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Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
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Ruthie Reyes Burckard

These drivers make safety a priority

October 9, 2019 By Mary Rathman

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

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Bernier Lalime, Carlos Martinez, Crystal Edwards, Debra Eskridge, Dwight Phillips, Fernando Burga, Gabriel Siragusa, George Freeman, Gregory Lester, HART, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, Manuel Tejada, Philip Burgos, Rafael Camacho, Rafael Rosado, Robert Baker, Ronald Watikins, Ruthie Reyes Burckard, Sabrina Brown Mills

Bus express service links Wesley Chapel and Tampa

August 1, 2018 By Kathy Steele

A new express bus service running from Wesley Chapel to downtown Tampa could potentially carry about 200,000 passengers annually, according to calculations by officials at the Hillsborough Area Transit Authority, also known as HART.

The 275LX bus route, which launched July 1, was among the topics discussed at the monthly economic development briefing luncheon sponsored by the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

About 20 people attended the luncheon at Hunter’s Green Golf & Country Club on July 26.

Ruthie Reyes Burckard

Ruthie Reyes Burckard, HART’s chief operations officer, was guest speaker.

She gave an overview of the 275LX, as well as other upcoming bus services from HART, and efforts to increase regional connections into Pasco, Pinellas, Manatee, and Sarasota counties.

Burckard said estimates on annual ridership aboard the 275LX are based on factors, such as community density and employment centers.

The 275LX route includes a bus stop at the Wiregrass park-n-ride, at 28222 Willet Way. The lot is near Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel and The Shops at Wiregrass. There also is a stop at the Lowe’s park-n-ride in New Tampa, at 16907 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. Passengers are picked up hourly, seven days a week, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The new 275LX route replaces the 51LX, which had limited pickups from the Wiregrass park-in-ride traveling to Marion Transit Center in downtown Tampa. There were two trips up n the morning and two trips back in the afternoon to Wesley Chapel.

“It wasn’t very productive,” Burckard said, adding that people didn’t seem to like the lack of options.

HART routinely does third-quarter reviews of its bus services, said Burckard. “We’ve been continuously looking at our services, and tweaking.”

The 275LX express route includes stops at Wiregrass park-in-ride, Tampa International Airport and the James A. Haley Veteran’s Hospital. (File)

That will happen in coming months, with the new express route. “If there are adjustments to be made, we’ll be looking very closely at that,” Burckard said.

On the 275LX, buses ride along Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, and Interstate 275 toward Tampa, with stops at Tampa International Airport, James A. Haley Veteran’s Hospital, the University area by University of South Florida, and the Marion Transit Center in downtown Tampa.

A one-way ride takes about an hour and 45 minutes. The cost is $2 each way.

The park-in-rides are free to use. However, Burckard said the lots aren’t available for overnight or multiple days of parking. So, for people taking the bus to catch a flight at Tampa’s airport, they should have someone drop them off at the park-in-ride, she said.

The 275LX is useful in making tri-county connections, or to other bus routes in Tampa.

For instance, the University area bus stop allows transfers to Temple Terrace. At Marion Transit, passengers can connect with Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority.

Funding for the 275LX is from the Florida Department of Transportation. The state transportation department also gave HART a $1 million grant for a pilot project to test a low-speed, self-driving bus between the Marion Transit Center and the southern end of downtown Tampa.

That is expected to launch in fiscal year 2019.

In October, the TECO Line Streetcar System will begin providing free rides for the next three years. Funding is about $200,000 from Tampa Electric Company, or TECO, and about $2.7 million from FDOT.

One-way fares between the Channelside District and Ybor City currently cost $2.50.

A study is planned to consider extending the existing 2.7 miles of streetcar track.

HART also is launching the Flamingo Fares mobile application, which provides regional bus fare passes. Hillsborough County, Pasco, Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota will partner in this.

One bus pass can be used for rides on all systems.

“You don’t have to buy fare passes for each and every connection,” Burckard said.

Published August 1, 2018

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Channelside District, Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, HART, Hillsborough Area Transit Authority, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Lowe's, Marion Transit Center, North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, Ruthie Reyes Burckard, Tampa Electric Company, Tampa International Airport, TECO Line Streetcar System, The Shops at Wiregrass, University of South Florida, Wesley Chapel, Willet Way, Ybor City

Express route to downtown Tampa in jeopardy, HART says

July 24, 2014 By Michael Hinman

The number of people who depend on HART’s Route 51X connecting Pasco County to downtown Tampa is dwindling. And so is the organization’s money.

So it’s probably no surprise to some of the remaining riders that officials with Hillsborough Area Regional Transit want to make some significant changes to the route, possibly removing the express route altogether. But at the very least, adding some local stops to finally bring such mass transit service to the New Tampa area.

Park-and-rides like this one at CrossRoads Community United Methodist Church on County Line Road attract maybe six cars a day, HART officials say, while costing riders $24,000 a year. That could change soon for Route 51X. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Park-and-rides like this one at CrossRoads Community United Methodist Church on County Line Road attract maybe six cars a day, HART officials say, while costing riders $24,000 a year. That could change soon for Route 51X.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

“It is important as an agency that we consider the needs of the current riders,” HART interim chief operating officer Ruthie Reyes Burckard told concerned riders during a recent meeting at the New Tampa Library. “There is no transportation along Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. We have been looking at this area, and are trying to get some service into this area, whether it’s local or some kind of hybrid option” of both express and local service.

Right now, the express bus takes workers from Pasco County and New Tampa into downtown Tampa early workday mornings, and returns them late in the afternoon. HART is looking at three options to change its service, all of them at least coming with a name change for the route: 51LX.

All the new options include local stops along Bruce B. Downs in places like County Line Road, Tampa Palms Boulevard, and even one route that would make its way to the University of South Florida. However, to add the university to the stops, HART would have to give up on its express service.

But that’s not the only change HART is considering. The transit company says it plans to close two park-and-ride lots in Pasco County that it’s paying nearly $24,000 a year to maintain at Victorious Life Church on Old Pasco Road, and CrossRoads Community United Methodist Church on County Line Road.

“Yes, we are considering closing both, but not until a suitable replacement is found,” HART spokeswoman Sandra Morrison told The Laker/Lutz News. “We are trying to find sites closer to Bruce B. Downs.”

But it’s not just 51X that will have park-and-rides replaced, HART wants to make adjustments to parking situations on other routes like 25LX in the Brandon area, and 47LX in SouthShore.

“We are always looking at more cost-effective locations for park-and-rides on all express routes,” Morrison said. “As a rule, private business and organizations provide parking as a public service at no cost.”

Paying for the Pasco lots eats up nearly half the $3 cash fare, Morrison said. The route carries about 17,000 passengers a year, but the lots average only about six cars per day.

One rider who attended a recent public hearing said HART should focus more on the quality of service it’s providing customers of the 51X to help stem declining ridership, not spend time changing the routes.

“The buses are just in horrible shape,” said Beth Derby from Heather Sound Drive. “We get rained on inside the bus. There is no air-conditioning, and we are lucky that we get downtown in time to get to work.”
Buses, she said, are typically running behind schedule, and riders miss connections at the Marion Transit Center in downtown Tampa.

“If this is your only mode of transportation into town, then you don’t have a choice,” Derby said. “But you know a lot of us do, and if it comes between taking a bus that risks my job because I can’t make it on time to work, then I’ll drive. I’m not going to lose my job because HART can’t get its act together.”

HART is struggling with funding, hampering its efforts to replace aging buses, said the organization’s senior manager of service planning Steven Feigenbaum. And some of the problems keeping the buses on schedule are actually outside of HART’s control.

“The synchronization of the (traffic) lights, and the engineering of the lights, are the responsibility with the city of Tampa,” Feigenbaum said. “I’ve been in contact with them time and time again to be more liberal on their timing, but we have not had a lot of luck.”

Without the lights being in sync to help move traffic, buses are getting stopped at multiple lights in a short road span, he said.

What changes, if any, will be made to Route 51X now depends on HART’s board of directors, a group of 13 people representing local and state governments. They are scheduled to hear the presentations on the various options in a September meeting, as well as input from riders of the service. While the board could implement changes as early as November, Feigenbaum said it’s more likely riders won’t see any changes to 51X until March at the earliest because of manpower shortages.

State Rep. Mark Danish, D-Tampa, attended HART’s public hearing on Route 51X earlier this month, and said he favored keeping the express route with local options.

“In this state, we are trying to increase mass transit, and (options) two and three (removing the express route) are going in the opposite direction,” Danish said. “A lot of people here already have been using it to go downtown, and it seems kind of strange to basically kill that bus route now.”

Published July 23, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Beth Derby, HART Route 51X, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit, Mark Danish, Ruthie Reyes Burckard, Sandra Morrison, Steven Feigenbaum

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01/25/2021 – Fizzy bath bomb

The Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway, will offer an adult fizzy bath bomb craft, through curbside pickup only. The kit will include lavender Epsom salt, citric acid, a reusable mold, instructions and more. Pickup is from Jan. 25 through Jan. 30. Registration is required through the calendar feature on the library’s website, or by calling 813-929-1214. … [Read More...] about 01/25/2021 – Fizzy bath bomb

01/25/2021 – Lego building

Mr. John from Bricks 4 Kidz will show participants how to become a Lego Master Builder with an online class that teaches various building methods and techniques. The program will be presented on Jan. 25 at 4:30 p.m., for ages 5 to 12. Registration is through the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 01/25/2021 – Lego building

01/26/2021 – Crystal snowflakes

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present Virtual STEM Studio: Crystal Snowflakes on Jan. 26 at 4:30 p.m., for grades four to seven. Learn how to create your own crystals with just saltwater. Follow along with the video on the Regency Park Library’s Facebook page. No library card is needed. … [Read More...] about 01/26/2021 – Crystal snowflakes

01/27/2021 – Into the Interstellar

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will present “Into the Interstellar Unknown” on Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Natalia Guerreo will present the latest news from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Guerrero works at the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research on the MIT-led NASA TESS Mission. The program is for teens and adults. Registration is through the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 01/27/2021 – Into the Interstellar

01/27/2021 – Zentangles

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will host “Stroke of Genius” on Jan. 27. This virtual craft includes an instructional slide show on how to draw Zentangles. View the post, available all day, on the South Holiday Library’s Facebook page. … [Read More...] about 01/27/2021 – Zentangles

01/29/2021 – One Book, One Night

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will host “One Book, One Night” on Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m., for teens and adults. Participants can start online as the beginning excerpt of the book “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, is read in English, Spanish and French. For information and to register, visit the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 01/29/2021 – One Book, One Night

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