People who need to get to medical appointments or go shopping but don’t have access to personal or public transportation can apply to ride the Sunshine Line, a free, door-to-door, on-demand mobility service operated by Hillsborough County.
Those meeting the qualification guidelines can arrange for transportation in vans with accessible features to buy groceries, visit the doctor, participate in wellness activities, attend social service appointments and take care of important personal business. The Sunshine Line is focused on helping residents who struggle with transportation availability, such as senior citizens, people with disabilities and people who can’t afford to pay for a car or commercial rides like Uber or taxis.
Transportation is provided on a space-available basis and prioritized according to the purpose of the trip, with service possibly harder to reserve during some peak periods. Reservations can be made from two to seven days in advance from Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Return trips are scheduled when making the pickup reservation. Drivers are trained to assist passengers in boarding the vans, including the proper securing of wheelchairs.
To be eligible for the Sunshine Line program, an applicant’s household income must be at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Other eligibility considerations include age, disabilities and access to other methods of transportation.
Sunshine Line riders can also count on a ride in an emergency situation requiring evacuation of their home. Jerry Stickney, the Sunshine Line’s director of operations, said the service is ready to help get people to safety in the event a major storm hits the area.
“We’ll use these vehicles, create routes for our drivers and go around the community when we have evacuation orders to help those that need to go to special needs shelters,” Stickney said in a Hillsborough County YouTube video about the service.
Residents can also apply to receive daily or monthly HART bus passes through the Sunshine Line program if they are able to ride public transportation. To learn more about the Sunshine Line and how to apply for the service, call 813-272-7272 or visit https://hcfl.gov/departments/sunshine-line.
