Tampa, Fla.’s Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) selected Love’s Trillium CNG to provide complete operations and maintenance services on its compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station. Trillium will also complete a series of upgrades to the existing facility.
“As the first transit agency in Florida to invest in CNG, we knew HART had serious long-term CNG goals that we felt we could meet,” said Bill Cashmareck, director of Trillium CNG. “We’re honored they would put their trust in Trillium’s preventative maintenance and operations services to help them continue with the transition, and we’re proud to offer that to HART and its riders.”
In 2014, HART became the first public transportation agency in Florida to convert from diesel fuel to CNG. The private CNG station uses four 300-horsepower IMW compressors. Trillium will replace three control panels and develop custom programming, allowing the station to better use available capacity. A new valve and control panel will reduce wear and tear on the compressors, and improved filtration will reduce oil carryover to the vehicles. The upgrades will result in a more energy-efficient and cost-effective operation for HART.
HART operates 34 CNG buses, with an additional 25 CNG buses to be delivered in fiscal year 2017, in addition to 39 HARTPlus vans, a service that provides transportation for people with disabilities, and eight HARTFlex vans, an on-demand van service within defined geographic zones of Hillsborough County. CNG vehicles replace current diesel vehicles when each reaches the end of its effective life. It will take three years for the fleet of vans and 10 years for the fleet of buses to transition to CNG.
Trillium took over the operations and maintenance services for HART this month, and the upgrades are scheduled to begin in the coming weeks.
This is the second agreement Trillium has entered into in Florida this year. Last month, Trillium announced the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners awarded the company a contract to design, build and maintain two new CNG facilities for the county’s bus fleet.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
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.
Expected to enter service in 2029, these locomotives support the agency’s commitment to offer reliable and efficient rail transportation across South Florida.
Transit agencies depend on safe, reliable vehicles to deliver consistent service. This eBook examines how next-generation fleet software helps agencies move from reactive processes to proactive operations through automated maintenance, real-time safety insights, and integrated data. Learn how fleets are improving uptime, safety outcomes, and operational efficiency.
The new filters include substantially more activated carbon than traditional HVAC filters, which is especially helpful in providing a better transit riding experience for vulnerable populations, particularly children, seniors, and people with chronic illnesses, according to the CTA.
In a recent episode of METROspectives, LYT CEO Timothy Menard discusses how artificial intelligence, cloud connectivity, and real-time data are transforming traffic management, boosting bus reliability, and enabling system-wide transit optimization across cities.
