TAMPA, Fla. — The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) is asking for input from those special passengers who use their buses. Specifically, those who use their HARTPlus Paratransit Service that transports people with disabilities.

Ray and Doreen Altieri recently attended a meeting with officials from HART about their bus services. Their son Nick rides the HARTPlus buses every day he’s at work.

What You Need To Know

  • Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) seeks input from users, particularly those utilizing the HARTPlus Paratransit Service for people with disabilities

  • HART officials cite human error and funding limitations as challenges affecting the transit system

  • Efforts, including an audit of HARTPlus, are underway, but no specific timeline for improvements is provided

  • Download the HARTPlus Paratransit Application

  • Download the HARTPlus Paratransit Rider's Guide

“Everybody had a lot of input,” said Ray. “I think my thing was commenting about getting picked up in a decent time frame after work so he gets out and sometimes he’s had to wait 45 minutes to an hour sitting outside of his building downtown which isn’t the best place to be for Nick.”

Their son Nick was born with down syndrome. “It’s not stopping me from anything because I’m highly capable like anybody else here,” said Nick.

For the past 11 years, Nick has worked at the public defender’s office in downtown Tampa. Every day he works, he catches the bus home from work, by himself on the HARTPlus buses.

“I love riding the bus,” Nick said. “Because it gives me the independence and freedom and I go all over Tampa.”

Nick goes through the system and sets up his pre-registered pickup window after work. He’s gotten so good at the process, he makes sure to confirm the driver is picking up the right person.

Nick said he knows firsthand how important it is to get on the right bus with the correct route to his home in Carrollwood.

“One time I went from here to MacDill Airforce Base and I then went, wait a minute,” he said. “Why am I going to the Air Force Base when I’m back the other way?”

On this day, his bus showed up after his 30-minute pickup window. The ride home took a little over an hour.

His parents said aside from some improvements, the bus service is one of the best things for their son and Nick couldn’t agree more.

Spectrum News took some of those concerns to HART officials.

“Obviously, sometimes we have human error. A lot of times this comes about because of simple funding. The Tampa Bay area is one of the most under-funded systems for mass transit throughout the south and the United States. HART obviously falls victim to that,” HART Board of Directors Chair Luis Viera said. “There’s different kinds of issues. There’s issues that deal with and be required with more money, there are issues that can be remedied through additional training through workers, sensitivity training, etc… and that’s part of what we’re doing now. “

HART officials said they recently did an audit of their HARTPlus program with their employees, but still no timeline on when people can expect to see improvements.