Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority
Encyclopedia
The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, or TBARTA, is a transportation agency of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 which was created on July 1, 2007. The purpose of the agency is "to plan, develop, finance, construct, own, purchase, operate, maintain, relocate, equip, repair, and manage multimodal systems in Citrus
Citrus County, Florida
Citrus County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 118,085. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county was 141,416 . Its county seat is Inverness, Florida...

, Hernando
Hernando County, Florida
Hernando County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 130,802. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 165,409 . Its county seat is Brooksville, Florida. The majority of the county's population is in Spring Hill, west portion of Hernando...

, Hillsborough
Hillsborough County, Florida
As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...

, Manatee
Manatee County, Florida
Manatee County is a county in the state of Florida. According to the 2010 census by the U.S. Census Bureau there are 322,833 people living in Manatee Country.Manatee County is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, Pasco
Pasco County, Florida
Pasco County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 344,765. The July 1, 2007 census estimate according to the U.S. Census Bureau for the county is 462,715. Its county seat is Dade City, Florida which is in the northeast part of the county - somewhat...

, Pinellas
Pinellas County, Florida
Pinellas County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its county seat is Clearwater, Florida, and its largest city is St. Petersburg. This county is contained entirely within the telephone area code 727, except for some sections of Oldsmar, which have the area code 813...

, and Sarasota
Sarasota County, Florida
Sarasota County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county was 372,057. Its county seat is Sarasota, Florida....

 Counties." The agency coordinates its efforts with the Florida Department of Transportation
Florida Department of Transportation
The Florida Department of Transportation is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of the Florida State Road Department...

 to improve transportation in the Tampa Bay Area
Tampa Bay Area
The Tampa Bay Area is the region of west central Florida adjacent to Tampa Bay. Definitions of the region vary. It is often considered equivalent to the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area defined by the United States Census Bureau. The Census Bureau currently...

.

Rapid transit

TBARTA does not operate any rapid transit
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

 system, as no such system exists in the Tampa Bay area. However, the agency is discussing developing such a system. Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...

 is also being discussed as an option.

Transportation types

The TBARTA Master Plan includes a variety of transportation modes for future implementation. They include short-distance rail (light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...

), long distance rail (commuter rail), bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...

 (BRT) in exclusive lanes, bus-rapid transit in managed lanes, bus-rapid transit in mixed traffic and express bus.

Partners

Citrus County Transit
Citrus County Transit
Citrus County Transit is the public transportation agency that serves Citrus County, Florida. One fixed route connects Beverly Hills, Lecanto and Inverness, primarily using Florida State Road 44 and Citrus County Road 491.-External links:*...

, Cushman & Wakefield of Florida, Inc., EMK Consultants of Florida, Inc., Florida Department of Transportation
Florida Department of Transportation
The Florida Department of Transportation is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of the Florida State Road Department...

 (FDOT), FDOT District One Commuter Services, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority
Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority
Hillsborough Area Regional Transit provides public transportation for Hillsborough County, Florida...

 (HART), Hernando County MPO, Hillsborough County MPO, Manatee County Transit (MCAT), One Bay, Pasco County MPO, Pasco County Public Schools, Pasco County Public Transportation (PCPT), Pinellas County MPO, Pinellas Realtor Organization, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority
Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority
The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority provides public transportation for Pinellas County, Florida. The authority manages a bus system that encompasses 34 local routes, two express routes, and the Suncoast Beach Trolley .-History:PSTA began in the early 1900s as the St...

 (PSTA), Polk County Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), Sarasota-Manatee MPO, Sarasota County Area Transit
Sarasota County Area Transit
Sarasota County Area Transit provides public transportation for Sarasota County, Florida and is operated by the county. SCAT maintains 24 fixed-line bus routes plus a dial-a-ride paratransit service . Bus service is offered throughout Sarasota County from 5am until midnight 7 days a week...

 (SCAT), Tampa Bay Partnership (TBP), Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (TBRPC), Tampa Downtown Partnership, The Hernando Express (THE Bus), West Central Florida Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Chairs Coordinating Committee (CCC).

Bay Area Commuter Services (BACS)

On April 30, 2010, TBARTA merged with BACS, the state-funded provider of commuter options programs in five of the seven TBARTA members counties (Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas). In doing so, TBARTA became the official Tampa Bay Area regional provider of commuter options including: Carpool
Carpool
Carpooling , is the sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car....

, Vanpool
Vanpool
Vanpools are an element of the transit system that allow groups of people to share the ride similar to a carpool, but on a larger scale with concurrent savings in fuel and vehicle operating costs...

, Schoolpool, Bike Buddy, Emergency Ride Home (ERH), Telework, Compressed Work Schedule, and Commuter Tax Benefits.
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