Hillsborough County Commission Approves $40 Million Investment in Bus Rapid Transit

August 1, 2007 – Tampa, Florida – Hillsborough County took steps toward improved transit Wednesday when the Board of County Commissioners approved a $40-million investment in a Bus Rapid Transit system for HART.

Bus Rapid Transit, or BRT, improves travel along selected service corridors with improvements that increase the speed of transit, improve service reliability and make it easier for people to use transit.

BRT improvements typically include service improvements (longer hours, more frequent service), bus preferential treatments (traffic signal priority, off-board fare collection), enhanced passenger stations (shelters, real-time passenger information, streetscaping), and special low-floor buses.

“We are pleased the Board of County Commissioners took this important and forward-thinking initiative to bolster transit in our community,” said HART Interim Executive Director Steven Roberts. “Building a healthy bus system is a vital first step toward bringing other transit alternatives to the area.”

HART is planning the first phase of BRT service for the I-275 corridor and on Fletcher Avenue. Of the $40 million allocated for transit improvements, $31 million would go to construction and engineering/design for BRT; $2 million for transit signal priority; and $4 million would be used for establishing new Park-n-Ride locations in Brandon and North Tampa.

Detailed planning is underway, with preliminary engineering scheduled for fiscal year 2008. Construction is anticipated for 2009, with service operational in 2010.

The mission of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) is to provide public transportation services which are safe, dependable and cost effective, thereby enhancing the quality of life in our community.

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