hart is driven to swerve
The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority unveiled a new slogan on Monday: “HART, Driven to Serve You.” From Tampa Bay’s 10:
According to HART, “Driven to Serve You,” reflects the promise of everyone from the CEO, to administrative staff, to their drivers and mechanics, to deliver the finest quality transportation service available.
It is obvious that this newfound commitment does not extend to board members. A HART board meeting was scheduled for Monday, where they had planned to alter some routes and kill others. Alas, no changes were made or even voted on.
According to a printed story in the Tribune (Surprise!! I cannot find the story online!!) only six board members were able to make it to the meeting, completely wasting the time of those who did show up:
..board of directors for Hillsborough Area Regional Transit did not muster a quorum Monday at its monthly meeting… seven were needed to enable [a] vote…
Of course, the paper doesn’t tell us who failed to appear. But the county does have the transcript up, so we can weed through that to find out who was there.
There are 12 slots on HART’s board of directors. One of the positions is vacant, but you still need more than 50% of the available slots to reach a quorum. Temple Terrace representative Ron Govin is the Vice Chairperson, and he ran the show Monday. HCBOCC member Rose Ferlita and Tampa City Council’s John Dingfelder appear in the transcripts, as does David Mechanik and Wallace Bowers.
So here are the ones who failed to show up in the transcripts:
- City of Tampa - Chairperson: Ricardo A. Roig, Esq.
- Hillborough County - Mr. David Storck
- Hillborough County - Commissioner Mark Sharpe
- Hillborough County - Commissioner Al Higginbotham
- State of Florida - Secretary: Ms. Alison Hewitt
- State of Florida - Mr. John Byczek
One of these was at the meeting, but apparently failed to even speak Monday.
If you didn’t get enough irony with the “customer service” slogan unveiled the same day that nothing got accomplished, check the transcript again. One topic brought up at the meeting Monday resulted in a long discussion about the cost of employee absenteeism.
Tags: city, county, hart, transportation
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January 9th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Another reason why HART/PSTA and all local bus service need to be consolidated under ONE group and managed by TBARTA. Hillsborough alone keeps showing why it isn’t capable of administrating mass transit in any way, shape or form. Members of the board don’t even bother to show up!!
There are ironies that you bring up, Tommy, but it’s the non-accountability of Hillsborough in serving it’s citizens on this issue that resonates with me (though you actually DID bring that up
)
January 9th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
I’ve been riding HART lately. Even purchased a full-fare pass. Just when I was beginning to figure out the route and connections and places I wanted to stop along the way, they make modifications to the route. Need more people in the county to ride; yet service is always being adjusted there.
January 10th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Don’t know about HART, but PSTA is under new management, and we are excited about the prospects.
For that matter, HART has a new Executive Director as well. Can’t blame him if the Board members don’t show up to do their part.
January 11th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Gene, HART and PSTA might have new directors but there still is no coordination between the two entities - nor unified oversight board. That’s where TBARTA comes in. Or hasn’t…
January 11th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
John,
How many years have you spent working in transit? I ask, because it appears to me that you don’t really know what you’re talking about.
Just like everyone who shops in grocery stores thinks they know how to better run the store than those who’ve done it for years, you seem mighty confident that you know more than those who’ve studied transit development and have worked in the industry for years. It’s easy to make criticisms about things when you have no idea why they are the way the are, but it doesn’t, by any means, make you right.
January 11th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Thank you for your personal attack without offering one lick of constructive commentary on the entire situation, youdontknow…
How many years have YOU been working in Transit? How many years have you lived in the Tampa Bay area and seen the absurdity of the implementation of transit in the Tampa Bay area? How long have YOU been involved in trying to move forward instead of continuing the status-quo?
I don’t know what I’m talking about in my 10 years of transit activism, eh? I’ve got no idea of what I am talking about despite jumping around the country and seeing first hand where other regions don’t have their head up their ass with their transit design.
Stop assuming and start actually discussing what’s going on here. If you think things are hunky dory — say so. It’s easy to label someone and attack them but it would seem you’re avoiding offering anything to the discussion besides trying to associate me with a grocery-store critic.