hART Goes Rapid

Bus Rapid Transit is Coming to Tampa

Bus Rapid Transit - it's the next step in transit for Tampa Bay, and it’s coming soon!

What is brt?

Bus Rapid Transit, or BRT, helps to improve travel along selected service corridors with enhancements that increase the speed of transit, improve service reliability and make it easier for people to use transit.  HART's BRT system will be known as "MetroRapid."

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’s MetroRapid system will feature fewer stops, high frequency and advanced technology to help travelers get to their destinations quickly and conveniently.

 

 

 

 

How will it work?

•  Limited stops, 10-minute frequency, and advanced technology will speed travel time
•  Sleek new vehicles offer a comfortable ride for passengers and drivers
•  New, modern station stops
•  Signal prioritization – holding green lights, shortening red lights to give buses priority travel
•  Ticket Vending Machines at some station stops to speed boarding

•  Real-time displays will allow travelers to know exactly when the next bus will be arriving at their station stop

what areas will MetroRapid serve?

The first phase of MetroRapid is being funded by Hillsborough County's Transportation Task Force funding and will operate in the I-275 North to South Corridor - Nebraska Avenue from downtown Tampa then east along Fletcher Avenue to the vicinity of Telecom Park (west of I-75). A new park and ride facility is planned in the Fletcher Avenue/I-75 area. The North-South line is expected to begin operation in 2013.

The second line will be an east-west route, connecting Tampa International Airport, the Westshore Business District and HART’s Netpark bus transfer center at Hillsborough Avenue and 56th Street, with connections to the North-South line at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. HART is currently seeking federal funding for this phase.

Click on map to view larger.

Click here for a map of the first phase of MetroRapid, including proposed station stop locations.

Preliminary Engineering Report - Final Draft (November 2009)

Click here for the final draft of the Project Development & Engineering (PD&E) Study Preliminary Engineering Report.

BRT study

Click here to download a PDF version of the study's draft Executive Summary.

HART BRT News

Click here for past issues of HART's BRT Update e-mail alert.

brt links

To learn more about Bus Rapid Transit systems, technology and operation, check out the websites below.

Please note, these sites are not operated or maintained by Hillsborough Area Regional Transit.

FTA Bus Rapid Transit Page

The Federal Transit Administration's BRT page contains research and reports, a list of current projects, brochures, handouts and video clips.

APTA Transit Resource Guide - BRT

The American Public Transportation Association provides an overview of BRT, case studies, articles and more.

National Bus Rapid Transit Institute

The NRBTI is part of the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida. This website provides research, news, and an opportunity to sign up for a quarterly newsletter.

Bus Rapid Transit Policy Center

The Bus Rapid Transit Policy Center is the latest program operated by the Breakthrough Technologies Institute, an independent, Washington DC think-tank dedicated to the development and deployment of clean and efficient energy and transportation technologies.

© 2008-2009 Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART). Tampa, Florida. Public transit service for Tampa, Clearwater, Ybor City, Macdill, Temple Terrace, and Tampa International Airport

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