In an effort to help enhance mobility, provide Tampa Bay area residents with more transportation options and improve first mile-last mile connectivity to HART bus stops, Coast Bike Share, an operation of Santa Monica based CycleHop, and the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) are formally announcing a co-promotion to provide residents with an alternative to getting around town.
During the entire month of October, when riders purchase a 31-Day HART Farecard at the Marion Transit Center ticket counter you'll get a month of Coast Bike Share for free. Coast free month includes $15 credit toward monthly basic or monthly plus membership and does not include any additional riding or locking fees.
"We are excited for the opportunity to work with Coast Bike Share showing how people can use transit and biking in their everyday lives," said Katharine Eagan, HART chief executive officer. "Coast Bike Share is a key element of the first-last mile and balanced transportation solution, expanding the reach of transit and providing our transit users with another mobility option."
HART works hard to promote the growth of cycling around Tampa and seeks proactive, long-term solutions to accommodate a growing market of transit users who also travel by bike. This also helps extend the reach of transit and will help boost transit ridership throughout the county.
Since its launch 10 months ago, Coast Bike Share has racked up 97,000 miles, nearly 4 times around the globe. With 300 bikes at 30 hubs in downtown Tampa, the Channel District, Hyde Park and Ybor City, Coast's distinctive sky-blue two-wheelers have quickly become a feature of the city - especially on the Riverwalk, which offers 1.8 miles of contiguous cycling.
"By furthering our relationship with HART, we are excited to connect all of Hillsborough to the doorstep of every downtown business, event and residence," said Eric Trull, Coast program director. "It is our goal with this promotion to show the ease of navigation in our city using multiple modes, through connections at Marion Transit Center, along the Street Car line and across downtown."
The Coast Bike Share connection helps make HART a more convenient option for customers needing a way to start or complete their trip. With the additions of Coast Bike Share and RedCoach, to compliment the Megabus.com partnership, MTC has now become a busy intermodal hub for Bus Rapid Transit in Tampa and a catalyst for travel throughout the state of Florida.
Coast Bikes can be reserved on Coast's mobile app, Social Bicycles, or online at CoastBikeShare.com. Once registered, riders can rent the bike using its keypad. Coast to your destination and lock it to any hub or public bike rack for a small fee.
