Tampa, Fla.'s Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) partnered with technology solutions provider United Data Technologies Inc. (UDT) to launch a fully Wi-Fi-enabled bus fleet, benefiting nearly 50,000 passengers each day.
Bus riders will now be able to stay connected without tapping into their own data plans thanks to this partnership. HART expects that adding free high-speed Wi-Fi to their 187-bus fleet will prove to be popular with the tech-savvy millennial crowd, many who attend college in the area and are frequent riders.
The agreement with UDT is to provide wireless connection for HART patrons for two hours at a time per bus ride. If the patron continues on the same bus over two hours, their connectivity will expire for 15 minutes then the connectivity will be restored for another two-hour connection on that same bus. The technical reasoning behind the 15-minute expiration is due to system configuration.
Installation began in February at an aggressive pace during non-peak hours and is just the beginning of a comprehensive "smart" card program that HART plans to roll out later this year, allowing passengers to travel the HART network using their smartphones.
According to a 2013 American Public Transportation Association survey, fully leveraging technology, including Wi-Fi, allows transit riders to be more spontaneous and helps undercut one key competitive advantage of cars.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
Rolling out in electric yellow and seafoam blue, the first battery-electric buses purchased from GILLIG will begin serving riders in south King County on February 2.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.
In this edition, we cover recent appointments and announcements at HDR, MCTS, and more, showcasing the individuals helping to shape the future of transportation.
While their comprehensive analysis of bus stops focused on Massachusetts, the researchers are excited about the generalizability of the findings and application to other locations.
CEO Nat Ford’s address offered a look at highlights from 2025, with a focus on the future and the innovative ways the JTA is shaping mobility in Northeast Florida.
