Rapid-Transit Bus Demonstration in Downtown Tampa August 21st

August 17, 2007 – Tampa, Florida – As the Tampa Bay area continues to look toward the future of transit, a glimpse of that future will soon be here. North American Bus Industries, or NABI, is bringing its brand new, 60-foot Bus Rapid Transit bus to downtown Tampa at Lykes Gaslight Park (Kennedy Boulevard and Franklin Street) next Tuesday, August 21st from approximately 10 a.m. to 2pm.

The bus, dubbed model 60-BRT, features an aerodynamic Bus Rapid Transit design, additional exit doors, automatic stop announcement system, and an extra-wide front door that allows for easier boarding. The bus is also articulated, which adds extra length to the vehicle with a middle accordion-style joint.

Earlier this month, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners voted to invest $40 million in Bus Rapid Transit improvements and new park and ride lots. 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. The improvements typically include bus preferential treatments (traffic signal priority, off-vehicle ticket vending machines), enhanced passenger stations (shelters, real-time passenger information), and special low-floor buses.

HART is planning the first phase of BRT service for the I-275 North to South Corridor, tentatively Nebraska Avenue from downtown Tampa then east along Fletcher Avenue to the vicinity of Telecom Park (west of I-75). The opportunity for a park and ride facility in the vicinity of Fletcher Avenue/I-75 is being reviewed. Design and engineering work will also be undertaken for an east-west BRT route, connecting Tampa International Airport, the Westshore Business District and HART’s Netpark bus transfer center at Hillsborough Avenue/56th Street.

Work on the planning study will be proceeding over the next few months. Design and engineering will follow in early 2008 and into 2009. Operation of BRT service on the I-275 North Corridor is scheduled to begin in early 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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