The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority has named Carlos Tobar as its new chief of Bus Operations. He will assume his new role on Monday, May 19.

Tobar comes to HART from an award-winning tenure at the helm of e-tran, the transit system in Elk Grove, Calif. The numerous citations e-tran earned under Tobar's direction include being named the best transit agency of its size in North America by APTA, the American Public Transportation Association, in 2007.

Tobar brings with him more than 20 years of experience in the transportation industry. Before taking the head job at e-tran, Tobar served as director of Service Development for the San Joaquin Regional Transit District. Prior to that, he was Transportation Manager for the City of Lodi, Calif.

A graduate of the University of California-Davis, Tobar holds a B.A. in economics. He also received a Traffic Engineering Certificate from the University of California- Berkeley and a Construction Management Certificate from the National Transit Institute. Tobar will report directly to HART's Chief Executive Officer David Armijo.