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    HART Receives Three Prestigious Awards at FPTA Annual Conference

    Oct. 18, 2018
    The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority recently received top honors at the 2018 annual conference of the Florida Public Transportation Association held October 14-17, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
    Related To: Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART)

    The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority recently received top honors at the 2018 annual conference of the Florida Public Transportation Association held October 14-17, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. The conference recognizes transit agencies for their outstanding and innovative contributions to public transportation.

    "HART is honored to earn awards that reflect our constant effort to improve transit in Hillsborough County and to creatively communicate to our customers, peer agencies and the general public," said HART Interim CEO Jeff Seward.

    The first-place award of excellence was earned in the category of Communication Collateral (Potpourri) for HART's Hurricane Irma case study. This special report provided a blueprint for other transit agencies to gain best practices and lessons learned during natural disasters. HART's Hurricane Irma response was also recognized by the Tampa Downtown Partnership with the 2017 Urban Excellence Award/Downtown Collaboration Award for Response and Relief Operations carried out in collaboration with the City of Tampa, Hillsborough County and the Tampa Emergency Operations Center.

    A second-place award of merit was earned in the Interior/Exterior and Signage category for the Authority's Route 275LX bus wrap campaign. The original bus wrap design concept gave customers the impression they were taking flight on board a HART bus. This contemporary eye-catching bus wrap was specifically developed for the Authority's first ever seven-day-a-week intercountry service between Wesley Chapel and Tampa International Airport.  

    Lastly, Jimmy Suarez, a 15-year bus operator was honored with the distinction of third place Operator of the Year by FPTA. Suarez's nomination and win celebrate his exemplary customer service and impeccable safety record, including 14 consecutive years of safe driving, and more than 1.5 million miles behind the wheel.

    HART competed against Tier 1 agencies across the state for these awards. The agencies include Broward County Transit (Ft. Lauderdale), Jacksonville Transit Authority, Miami-Dade Transit, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (St. Petersburg) and South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (Tri-Rail).