has three new members: Philip Burgos, Rafael Camacho and Ronald Watkins.

Rafael Rosado is only the second TECO Line Streetcar motorperson to achieve the Streetcar One Million Mile.

Published October 09, 2019

HART rolling out regional bus service

By

The debate over building and operating a tri-county bus rapid transit system on Interstate 275 won’t be settled for months.

But, on July 1, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, known as HART, will launch a new limited express bus service down I-275 from Wesley Chapel to Tampa.

Connections also can be made to existing routes operated by Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority with services to Largo, Clearwater and St. Petersburg.

Hillsborough Area Regional Transit, HART, will launch a new bus route between Wesley Chapel and Tampa. A HART bus is shown here at Marion Transit Center in Tampa.
(Courtesy of HART)

The 275LX route will be a first for regional transit in the Tampa Bay area. It also will be a test of the regional potential for bus transit.

Funding for the new route is from about $1.2 million in grants from the Florida Department of Transportation. Funds are expected to cover operating expenses for 18 months.

“We’re very excited about this service,” said Steve Feigenbaum, HART’s director of service development. “We have very high hopes for it.”

Route 275LX largely will follow Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and Interstate 275.

Feigenbaum said this service is separate from a proposed “catalyst” project for a bus rapid transit system that would travel on dedicated lanes built on the shoulders of I-275.

The Florida Department of Transportation funded a study that prioritized a 41-mile bus rapid transit system from Wesley Chapel to St. Petersburg. Initial construction estimates were nearly $455 million.

Supporters hope that bus rapid transit can jumpstart a long-range transit vision for the area. Opponents say the project is too limited, too expensive, and won’t, by itself, address traffic gridlock.

A decision on bus rapid transit is expected in the coming months.

Meanwhile, major stops on HART’s limited express service will include Tampa International Airport, the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, the University Area Transit Center, the Westshore business district, and the Marion Street Transit Center in downtown Tampa.

According to a HART news release, residents and businesses, especially in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, asked for the bus route. It is considered a boon for employees commuting to and from work across county lines, and for area residents who want to visit dining, shopping or entertainment destinations in Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

HART estimates about 123,000 residents live within the service area.

Transportation from Pasco to the veteran’s hospital in Hillsborough is an especially important benefit to the area, said Kurt Scheible, director of Pasco County Public Transportation (PCPT).

“I get requests all the time on how can we get people down to the veteran’s hospital,” Scheible said. “I think this is a great step forward.”

The July 1 start is a soft opening, with an official ribbon cutting at Tampa International Airport scheduled for July 13.

HART buses will pick up passengers at the Route 54 bus stop operated by PCPT. The bus stop is located at the Wiregrass Park-n-Ride, at 28222 Willet Way, near Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel.

The Wiregrass bus stop is the “backbone” of Pasco’s transit system, with the kind of ridership that makes it a perfect fit for HART’s new route, said Scheible.

HART’s operating hours will be seven days a week, generally from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., with buses leaving hourly. Bus fares will be $2 each way. Free WiFi is available on the bus ride.

PCPT’s Route 54 operates only six days a week, with no buses running on Sundays. Weekday hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., for east/west service from Universal Plaza in New Port Richey to Zephyrhills.

Major stops are at Medical Center of Trinity, The Shops at Wiregrass and Tampa Premium Outlets.

However, the Wiregrass Park-n-Ride is open seven days a week for residents taking a ride on HART’s buses.

New services are coming in the future, including the expansion of Flamingo Fares, a mobile application for regional bus passes, Feigenbaum said.

It is available from HART and the PSTA. In the next months, Pasco and Manatee County’s transit systems also will provide the mobile app and regional bus passes.

“It will be seamless, built into all the systems,” said Feigenbaum.

Published June 20, 2018

Taking aim at traffic woes

By

A transit study will take a regional approach in trying to identify a solution to unsnarl Tampa Bay’s traffic congestion, and, qualify for federal aid.

Jacob Engineering will conduct the 24-month study for Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. The approximately $1.5 million cost will be paid for by the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, commonly called HART and the Florida Department of Transportation, called FDOT for short.

A transit study will seek solutions for congestion problems in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties. One logjam motorists often face is at the intersection of U.S. 41 and State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes. (File Photo)
A transit study will seek solutions for congestion problems in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties. One logjam motorists often face is at the intersection of U.S. 41 and State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes.
(File Photo)

Consultants are expected to begin work on Oct. 1, following expected approval of the contract by HART on Sept. 12.

Commuter rail, light rail, bus rapid transit service and express bus service will be among transit alternatives reviewed in the study.

“Tampa Bay is one of the very few large regional areas that does not have premier transit service to connect its region,” said Steve Feigenbaum, HART’S director of service development. “This is a truly regional study, a three-county study, for transit options for our region.”

Feigenbaum made a presentation on the study to members of the Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization’s board on Sept. 8 in Dade City.

About 50 percent of Pasco residents commute to jobs outside the county, he said. “Where are their transit options?”

In the past year, Pasco residents have been asked their views on a range of transportation issues, most often focused on traffic congestion in high growth areas such as State Road 54 and State Road 56.

A slew of road projects are under construction or under review to reconfigure or widen roads and highways throughout the county.

Commuters heading south on Interstate 275 daily confront road lanes jammed with motorists trying to get to work.

Recently, FDOT held public meetings to gain support for the Tampa Bay Express, a controversial road project to widen portions of I-275 and Interstate 4.

Only limited bus transit links Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties.

Feigenbaum said the study will recommend a single project that is doable, links all three counties and would qualify for funding from the Federal Transit Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation. Other options will be included in the study, along with reasons why they didn’t make the final cut.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano wondered about the feasibility of purchasing CSX rail lines for future passenger rail service.

The Land O’ Lakes area often is mentioned as an area where rail stops would boost local commercial and residential development. The area includes CSX rail lines crossing through the intersection of U.S. 41 and State Road 54.

But, Feigenbaum cautioned against thinking that the study would focus on CSX.

“It’s not a CSX study,” he said. “That will be a component of it.”

The cost of buying the rail lines would only be a starting point, he said.

The rail lines were built for freight and would have to be upgraded to handle passenger service. “There’s still going to have to be some consideration of construction and cost. It’s an important component, but it will be included with everything else.”

Feigenbaum said the FTA looks to fund projects that boost economic development and show a return on investment.

“Without those particular elements, it becomes just another shelf piece,” he said. “Some (prior) studies have so much dust, they are growing corn. But, that’s another story.”

Initially, consultants will look at those previous studies, whether they produced transit projects or not, and compile them into a unified, coherent report.

“We don’t want to invent the wheel,” Feigenbaum said.

There also will be public outreach with town halls, telephone town halls and other events to gather community opinions.

Once the initial study is completed, environmental and design work will be done before an application can be submitted to the federal transit agency.

It could take up to five years to qualify for a fully funded grant, Feigenbaum said. “It’s an arduous process.”

Published September 14, 2016

HART wants public input on Route 51X changes

By

Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority is hosting two community meetings and a public hearing about changes the organization expects to make to a popular bus route that links Pasco County to downtown Tampa.

HART has three options that it’s considering for its Route 51X. The first would be to continue morning and afternoon express service between Pasco and downtown Tampa, providing hourly midday service between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., between HART’s University Area Transit Center and southern Pasco via Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

The second option would be to discontinue direct express service between Pasco and downtown Tampa in favor of continual hourly midday service between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. along a similar route. Those riders wishing to go downtown can use other routes that would take them from the University transit center.

The final option would be to still discontinue direct express service in favor of continual hourly midday service between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., with additional stops at the University of South Florida. Once again, riders who want to go downtown could take another bus from one of those stops.

The changes are being made based on ridership trends, and to help improve cost-efficiency of the system, according to a release from HART.

The first open house is planned for June 10 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at New Tampa Library, 1001 Cross Creek Blvd. the second open house is set for June 17 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at New Tampa Community Center, 17302 Commerce Park Blvd.

A public hearing is scheduled for July 8 beginning at 5 p.m. at New Tampa Library.

Riders also can email comments to .

Recommendations will be made to the HART board of directors in September, with implementation set for November.

Maps for the proposed changes to Route 51X can be found by clicking here.

For more information, call (813) 254-4278.