I was originally going to publish this post sooner, but the intricacies of pulling off such a dramatic bus network restructuring, as well as concerns from the riding public, forced me to postpone this post until after the July 26, 2017 public hearing.

Throughout the past few months, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) has been reaching out to as many customers as possible about the planned restructuring and gaining valuable feedback on what customers are needing. While a majority of customers want more frequent and direct bus service to the places that matter to them, others are worried that their bus route could be eliminated altogether.

In my last post, I went through an overview as to why HART is proposing such a restructuring of their bus network. While it is completely understandable that with limited funds, HART can only do so much, it really angers me that many of our elected officials will not allocate additional resources to fund the bus system. Furthermore, it angers me when some of the same elected officials who don’t want to put another dime towards improving bus service think that it’s terrific to allow the state to spend billions of dollars on the controversial Tampa Bay Express* interstate toll lanes, touting the lanes as “the only way” to significantly improve the region’s transit network.

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HART Public Hearing Video

If you weren’t able to attend the July 26, 2017 public hearing, you can watch it in its entirety below:

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A breakdown of the Routes

Virtually every HART bus route was put up for review as to whether anything should be changed. While a few routes were spared from dramatic reductions, modifications, or an out-right elimination, many others aren’t faring as well – especially routes that serve lower ridership corridors.

View the latest system restructuring map with additional revisions as of July 26, 2017. Further revisions we’re made on July 31, 2017.

Black = No Changes

Green = Frequency Improvements

Blue = Routing Changes

Dark Blue = Routing Changes with Frequency Improvements

Sky Blue: New Route

Magenta = New Route replacing Existing Service

Gold = Merging/Splitting

Orange = Elimination with Replacement Service

 

Red = Elimination without Replacement Service (Alternative Services May Be Available)

• Route 1
  • Route will no longer serve the vicinity north of Fletcher Ave. Buses will instead travel along Fletcher Ave (pre-MetroRapid alignment).
  • University North service would be taken over by Route 42 and HyperLINK service.
  • Weekday frequency will increase to 15 minute headways.
  • Further changes to the routing will be made in respects to Downtown Tampa circulation (see the “Downtown Tampa Circulation” section).
• Route 2
  • Route 2 will be eliminated and replaced with optimized MetroRapid service.
  • Many stops will be consolidated with existing MetroRapid stops, while some stops become new MetroRapid stops.
• Route 4
  • Route 4 will be eliminated entirely with no replacement service due to ultra low ridership.
  • Alternatives available include:
    • Route 360LX for MacDill AFB/South Interbay
    • HART Flex for Palma Ceia
    • Routes 14 & 19 for Hyde Park
    • HART Flex South Tampa will eventually expand to portions of South Tampa currently served by Route 4, but it is unclear as to when this will be done.
• Route 5
  • Service from USF will be removed, with buses running along Fowler Ave and 30th St to the University Area Transit Center.
  • The USF Bull Runner Shuttle & HyperLINK would provide service into the USF Tampa Campus.
• Route 6
  • Service from USF will be removed, with buses running along 56th St and Fletcher Ave to the University Area Transit Center.
  • The USF Bull Runner Shuttle & HyperLINK would provide service into the USF Tampa Campus.
• Route 7
  • Service north of the HCC loop to Citrus Park will be eliminated entirely.
  • West Tampa Transfer Center will close permanently.
  • West Tampa segment will be revised to serve the North Blvd/Columbus Dr portion of current Route 14.
  • Route 11 will eventually replace the Main St segment.
• Route 8
  • The original restructuring plan called for the removal of the loop in Progress Village, as well as other possible modifications. These modifications have been removed entirely due to customer concerns.
  • Further changes to the routing will be made in respects to Downtown Tampa circulation (see the “Downtown Tampa Circulation” section).
• Route 9
  • Route will be merged with Route 18.
  • The portion north of Hillsborough Ave will be eliminated and replaced with the following services:
    • East Tampa will continue to have access to Route 9 along 14th/15th Streets, Route 12 along 22nd St, and Route 5 along 34th St.
    • Sulphur Springs will continue to have access to the revised 9 service along Rowlett Park Blvd, Riverhills Dr, and 30th St. Customers will also be able to access to revised Route 16 along Waters Ave, which will replace a portion of Route 9 through this vicinity.
    • Route 42 will replace the segment of Route 9 between Yukon Transfer Center and University Area Transit Center.
• Route 10
  • Much of Route 10 will be eliminated and replaced by nearby Route 11 (Cypress St corridor has ultra low ridership).
  • Portions of Route 10 will be taken over by South Tampa Flex.
• Route 11%
  • New Route 11 will provide replacement service for those residing in West Tampa along Main St.
  • Due to construction along Main St, this route will not be implemented right away. See the notes at the bottom of this section.
• Route 12%
  • Weekday frequency will increase to 15 minute headways.
• Route 14
  • Portion south of MLK Blvd will change so that buses remain on Howard Ave/Armenia Ave for the entire length of the route, instead of diverting to Downtown via North Blvd.
  • North Blvd service south of Columbus Dr will be taken over by Routes 7 & 11.
  • Route 1 will provide alternate service for the portion of North Blvd that will be left without transit service.
  • Weekday frequency on the 14 will increase to 30 minute headways and Sunday hourly service will be added.
• Route 15
  • Orient Rd segment will be removed & the Orient Rd Jail will no longer be served.
• Route 16
  • Route will no longer serve the Yukon Transfer Center and will remain on Waters Ave, with the eastern terminus looping via 17th St, Sitka St, & Rowlett Park Dr, providing a connection to Routes 9 & 12.
  • Customers wishing to connect to the Yukon Transfer Center can transfer to Route 45 along Waters Ave.
• Route 17
  • New Route 17 hourly service will take over the Manhattan Ave/Port Tampa portion of Route 19.
• Route 18
  • Route 18 will be merged with Route 9 and will retain the portion north of Hillsborough Ave.
  • Customers residing south of Hillsborough Ave can access Routes 5 & 12 for alternate service.
• Route 19
  • Route will be split at Britton Plaza, with the new Route 17 taking over the Manhattan Ave portion. The WestShore Blvd portion will be eliminated entirely due to lower ridership.
  • Routing through Hyde Park will remain intact.
  • Weekday 30-minute frequency will expand to 10:00pm.
  • Saturday frequency will eventually increase to 30 minute headways, but it is unclear as to when this will occur.
  • Further changes to the routing will be made in respects to Downtown Tampa circulation (see the “Downtown Tampa Circulation” section).
• Route 20X
  • No changes are being proposed for Route 20X, but running times may change.
• Route 21LX
• Route 22X
  • Route 22X will be eliminated and replaced by Route 60LX service. Route 46 would provide service between the Dover Park-N-Ride lot & Westfield Brandon, where customers can connect to the 60LX or 360LX to Downtown.
• Route 24X
  • Route would be restructured to limited express operation, with new Downtown Tampa stops.
• Route 25LX
  • Route would be modified with new Downtown Tampa stops.
• Route 27LX
  • Route 28X will be eliminated entirely with no replacement service due to ultra low ridership.
  • Alternatives available include:
    • Routes 60LX & 360LX will provide alternating Monday through Saturday connections between Downtown Tampa & Brandon. Revised Routes 24LX & 25LX will also have Downtown connections during peak times.
    • Local connections to Westfield Brandon are provided via Routes 8, 31, 37, & 46.
• Route 28X
  • Route 28X will be eliminated entirely with no replacement service due to ultra low ridership.
  • Customers can utilize TBARTA’s Vanpool Service by visiting the TBARTA Commuter Services website or calling 1-800-998-RIDE.
  • The Burnett Park Lot will become a Vanpool pickup/drop off location and will continue to serve Megabus trips. Other Park-N-Ride lots along the route will close.
• Route 30
  • Western terminus will be moved to Tampa International Airport, with Route 60LX taking over the Town-N-Country portion.
• Route 31
  • The original restructuring plan called for the 31 to be converted to an all-day limited express service, as well as other possible modifications. These modifications have been removed entirely due to customer concerns.
• Route 32&
  • Segment east of NetPark Transfer Center will be taken over by Route 38.
  • Western terminus will extend to Tampa International Airport via Dale Mabry Hwy and International Plaza/Columbus Dr.
  • West Tampa Transfer Center will close permanently.
• Route 33
  • Route will basically revert to its late 90s routing (before service to Hidden River was eliminated to take over the North Lakeview section of Route 36 during the system restructuring in the early 2000s) to replace the Hidden River section of MetroRapid.
  • University North service would be taken over by Route 42 and HyperLINK service.

    

• Route 34%
  • No immediate changes will be made, but weekday frequency will eventually increase to 15 headways. See the note at the bottom of this section.
• Route 36
  • Route will be modified to serve Dale Mabry Hwy between Tampa Bay Blvd and Britton Plaza.
  • Service south of Britton Plaza will be taken over by Route 360LX.
  • Buses will loop around the HCC Dale Mabry Campus by travelling Tampa Bay Blvd, Lois Ave, & MLK Blvd. Buses will then proceed northward on Himes Ave and follow the existing alignment to the Fletcher Ave loop.
  • Further changes may be made down the road to re-align the segment between Hillsborough Ave & Busch Blvd to Dale Mabry Hwy instead of Himes Ave.
  • West Tampa Transfer Center will close permanently.
• Route 37
  • Service to Brandon Regional Hospital will be discontinued, with Route 46 and HyperLINK providing alternate service.
• Route 38
  • New Route 38 will replace the hourly eastern segment of Route 32.
• Route 39
  • Service to NetPark will be discontinued, with buses looping at Sligh Ave, 50th St, & Puritan Rd.
  • Yukon Transfer Center will no longer be served.
• Route 41
  • Route 41 will be eliminated entirely with no replacement due to ultra low ridership.
• Route 42
  • New Route 42 will serve heavier ridership areas in University North and University West that will suffer loses from the removal of Routes 1, 9, 18, & 33.
• Route 45
  • Route will be modified as follows:
    • Service south of Waters Ave will remain largely unchanged, with the exception of service on Himes Ave being moved to Dale Mabry Hwy.
    • West Tampa Transfer Center will close permanently.
    • Service north of Waters Ave will replace Route 16 service to Yukon Transfer Center.
    • Service to University Mall will be offered via Route 12.
• Route 46$$
  • Route will only serve areas in Brandon and Dover. The Causeway Blvd/Downtown segment will be eliminated entirely due to limited ridership and various expansion constraints.
• Route 47LX
  • Route 47LX will be eliminated entirely with no replacement due to limited ridership.
  • Alternatives available include:
    • Route 31 local service for South County.
    • Routes 24X, 60LX, & 360LX for limited express connections to Downtown.
• Route 51X
  • Segment along Fowler Ave and 56th St will be added to serve Temple Terrace City Hall.

• • Route 53LX$$$
    • Route 53LX will be eliminated entirely with no replacement due to limited ridership and various expansion constraints.
  • Route 60LX
    • Monday through Saturday all-day limited express service between Westfield Brandon Mall & Northwest Transfer Center via Downtown Tampa & Tampa International Airport, with buses operating every hour, replacing Route 30 through Town-N-Country & 61LX.
    • Departures from Westfield Brandon will be coordinated with Route 360LX to provide 30-minute headways between Brandon & Downtown.
    • Sunday service will operate hourly in Town-N-Country only (between Northwest Transfer Center & Tampa International Airport). There will be no Downtown or Brandon service.
  • Route 61LX
    • Route will be eliminated and replaced with Route 60LX service. Existing Park-N-Ride lots in Citrus Park & Carrollwood will become vanpool pickup/drop off locations.
  • Route 57
    • Route will be eliminated with no replacement service due to low productivity and ridership.
    • Alternatives available include:
      • Route 6 for direct connections between NetPark Transfer Center and the University Area Transit Center.
      • HyperLINK for University North.
      • USF Bull Runner & HyperLINK for the USF Tampa Campus.
  • Route 96 In-Towner^
    • No immediate changes will be made.
  • Route 97 In-Towner^
    • No immediate changes will be made.
  • Route 200X$
    • Route 200X will be eliminated entirely with no replacement service due to ultra low ridership.
    • Customers can utilize TBARTA’s Vanpool Service by visiting the TBARTA Commuter Services website or calling 1-800-998-RIDE.
  • Route 275LX%
    • New Monday through Friday all-day hourly limited express service will run between Tampa International Airport & the University Area Transit Center via Downtown Tampa/Marion Transit Center.
  • Route 360LX
    • Monday through Saturday all-day limited express service between Westfield Brandon Mall & MacDill AFB via Downtown Tampa, with buses operating every hour, replacing Route 22X.
    • Departures from Westfield Brandon will be coordinated with Route 60LX to provide 30-minute headways between Brandon & Downtown.
    • Sunday service will operate hourly in South Tampa only. There will be no Downtown or Brandon service.
  • MetroRapid North-South
    • MetroRapid North-South will absorb Route 2.
    • Existing stops will be kept, with some stops added on from Route 2.
    • Weekday frequency will increase to 12 minute headways during the day with 15-30 minute evening service.
    • Weekend service will be added with 30 minute headways.
  • HART Flex Brandon
    • Zone will be eliminated in favor of HyperLINK service.
  • HART Flex Northdale
    • No immediate changes will be made.
  • HART Flex South County
    • No immediate changes will be made.
  • HART Flex South Tampa
    • Northern boundary will extend to Cypress St to cover ground lost from Route 10. The fixed routing segment will also change.
    • Unclear if WestShore Plaza connection will be retained.
    • Possible expansion is being considered for areas south of Britton Plaza.
  • HART Flex Town-N-Country
    • No immediate changes will be made.
    • Zone will eventually be eliminated in favor of HyperLINK service.

Notes:

• • • + Route 51X is undergoing changes that are unrelated to the service restructuring. Further changes may be made down the road to improve efficiency.
    • % Changes are being postponed until FY19.
    • ^ In-Towner Service is slated for elimination sometime in FY19, but may be retained longer due to Governor Scott vetoing funds that would have gone to starting up the Downtown Tampa HyperLINK zone. Alternative funding sources are being explored for the zone.
    • & It is currently unclear how expanded airport service will be structured. HART may have buses loop around the terminal as it currently does with Route 30. Sometime in late 2018, the airport stop will move from the main terminal complex to the new Rental Car Center, where buses will be able to load and unload airport customers, who will be able to connect with the new SkyConnect train to the main terminal.
    • $ Route 200X will eventually be replaced by PSTA’s planned replacement service from Clearwater, but this service is not expected to be up and running until sometime between 2020 and 2024. Contracted service may fill the gap for the interim, but HART currently does not have the resources to fulfill this.
    • $$ Depending on how additional county money is allocated, Route 46 may be retained largely as-is through FY19.
    • $$$ Route 53LX will be restored when additional funding becomes available.
    • * Tampa Bay Express has been re-branded by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) as “Tampa Bay Next”, but the controversial interstate toll lane elements remain as a key element to the plan, which is not sitting well with many in the community.

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Permanent Closure of West Tampa Transfer Center

With the demise of the Tampa Bay Center Mall in the early 2000s, HART began exploring sites for a replacement transfer facility in the West Tampa region. While several sites were originally evaluated, the current location along Himes Ave was eventually chosen.

I’ve personally have never been a fan of the West Tampa Transfer Center. I strongly believe that HART management at the time chose the “cheap way out” in building what could have been a more lucrative, long-term transit hub for the area. The current location of the WTTC is extremely inefficient during events at Raymond James Stadium because the facility sits right across the street from the stadium and must close due to traffic and security limitations. This operation forces buses to load and unload customers along MacDill Ave by MLK Blvd.

Closing the WTTC permanently will allow customers in the area to make street-side transfers while allowing buses to run more efficiently throughout the day.

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Downtown Tampa Circulation

As the HART system restructuring progresses, all local bus routes that currently service the Marion St Transitway will be moved off the Transitway to Morgan St, with Route 1 – which doesn’t currently serve the Transitway – making a loop around Tampa St and Florida Ave, but continuing to serve the Marion Transit Center. HART is taking a phased approach to this portion of the restructuring, but it is unclear when each of the movements will occur (some will occur in October, 2017, but others will occur later).

At some point between 2018 and 2021, HART plans to launch an autonomous shuttle along the Transitway to shuttle customers between the south end of the Transitway and Marion Transit Center. Longer term plans have HART restructuring the Transitway to serve the regional express buses mentioned in the controversial Tampa Bay Express* plan.

There was previously discussion regarding the building of light rail along the Transitway, but from what I’m hearing, that plan has been deemed unfeasible due to limitations brought upon the current Downtown Tampa street grid. If the TECOline Streetcar were to be extended northward, it is likely it will be done so via the Franklin St Mall portion between Whiting St and Kennedy Blvd.

The In-Towner Trolley service will be retained for the meantime (see note at the bottom of this section), but will eventually face elimination in 2019 or 2020, as the current fleet of trolleybuses are approaching the end of their useful lives. Funding is currently being explored for a Downtown Tampa HyperLINK zone and the Tampa Downtown Partnership “Downtowner” Shuttle Service would provide additional alternative circulation in the Downtown area.

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HART Resources

For complete information regarding the HART system restructuring, please visit the HART website, where they have a dedicated page with materials for you to look at. The HART Board of Directors will vote on the final restructuring plan at the August 7, 2017 meeting.

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Legalese | Disclosures