I’m downtown now with New Tampa denizen Paul D’Aurora, who began using the HART commuter bus from Crossroads Community Church about two years ago. He started before gasoline prices skyrocketed.

The gas price jump two years ago, as modest as it was compared with the price of gasoline today, got him going. He was ahead of his time. “Gas prices were a big motivating factor,” he says. “That and the wear and tear on the car.”

The increase in HART business almost corresponds to gasoline prices, says HART spokeswoman Kathy Karalekas

But looking at the numbers, she says, “we did see last year, last spring, when gas started spiking, we did start breaking monthly riding records. We broke records three times within the past year.”

Daily commuters are a big part of the bus business, she says.

D’Aurora is talkative and knows just about everyone at his stop. He has forged bus buddy friendships with them.

“It’s a nice ride in,” he says. “Plus, we all get to know each other.”

Nancy Steinberg, also of New Tampa, sits across from D’Aurora. She works at the Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office and says she was one of the first to hop on the bus two years ago when HART first offered the express commuter line.

“I’m one of the originals,” she says.

She decided to let someone else do the driving because of traffic headaches on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and Interstate 275.

“This is a stress-free ride,” she says.

“Plus,” she says, “the costs of gas and parking are tremendous. This saves a lot.”

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