As a Downtown Tampa resident for nearly three years I have had the pleasure of meeting many new friends and neighbors and am very proud of the community that we are building together. Mobility and public transportation are discussed often by both the residential and business communities that make up downtown.

Tomorrow is National Dump the Pump Day where people across the country are being asked to try public transportation for the day. In Hillsborough County HART is offering a free day pass to anyone that presents a recent gas receipt to ride. Local leaders Tampa City Councilman Mike Suarez, who is HART chairman and Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe, who sits on the HART board, will both be riding the bus to work on Thursday morning.

I have been using the HART bus system for a while now but remember when I moved downtown that it took me over three months before I tried it. So to help out my friends and neighbors I created this Google Map that offers some help if you live in the very accessible neighborhoods of South Tampa (#4 / #30), the Channel District (#8), Ybor City (#8 / #12), Tampa Heights (#1 / #2) and Seminole Heights (#1 / #2) . It will also help you get to the airport (#30) if you happen to be flying in or out of Tampa International tomorrow.

There are other routes and places that are served of course but these are six key routs that if the downtown community began to ride, would help build the political will to continue doing more.

Like starting anything in life, we must begin with what we have.

See you on the bus!