The Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART) made its most popular Route 1 fare-free in 2025. This incentivized locals to make use of the service for various purposes.
As of Jan. 4, the program came to an end.
Before the pilot program started, Heather Sobush — HART's director of planning and scheduling — said the route transported about 3,000 riders a day.
She said it rose to 5,000 riders one it became free.
Speaking recently on "Florida Matters Live & Local," Sobush talked about the positive impact it had and the possibility of expanding it.
"That has been very successful," Slobush said. "Another part of the pilot was improved frequency, so that riders know they can just go out to a bus stop and a bus will be coming within 15 minutes."
Sobush explained the free bus shortened the time it took to process fares, which has improved passengers' experience and punctuality.
Route 1 travels from the Marion Transit Center in downtown Tampa, north on Florida Avenue, then east on Fletcher Avenue, ending at the University Area Transit near USF. It connects to 70% of the HART network as well as the streetcar system. This allows people to transfer from the USF area to Ybor easily.
ALSO READ: Ridership for free HART Route 1 'exceeding expectations'
The program cost about $1.6 million to keep it running throughout the course of 2025.
With the free ride, HART lost more than $800,000 in revenue. However, Sobush said the gain in ridership has been a big trade-off.
"We have the new riders who are taking it to go to recreational destinations, restaurant dining, and retail along the corridor," Sobush said. "But we also have a lot of service workers that use our service."
The free ridership received supports from businesses, especially in retails, dining, and recreational purposes. In addition, service workers were also able to have easy and affordable access to transportation.
As of Jan. 4, Route 1 riders are required to pay a fee:
- One-way rides: $2
- Daily Fare Cap: $4
- Monthly Fare Cap: $65
You can learn more about the fares here.
Sobush said HART will add more evening and weekend rides to ensure the most convenience. The 15-minute frequency will be maintained between each ride.
Sobush said HART is focusing on improving frequency across the system and getting funds to provide the best service.
She said the program overall has received positive feedback from both riders and bus operators.
"They (bus operators) like the speeding up (of service), and on-time performance improved," Sobush said. "They liked that there weren't all the issues at the fare box, people having to pay, or issues with people not having the exact change."
Sobush said HART received some feedback about overcrowding, as some riders transferred from other routes that were not fare-excluded.
"We are a public transportation provider," Sobush said. "We provide service to all our residents; it's all open to all of our customers."
This story was compiled from interviews conducted by Matthew Peddie for "Florida Matters Live & Local." You can listen to the full episode here.
