TAMPA, Fla. — The countdown is on for riders of Hillsborough Area Regional Transit’s Route 1, as the fare-free pilot program that has covered the cost of bus trips for the past year is set to end on January 4, 2026.

While the Tampa City Council did not approve extending the fare-free system permanently, community organizers say the push wasn’t wasted — because it helped secure new funding to make the system faster and more reliable.

During the most recent budget cycle, the Tampa City Council approved about $1.3 million to improve Route 1 service, including plans for 15-minute frequency from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 20-minute service in the evenings and on weekends.

What You Need To Know

The HART Route 1 fare-free pilot program that has covered the cost of bus trips for the past year is set to end on January 4, 2026

During the most recent budget cycle, Tampa City Council approved about $1.3 million to improve Route 1 service, including plans for 15-minute frequency from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 20-minute service in the evenings and on weekends

Riders should prepare to resume paying fares on January 5 and after

HART caps costs at no more than $4 per day and $65 per month, no matter how many trips a rider takes

Transit advocates say that investment comes directly from lessons learned during the pilot — which showed just how many people rely on Route 1 daily.

“Ridership did increase by over 50% and the on-time performance increased month after month,” said Dayna Lazarus with Transit Now Tampa Bay. “One of our bigger goals was to get people on the bus and just show that there is a demand. If you take away some of the barriers for people who haven’t ridden before, they can give it a try — and that obviously worked out very well.”

For riders like Jennifer Lock, the pilot was more than a convenience — it was stability during a difficult chapter. She says free fares helped her focus on finding work and housing after experiencing homelessness.

Transit advocates are now asking the council to consider another fare-free program in the future, saying the pilot proved how access drives opportunity.

For now, riders should prepare to resume paying fares on January 5. HART caps costs at no more than $4 per day and $65 per month, no matter how many trips a rider takes.

Advocates say that while fare-free service may be gone for now, the investment in reliability is a major win for one of Tampa’s busiest routes.

The countdown is on ⏳ HART Route 1’s fare-free pilot ends Jan. 5. Tampa didn’t approve permanent free rides — but did approve $1.3M to boost frequency to 15 minutes during peak hours. Riders will pay no more than $4/day or $65/month. @BN9 pic.twitter.com/pPvf6MvAyu

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