HART goes fare-free for 2025 along its busiest route

Image via HART

The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) is going fare-free on its most used route as part of a $1.65 million pilot program funded by the city of Tampa.

The free fares began Sunday on Route 1, which serves nearly 3,000 riders daily and operates between the University area and downtown Tampa.

An estimated 32,000 residents and 56,000 jobs are located within a quarter mile of the route. And HART estimates that 18% of the population in that area does not own a car, while more than a quarter of residents near the route live at or below the poverty line, 14% have a disability and 64% are a member of a minority community.

“We are thrilled to work with the city of Tampa to provide this essential service to the community, which will not only ease the financial burden on our riders but also increase service on the route, supporting those who rely on HART to access jobs, education, and healthcare,” HART CEO Scott Drainville said. “This initiative represents a meaningful step toward making transit more equitable and accessible for all.”

In addition to the city of Tampa’s investment in making the route fare-free, another $150,000 was made available for paratransit services to ensure those with disabilities can access transportation options.

“This is a major win for mass transit in our Tampa community,” said HART Chair and Tampa City Council member Luis Viera.

“I thank the Council members who helped us move past the acute gridlock and, in particular, I salute Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak for her leadership. This proposal will make a difference in the lives of everyday working families. I am proud to work with the public servants, both Republican and Democrat, on our HART board. We work together for the families that HART serves and the workers who make HART function.”

The route runs from the University Area Transit Center near Fletcher Ave. and the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital to the Marion Transit Center in downtown Tampa. Riders can connect with a number of other routes at each terminus, including routes to Tampa International Airport and Pinellas County from the Marion Transit Center. The route runs north-south along Florida Avenue and Tampa Street.

It provides service weekdays from 4 a.m. until midnight, with frequencies varying by time of day at 15, 30 and 60 minutes. On weekends, service runs from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. with 30- and 60-minute frequencies.

The fare-free period will run through Jan. 4, 2026. Hurtak was the primary champion for the program, which also increased some service to 15-minute frequency.

The pilot is being applied to Route 1 due to its high user volume, but also because the Route is a key part of the future Bus Rapid Transit and TECO Line Streetcar corridor, which is among the region’s top transit priorities. It also has the highest bus transfer rate to the existing streetcar system and connects to 70% of HART’s bus network.

The pilot will make HART Plus paratransit service fare-free on trips that start and end within 1.5 miles of Route 1 through the duration of the pilot. For riders who are transferring to another bus, fares will have to be paid at the transfer point.