TAMPA, Fla. (May 6, 2021) –  Demand for TBARTA’s TD Tampa Bay ride service continues at a record-setting pace, with April service ten-fold higher than when service started late last year. Not only is ridership growing sharply, so is the number of people discovering their new options to travel anywhere across the five-county TBARTA region.

For April, TD Tampa Bay recorded its highest number of trips in a single month, 747, up sharply from the 70 trips provided during the first month of service in December 2020. Through only five months of operation, rides have been provided to 147 transportation disadvantaged individuals, those who lack transportation and qualify for the service because of age, income, or disability.

“From the start, we knew there was a need for this new, regional service to the transportation disadvantaged community, but just how much was unclear,” said David Green, TBARTA’s Executive Director. “Now that’s coming into focus. We have seen ridership steadily increase each month, and we anticipate those numbers will continue to grow as word spreads.”

TBARTA conducts the program in partnership with UZURV, which processes applications, trains and schedules drivers, and operates a call center seven days a week. The bulk of the funding is provided through an Innovation and Service Development Grant from the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged. Riders pay a flat $6 fee for each one-way trip, regardless of the destination.

TD Tampa Bay’s primary purpose is cross-county transportation. The program complements TD service already provided intra-county by local Community Transportation Coordinators (CTCs), who primarily offer transportation within their county’s borders. TD Tampa Bay also provides evening and weekend service intra-county when local CTCs are not operating.

“Our mission is to improve regional transit options across five counties in the TBARTA region, for all residents, workers and visitors,” Green said. “TD Tampa Bay is a great example of the demand for new regional connections, as more than 72 percent of all rides provided so far cross county lines.”

TBARTA also tracks why people use the service, with employment and medical appointments making up more than half of all trips. Since the program was launched, 27% of rides were for employment, with 26% for medical appointments, 13% social, and 10% education. 

Information on eligibility for TD Tampa Bay, including an application form, can be found at TDTampaBay.com. For more information on TBARTA initiatives, contact Chris Jadick, TBARTA Communications Director, at 813-639-7743, or Chris.Jadick@Tbarta.com