The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, Palm Tran, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, and several other transit agencies impacted by Hurricane Irma are now running at full service.
The hurricane caused massive power outages, flooding, and blocked rail lines and roads across Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.
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Earlier in the week, many of the more than 45 transit systems impacted were running low on fuel, and had to operate facilities with temporary generators, according to APTA.
“The industry supported Texas transit agency employees after Hurricane Harvey hit. Now, we are joining with FPTA to donate gift cards to affected transit employees in Florida. They have a long way to go, so I hope we can count on your generosity once again,” said APTA Interim President/CEO Richard A. White in a letter to members. To help, click here.
Public transit systems are currently evaluating Hurricane Harvey and Irma's damage, and will use the FEMA process to determine what is needed to get operations back to normal. This process will take weeks. You can learn more about FTA's involvement in relief efforts here and about the FEMA process here.
In addition, RedCoach luxury motor coach transportation service in Florida announced it has made available 100% of their services. Due to Hurricane Irma, as a Florida-based company, RedCoach took the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of its employees and customers but with the clear objective to get passengers back to their homes.
"We have been working nonstop to reschedule our routes, move our crew, check our fleet and clean up our terminal to ensure Floridians and visitors can return home as soon as possible," stated Florencia Cirigliano, VP, marketing at RedCoach. "More than ever we are committed to our mantra that we live by: Connecting Florida Daily."
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"We are very proud of our team. They have been doing an amazing job, even under very difficult conditions, to try to get 100% of our schedule back on the road promptly," she added.
Because RedCoach values safety above all, the routes has been activated accordingly. Currently, RedCoach offers options to all their destinations including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Naples, Tampa, Gainesville, and Tallahassee among others.
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.
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