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Riders Moving In Express Lane

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By LAURA KINSLER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 25, 2008

NEW TAMPA - The 4:45 p.m. express bus from downtown to New Tampa is quickly becoming the hottest seat in town.

"There are days when you have to stand," Wesley Chapel resident Jeff Trumbower said. The longtime rider is seeing lots of new faces on the bus these days.

In the first six months of the year, ridership on Route 51X, serving New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, has swelled 141 percent. It's part of a new transit demand that has Hillsborough Area Regional Transit scrambling to add buses.

"We just purchased 13 used buses from Dallas," HART spokeswoman Kathy Karalekas said last week. "By the end of the month, we should have them turned around and on the street."

As gas prices jump, thousands of suburbanites are abandoning their cars for the $5 round-trip express bus. From May to June - when a gallon of unleaded peaked at $3.99 - the route picked up nearly 300 additional riders.

Richmond Place resident Earnest Brown was one of them. He started taking the express bus from the Lowe's in New Tampa about three months ago.

Brown said his car gets good gas mileage, but he still saves about $40 a week by riding the express bus.

"I live close enough so I can walk to the bus stop," he said. "It's just a 15-minute walk, but I sit at a computer all day, so I like to get my blood moving."

Pebble Creek resident Patricia Reilly is another recent convert. She started taking the bus June 30, when she started a new job with Hillsborough County.

"I was very happy to get a job where I can commute on an express bus, like I did for 40 years in New York," she said. "And the county supplements my commute, so I only end up having to pay $20" for a monthly pass.

Pebble Creek resident Chaote Yao has been a loyal rider from Day One. He was among the handful of New Tampa commuters who lined up for express bus service when it was launched in January 2006.

"There's definitely more riders now," he said. "I've been very happy with the service."

T.J. Kenny was also one of the early regulars.

"At that time, the gas prices weren't as crazy as they are now," he said. "It just keeps getting more and more full."

Kenny said that after the first year, he saved about $1,800 a year in gas, car maintenance and parking costs on his 55-mile round trip.

"If I calculate that with today's prices, it's probably more like $2,400 a year," he said.

Karalekas said HART may add a third bus to 51X to alleviate the crowding on the early bus. The route has two pickups 30 minutes apart. The last bus leaves downtown at 5:15 p.m.

"The later trips are less crowded, so in the meantime, people can adjust their schedules and take the later bus," she said.

Reporter Laura Kinsler can be reached at (813) 865-4844 or lkinsler@tampatrib.com.

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