HART BREAKS MILLION-RIDE MONTH MARK
September 13, 2007 – Tampa, Florida – The month of August was a record-breaker for the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART).
Total ridership on HART fixed-route services for August 2007 was 1,017,516, an all-time high for a single month. The previous high mark was
967,739 set in March of this year.
In addition, the agency is on pace to exceed 11 million rides for fiscal year 2007, which ends on September 30.
That means 2007 will be another all-time high for HART’s ridership.
HART has exceeded 10 million rides each of the last two years, reaching record highs each year.
The gains in ridership are driven in large part by continued increases in HART’s Commuter Express service, which takes riders from suburban Hillsborough County to employment centers in Tampa. These rides represent “choice” customers, people who choose to take transit instead of driving their cars.
For fiscal year 2007, Commuter Express ridership is 216,140, up 24.4% over this time in FY 2006.
Also contributing to HART’s ridership growth is late night service on several key routes that was implemented last November and has exceeded expectations. The added hours mean some routes run as late as 1:30 a.m.
“HART is committed to providing residents of Hillsborough County with public transportation that is convenient, reliable, and affordable, and we believe the continued growth in the use of our services reflects that commitment,” said HART Interim Executive Director Steven Roberts.
HART’s fiscal year runs from October 1 – September 30.
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.
There’s so much more to do at www.gohart.org. Use our trip planning feature powered by Google Transit, order fare cards in the Online Transit Store, and get complete route maps and schedules. Call the HARTinfo Line at (813) 254-4278 to learn more.
