Filling up your gas tank just cost you nearly $40.

You long for the days prices were well below $2 a gallon. At this point, even $2.50 is a bargain.

Maybe you can trade that pricey commute for a cheap ride on a HARTline bus. You would save money, right? And you could read a magazine rather than suffer another rush-hour headache.

Then you hesitate.

The trade-off could be more than a few dollars.

The walk to the bus stop could be a mile. You may need to drive 10 miles to a park-and-ride; why not just drive on to the office?

You could miss your connection and run late to work, or get stuck at work and miss the last bus home.

Bus officials admit the system falls short, from little night service to long waits between buses, and say they could do more with more money.

But first Ray Miller, HARTline's executive director, needs to navigate local politics. Hillsborough County Commissioners Brian Blair and Ronda Storms are constant critics. Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio has called the system "lousy."

"I'll be the first to admit there are a lot of unmet needs out there," Miller said. "That's really a community choice. We are operating within the parameters of our budget."

--ELLEN GEDALIUS
and MARK HOLAN