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Would your company benefit from:

- Public Recognition.  Employers who join CAP will be recognized

  through participation in one or more of the following options: the

  Commute Options program and the Green Fleet Options program.

- Reducing traffic, air pollution and energy demand. 

  Employers participating in the CAP program are making a substantial

  contribution to reducing traffic, energy demands and air pollution in the Tampa Bay area.

- Alternative/Clean-Fuels.  Alternative/clean-fueled vehicles reduce air pollution from tailpipe

  emissions. Alternative fuels are generally cheaper than conventional gasoline and reduce our

  dependence on imported fuels.

- Saving money.  Employers can save money in several ways. These ways include parking

  expenses, facility costs, income taxes and payroll taxes. Employees may also enjoy financial

  savings on parking, commuting and taxes.

- Improving employee recruiting and retention.  Commuter benefits help employers stay

  competitive by attracting and retaining the best talent.

Then the Clean Air Partnership is the program for you!

The Clean Air Partnership (CAP) program is a collaborative effort of the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County (EPC) and the Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management (PCDEM). By providing alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle trips to and from work and promoting greater use of clean fuels, CAP aims to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution in the greater Tampa Bay area.

For more information on how to become a member, contact Julie Bond at bond@cutr.usf.edu or 813-974-9799.

For more about BACS programs and services go to www.TampaBayRideshare.org or call 1-800-998-RIDE.

2008 BayCycle Photography Contest

Tampa BayCycle is proud to present the first annual BayCycle Photography Contest to celebrate the relationship between bicycling and everyday life in the Tampa Bay community. It is our goal to get more people excited about bicycling as an essential part of daily living.

GENERAL INFORMATION: The contest is open to everyone, from the amateur photographer to the casual or experienced cyclist living in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Citrus, Pasco and Hernando counties. The contest is designed to offer participants the opportunity to share their love of bicycling with our community and the general public. Winning photographs will be on display at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA) during the month of May 2008. Prizes will be awarded in two categories: General Public and Student. Photos will be evaluated by a panel of three judges. All decisions are final and at the discretion of Tampa BayCycle. All entries must be postmarked no later than March 30, 2008.

SUBMISSION DETAILS: Photograph guidelines: 8”x10” print, color or black and white; must include a bicycle or some part of a bicycle and have been taken in the Tampa Bay area. Participants are allowed to submit five photos per entry. A digital image of the photo or photos on CD must be included with submission. Label the disc and back of photo with contact information. All submitted photos become property of Tampa BayCycle.

AWARDS: Prizes will be awarded in each category and include a combination of bike gear and gift certificates worth the following amounts: 1^st place - $500, 2^nd place - $250, 3^rd place - $100, Honorable Mention - $25. In addition, all winning photographs will be showcased in an exhibition during May 2008 at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts.

FEE: General Public, $10 per entry (max. five photos per entry); Student, $5 per entry (max. 5 photos per entry). Payment must be made by cash or check made payable to Bay Area Commuter Services.

RULES AND INFORMATION: Visit www.tampabaycycle.com or

call (813) 974-9799.

HART Starts New Fiscal Year with Another Record-High Month

More Than One Million Bus Rides Taken in October, Another High-Ridership Day for Streetcar

Last August, the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) set a monthly ridership record with its first-ever million-ride month.

Now that record has been broken again.

At the December meeting of HART’s Board of Directors, the agency reported that ridership for October 2007, the first month of fiscal year 2008, reached 1,066,695, besting the August record by nearly 50,000 rides.

The October total translates to an average of 41,402 passengers riding HART buses each weekday.

Route 2 – Nebraska Avenue continues to be HART’s busiest route, with 121,420 rides taken in October, up 17.6% over the same period last year. The busy Nebraska Avenue corridor traveled by Route 2, which carried more than 1 million rides in FY 2007, is the backbone of the North/South portion of HART’s proposed BRT system.

HART’s Commuter Express services also saw year-to-year gains with 22,814 rides for October, an increase of 17.5% over October 2006.

“This rapid increase in ridership growth demonstrates that transit needs to be a major component of our transportation future,” said HART CEO David Armijo. “We see this as a preview of what an expanded transit system could do for Hillsborough County.”

In addition, the TECO Line Streetcar System posted a high-ridership day on Saturday, with 7,775 rides taken during the annual Santa Fest holiday celebration, a 30% increase over last year’s event. The streetcar system offers special 25¢ fares each year for Santa Fest. All-time high streetcar ridership for a single day is 13,451, set on October 13^th of this year.

The mission of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) is to provide public transportation services which are safe, dependable and cost effective, thereby enhancing the quality of life in our community.

There’s so much more to do at www.hartline.org. Use our trip planning feature powered by Google Transit, order fare cards in the Online Transit Store, and get complete route maps and schedules. Call the HARTinfo Line at (813) 254-4278 to learn more.

Want to save money & make better use of your time by carpooling or vanpooling-
but don't know anyone to share the commute with?
We may be able to help! Join the regional rideshare database by following the link on the Commuter page of our website, www.newnorthalliance.org,  or by calling 813-974-9799 to speak with a New North Transportation Alliance representative.