We have a lot to celebrate, transit team!!! • Fare Free Route 1 was a resounding success, demonstrating the demand for public transit and the benefits of investing in transit operations by DOUBLING ridership for the year. • Increasing frequency on Route 1 for a second year! Evening and weekend frequency will increase starting January 2026 on Route 1. • Cross Bay Ferry service saved! We successfully advocated to transfer a $5 million grant from HART to PSTA, which saved future years of the service (and improvements are expected)! • We successfully advocated for the HART Board to agree to change their charter to allow for up to 1-cent in millage revenue to fund their service. • We led over half-a-dozen Route 1 group rides, hosting over 100 people on the route, including many bus and trolley newbies! And more! Best of all, we made new friends along the way :) ----------- Take Fare Free Route 1 with TNTB and Tampa City Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak one last time while the fare is still free in 2025. We'll meet at the Independent on Florida Ave at 6:30 p.m. and take the free bus Route 1 south. We'll disembark at Curtis Hixon Park, where there's currently a Winter Wonderland event happening all season! There, we can puruse the pop-up shops, enjoy the lights, and grab a snack: o Gourmet Crepes & Beverages o Icicles Craft Cocktails o Icicles Craft Kitchen o Mi Cafecito o Whatever Pops At 8:15 p.m., we'll board the Pirate Taxi for a special 45-minute "River of Lights" tour! The Pirate Taxi is a sleeper transit mode, traveling from downtown to Bayshore and Armature Works throughout the day (it used to go all the way north to Lowry Park). Tickets for the pirate taxi lights tour are $35 per person. We will pay individually upon arrival. Reach out to Dayna or TNTB with any questions at transitnowtb@gmail.com or message this page!