HART buses run special evacuation routes for people who need transportation to shelters. HART and the Hillsborough County Office of Emergency Management urge you to make arrangements now for the safety of your family should a storm force you from your home. Emergency routes are designed to simply move people from low ground to higher ground.
If a major storm threatens our area, we will announce the need to interrupt service as early in the day as possible, and will work to restore service just as soon as it is safe to do so.
Don't wait for the last minute to make arrangements or to implement your evacuation plan, as you may find yourself stranded.
If you are in need of public transportation before a storm, here’s what you need to know to use HART evacuation bus service:
HART provides free emergency evacuation bus services to one of the following open public shelters:
There are 9 evacuation bus routes, which are designated with a letter from “A” to “I.” Each route is assigned to deliver passengers to one of the four Red Cross shelters listed above.
These services begin after the Hillsborough County Emergency Operations Center instructs HART to commence and public shelters have been opened. For the safety of our bus operators, evacuation buses will operate during daylight hours only. Service will be suspended when the Emergency Operations Center advises HART to remove vehicles off the road.
The Hillsborough County Emergency Operations Center manages transportation to special needs shelters. Explain your needs to the EOC. Residents who have a medical condition requiring special assistance should call Hillsborough County at 813-272-5900.
Blue and white “Emergency Shelter Bus Stop” signs are located along specific routes, or you may stand at a corner along the route and wave down the bus. All HART buses are ADA accessible. Emergency evacuation bus service is free.
There will be five buses on each route circulating continuously every five to ten minutes.
The Hillsborough County School District will operate school buses to evacuate people in areas not covered by the 9 HART evacuation routes. For more information, residents should call the Hillsborough County Emergency Operations Center at 813-272-5900.Click here to find out what it takes to prepare HART for a hurricane.
