| Headquarters | 3802 Spectrum Boulevard, Suite 306 |
|---|---|
| Locale | Tampa, Florida |
| Service area | Citrus County, Hernando County, Hillsborough County, Manatee County, Pasco County, Pinellas County, Sarasota County |
| Web site | http://www.tbarta.com |
The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, or TBARTA, is a transportation agency of the U.S. state of Florida 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, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota Counties."[1] The agency coordinates its efforts with the Florida Department of Transportation to improve transportation in the Tampa Bay Area.
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TBARTA does not operate any rapid transit system, as no such system exists in the Tampa Bay area. However, the agency is discussing developing such a system.[2] Bus rapid transit is also being discussed as an option.[3]
The TBARTA Master Plan includes a variety of transportation modes for future implementation. They include short-distance rail (light rail), long distance rail (commuter rail), bus rapid transit (BRT) in exclusive lanes, bus-rapid transit in managed lanes, bus-rapid transit in mixed traffic and express bus.[4]
Citrus County Transit, Cushman & Wakefield of Florida, Inc., EMK Consultants of Florida, Inc., Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), FDOT District One Commuter Services, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (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 (PSTA), Polk County Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), Sarasota-Manatee MPO, Sarasota County Area Transit (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).
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, Vanpool, Schoolpool, Bike Buddy, Emergency Ride Home (ERH), Telework, Compressed Work Schedule, and Commuter Tax Benefits.