September 25, 2008

Upcoming Events:
Glendale class gives basics of bus travel, Thursday, Sept 25, 2008. Click here for details.

In the News:
Valley Metro bus ridership peaks to highest levels in 2008, Valley Metro Release, Sept 18, 2008
Light rail celebrations are on track, Tribune, Sept 18, 2008
Bus ridership in the city up 36%, The Arizona Republic, Sept 19, 2008
Extended hours sought for light rail, Tribune, Sept 21, 2008

Don’t forget to visit Friends of Transit on the web at www.friendsoftransit.org!

 

Glendale class gives basics of bus travel
Sept. 23, 2008 08:18 AM
The Arizona Republic

Glendale residents are invited to a special class called B.A.G. It (for Bus and Individual Training) to learn how to travel on Valley Metro or GUS Bus 1, 2 and 3.

This free class is at 10 a.m. or 6 p.m. Thursday in Room 102 at the Glendale Adult Center, 5970 W. Brown St.

Lessons include how to:
• Read a bus book.
• Plan a trip.
• Use the computer to plan a trip.
• Find the closest bus stop.
• Exit and enter a bus (physically challenged included.)
• Signal the stop you need.
• Purchase the best value bus ticket, i.e., monthly, daily, reduced, etc.
• Tender fares when getting on the bus
Details: www.glendaleaz.com/transportation or 623-930-2035.

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Valley Metro Bus Ridership Peaks to Highest Levels in 2008
Annual ridership has reached nearly 60 million boardings

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Susan Tierney
Public Information Officer
602.262.4668-office
602.292.4093-mobile
stierney@valleymetro.org

Phoenix, AZ (September 18, 2008)  For the first time ever, annual bus ridership almost has reached the 60 million mark for total passenger boardings on Valley Metro between July 2007 and June 2008. This is 3.14% higher than the 58 million passengers carried in 2007 (between July 2006 and June 2007).

While gas prices have increased significantly in 2008, so has bus service. The system has added new regional express bus routes, extended local routes and added city circulator service in Phoenix and Tempe. Also seeing a bump in usage are more bikes on buses, which increased by 12% in the past year.

“Public transportation is becoming more of a realistic option for more people,” said David A. Boggs, Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority executive director. “Ridership on bus and rail services is trending upwards for the entire country, so we look forward to METRO’s start-up in December.”

According to a statement released by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Americans took 140 million more trips on public transportation in the second quarter of this year compared to 2007. Of all modes, light rail had the biggest increase in ridership at 12.3%, with bus service at 5.1%. Valley Metro experienced an 11.7% increase in bus passengers during the second quarter of 2008. Although, with increased capacity comes increased operations costs. According to APTA, 65% of transit systems in the nation report that they have insufficient revenue to operate additional service.

Ridership for Valley Metro member cities and towns reflect increases in their local communities, which contributes to the overall increase experienced by the regional bus system. With the start-up of METRO light rail on December 29, 2008, it is anticipated that there will be greater demand for bus service as people make connections between services to reach destinations in the Valley.

Valley Metro/RPTA is an organization of 14 local governments that provides or funds transit services to citizens in the greater Phoenix metropolitan and surrounding areas. For more information about Valley Metro public transit services, call Transit Information at (602) 253-5000; for callers with TTY (602) 261-8208; or visit the Valley Metro website at www.ValleyMetro.org.

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Light rail celebrations are on track
By MIKE BRANOM
TRIBUNE 
Sept 18, 2008

Just 100 days remain before light rail debuts in the Valley, and visible far down the track are the anticipated celebrations when the trains reach the stations. 

Tempe will use Metro’s grand opening on Dec. 27 to kick off four days of parties and events, Mayor Hugh Hallman announced Wednesday. 

“Destination Tempe” will end Dec. 31 with college football’s Insight Bowl and the New Year’s Eve block party. 

“We want to emphasize how excited we are to be the city that has light rail border to border,” Hallman said during a news conference held at a downtown Phoenix rail station. 

Also taking place during this time will be the dedication of the new Tempe Transportation Center at Veterans Way and College Avenue at the base of Tempe Butte. The building will be a hub for patrons of light rail and buses. 

According to Metro officials, the first events of the three-day grand opening in December will be held Dec. 26, with a media preview in the morning and a VIPladen celebratory banquet in the evening. Over the rest of the weekend, residents can ride for free. Fee service begins Dec. 29. 

Meanwhile, work of all kinds continues along the length of the 20-mile system, which stretches from central Phoenix to west of downtown Mesa. 

Metro chief executive officer Rick Simonetta boasted of a behind-the-scenes milestone: the recent hiring of 17 train engineers. When fully staffed, Metro will have more than 50 operators.

To continue to drum up public interest, Metro will be conducting daily giveaways between now and late December. Among the prizes are three-day transit passes, a value of $7.50. 

For more information, visit www.metrolightrail.org/100day beginning on Friday morning. 

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Bus ridership in city up 36%
by Edythe Jensen 
Sept. 19, 2008 05:08 PM
The Arizona Republic

It's no surprise that more Chandler residents are riding the bus.

According to the first ridership figures released this year by Valley Metro, bus boardings in the city are up 36 percent over last year - from 509,471 between July 2006 and June 2007 to 693,821 in 2007-08. Valley-wide, bus ridership is up 3 percent.

"I knew there was a huge increase in ridership given the price of gas and the level of interest in mass transit," said Mike Normand, the city's transportation manager. "We see more people waiting at bus stops and we are hearing that some routes are standing room only."

The popularity of riding bicycles to and from bus stops has prompted Valley Metro to increase the number of bike racks on the vehicles from two to three, Normand said. The latest report shows 30,495 bicycle boardings on Chandler buses this year. Those figures were not reported last year.

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Extended hours sought for light rail
Getting there guide to East Valley Commuting
by Mike Branom
Sept 21, 2008
Tribune

When discussing with others the advent of light rail in the Valley, more than once I heard in its favor, “Now I can go drink at Diamondbacks games.” 

(Seven bucks for a large draft beer? Go nuts.) 

But Mesa resident Ron Hahn points out a problem with the concept of Metro as designated driver: While bars close at 2 a.m., light rail will stop running two hours before. 

“It just doesn’t make sense,” Hahn said. 

Thinking about it, Hahn has a point. All this time, we’ve heard from boosters about how light rail will get cars off the roads during the morning and evening commutes. 

But what about the cars heading home from the bars? Don’t we want them off the streets, too? 

“We spend all this money on DUI roadblocks and enforcement,” Hahn said. “And then when there’s a solution in front of us, they don’t want to do it.” 

Metro, after beginning service in December, plans to operate more than 19 hours a day, from 4:40 a.m. until midnight. 

Hahn, who voted for the project back in 2000, had hoped it would run 24/7. 

Hahn isn’t alone in the hope of extended hours, at least on the weekends. 

A Phoenix organization called the Downtown Voices Coalition recently appealed to the City Council for extended hours. 

Among the reasons were the transportation needs of bar and restaurant workers, and how late-night activity is “the measure of a city’s vitality and growth.” 

I put a call into Metro on Friday afternoon but never heard back. 

When they respond, you’ll hear about it. 

MORE PEOPLE ON BUSES 

The Valley Metro bus system carried nearly 60 million passengers in a yearlong stretch ending on June 30. That’s a slight rise (up 3.1 percent) from the same period the year before. 

Of the 59.8 million boardings, about 70 percent took place in Phoenix. Meanwhile, Tempe, Mesa, Scottsdale and Chandler combined for nearly 14.8 million boardings. 

“Public transportation is becoming more of a realistic option for more people,” Valley Metro executive director David A. Boggs said. “Ridership on bus and rail services is trending upwards for the entire country, so we look forward to Metro’s startup in December.” 

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