About Valley Metro
Service Changes
Service Changes Effective July 26, 2010
Updated July 14, 2010
Recently, the State legislature eliminated a large portion of money ($22 million annually) that has supported public transportation services in the Valley for 30 years. These funds were supplied by Arizona Lottery revenues – referred to as the Local Transportation Assistance Fund (LTAF). The reduction of LTAF was made retroactive to February 1, 2010. Valley cities and towns evaluated how best to address the resulting transit funding shortfalls from both the Lottery and the ongoing decline of sales tax revenues.
July 2010 transit service changesPublic hearings were held around the Valley February through May 2010 to collect feedback on the budget cuts and reduction of transit services. These hearings were held by the cities of Chandler, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe, as well as Valley Metro RPTA and METRO light rail. Thank you to those that participated and provided input regarding the proposed service changes.
If your route is not listed below, it has not changed
Note: There will not be a printed version of the July 2010 Transit Book, however, it will be available online beginning July 23, 2010.
A Supplement containing updated schedules for the local routes listed below will be printed and distributed Valley-wide beginning the week of July 19, 2010. To download an electronic version of the Supplement, click here
All times are approximate. Check your route before you travel.
Discontinued Routes
|
Route 29A - Avondale (Thomas) Route 32 - 32nd Street with portions now covered by Routes 10 and 16 Route 536 - Northeast Mesa/Tempe/ASU Route 572 - Surprise/Scottsdale Express Route 576 - Northwest Valley/Montebello Express DART DASH Downtown Loop DEER RUN FLASH to University |
METRO Light Rail
| Current | Effective July 26, 2010 | |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday peak service period1 | 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. |
| Weekday peak service frequency | Every 10 min. | Every 12 min. |
| Number of transit holidays2 | 6 holidays | 11 holidays |
1 Service will continue to begin and end at the same times of day. “Peak service” occurs during the busiest time of the weekday. 2 The five additional holidays, whereby trains will run on a Sunday schedule, include Christmas Eve, day after Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day and Veterans Day. |
||
Local Bus Routes
| LINK - Mesa Main Street | Weekend service has been eliminated. Weekday schedule adjustments. |
| Grand Avenue Limited | All trips now travel to 129th Ave. and Thunderbird Rd. in El Mirage. |
| Route 1 - Washington/Jefferson | Weekday frequency has changed to 45 minutes. |
| Route 3 – Van Buren | The west end will no longer travel south on 67th Avenue to Buckeye. Instead, these trips will continue west on Van Buren to 75th Ave. Every other trip (west of 51st Ave.) will continue on into Avondale. |
| Route 3A - Avondale | Avondale service is now incorporated into Route 3 - Van Buren. |
| Route 10 - Roosevelt/Grant | East end has been rerouted from 28th St. to 32nd St. to cover a portion of Route 32, which will travel from Roosevelt St. to Camelback Rd. on 32nd St. East end loop will travel on 28th St. instead of 24th St. |
| Route 13 - Buckeye | The Mohave branch service has been eliminated. |
| Route 15 - 15th Avenue | The portion east and south of Central Station has been eliminated. Service to Sky Harbor Airport has been eliminated. The south end of the route will end at Central Station. |
| Route 16 - 16th Street | The north segment has been extended on 32nd St. to cover the north portion of Route 32 from SR-51 to 32nd St. and Union Hills Dr. |
| Route 29 - Thomas | East end turnaround at 56th St. in Phoenix has been shortened and west end turnaround has been extended to 93rd Ave., due to the elimination of 29A. |
| Route 30 – University | Weekday and Saturday schedule adjustments. |
| Route 39 - 40th Street | Frequency has changed to 60 minutes, seven days a week. |
| Route 40 - Apache/Main | Service to Sky Harbor Airport has been eliminated and route will end at Tempe Transportation Center. Service in Tempe before 5 a.m. and Sunday service after 10 p.m. has been eliminated. |
| Route 45 – Broadway | Weekday and Saturday schedule adjustments. |
| Route 48 - 48th Street | Schedule adjustments. Service before 5 a.m. has been eliminated. After 10 p.m., buses will not service the Arizona Mills Mall bus stop. Buses will stop at Priest Dr. and Baseline Rd. for passenger transfers. |
| Route 52 - Roeser | Frequency has changed to 60 minutes on weekends. |
| Route 56 - Priest Drive | Schedule adjustments. After 10 p.m., buses will not service the Arizona Mills Mall bus stop. Buses will stop at Priest Dr. and Baseline Rd. for passenger transfers. |
| Route 61- Southern | Sunday service in Mesa has changed to 60 minutes. Weekday service before 5 a.m. and Sunday service in Tempe after 10 p.m. has been eliminated. |
| Route 62 - Hardy/Guadalupe | First weekday and Saturday southbound trips have been eliminated before 5 a.m. The last Saturday northbound trip at 12:32 a.m. has been eliminated. |
| Route 66 - Mill/Kyrene | South extension now serves Lone Butte Casino. Service north of McKellips Rd. has been eliminated. |
| Route 72 - Scottsdale/Rural | All trips have been extended to Thompson Peak Pkwy. Frequency has changed to 20 minutes. Some service in Chandler has been eliminated: weekdays before 5:45 a.m. and after 10 p.m.; Saturday before 8 a.m. and after 10 p.m.; Sunday before 8 a.m. and after 7 p.m. |
| Route 76 - Miller | South portion of route has been restructured and will now end at McKellips Rd. |
| Route 77 - Baseline | Schedule adjustments. Service in Tempe before 5 a.m. has been eliminated. After 10 p.m., buses will not service the Arizona Mills Mall bus stop. Buses will stop at Priest Dr. and Baseline Rd. for passenger transfers. |
| Route 81- Hayden/McClintock | Service in Tempe before 5 a.m. has been eliminated. Every other weekday peak northbound trip will turn around at 90th St. and Shea Blvd. Frequency has been increased to 30 minutes all day in Chandler. |
| Route 96 – Dobson | Service in Chandler has changed: Weekday peak service has been reduced to 30 minutes; Weekday service after 10 p.m. has been eliminated; Saturday service before 8 a.m. and after 10 p.m. has been eliminated; Sunday service before 8 a.m. and after 7 p.m. has been eliminated; Weekend service now ends at Chandler Regional Hospital. |
| Route 108 – Elliot Rd. | Schedule adjustments. After 10 p.m., buses will not service the Arizona Mills Mall bus stop. Buses will stop at Priest Dr. and Baseline Rd. for passenger transfers. |
| Route 122 - Cactus | The portion south of Metrocenter has been eliminated and will no longer travel on 39th Ave. Westbound trips will begin at Metrocenter. |
| Route 136 - Gilbert Road | Service to Chandler Gilbert Community College has moved to Gilbert Road. Service now extends south to Crossroads Shopping Center. In Chandler, weekday service before 5:45 a.m. has been eliminated. Earlier northbound trips available at Gilbert Rd. and Chandler Blvd. as early as 4:24 a.m. In Chandler and Mesa, Saturday service before 8 a.m. has been eliminated. |
| Route 156 - Chandler Blvd/Williams Field Rd. | Service to Chandler Fashion Center moved from Frye Rd. to Chandler Blvd. and service to Chandler Gilbert Community College has been eliminated. Service on Saturday before 7 a.m. and after 10 p.m. has been eliminated; Service on Sunday before 7 a.m. and after 8 p.m. has been eliminated. |
Express and RAPID Routes
| Route 511- Tempe/Scottsdale Airpark Express | The portion of the route south of the park-and-ride lot at Apache Boulevard has been eliminated. |
| Route 535 – Northeast Mesa/Downtown Express | Trips that began at Power Rd. and McDowell Rd. will now begin at the East Mesa Service Center park-and-ride, located at the SE corner of Decatur St. and Power Rd. Buses will continue to make an exception stop at Power Rd. and McDowell Rd., however, this location is no longer a park-and-ride. |
| Route 540 - Chandler Express | Inbound route now starts at Dobson Rd. and Ray Rd. |
| Route 542 - Chandler Express | One inbound trip and one outbound trip have been added. |
| Route 573 - Northwest Valley/Downtown Express | Reverse commute trips from Downtown Phoenix to Glendale have been eliminated. |
| RAPID Service: | One inbound and one outbound trip on all corridors have been eliminated (SR51, I-10E, I-10W, and I-17). |
Circulator Routes
| ALEX Neighborhood Circulator | Frequency has changed to 60 minutes 5 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Route has been modified. |
| FLASH FORWARD (Clockwise) | Route has been modified. |
| FLASH BACK (Counter-clockwise) | Route has been modified. |
| MARY Neighborhood Circulator | Frequency has changed to 60 minutes 5 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. |
| SMART Neighborhood Circulator | Frequency has changed to 60 minutes 5 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. |
Rural Routes
| Route 660 Rural Connector | Saturday service has been eliminated. A new stop at 99th Ave. and Hutton has been added. |
Holiday Service
| Buses and light rail will run on a Sunday schedule on Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Veterans Day, the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. Holidays occurring on Saturdays will be observed on Fridays; Holidays occurring on Sundays will be observed on Mondays. |
Question & Answers
Q. Why are the cuts to service happening and when will they occur?
A. Funding of the regional transit system has been impacted by declining local and regional sales taxes and the permanent loss of State Lottery revenues as of February 2010. Fares provide about 25% of the cost to operate service. Even with a fare increase in 2009, it can’t replace the funding losses. Lottery funds provided about $22 million annually for local transit operations.
The date of the service impacts begin on July 26, 2010.
Q. What routes are being affected?
A. See the list above to get specific information on service reductions.
Q. Can I get a refund if I am no longer able to use my pass due to a route change?
A. Fares and passes are not refundable.
Q. Can students get a refund on the semester pass or the ASU-U Pass if their route is no longer available?
A. No refunds are available for fares and passes. With the impacts to service beginning as early as July 26, 2010 and continuing through January 2011, it may be best for students to purchase a 7-day pass. The cost of the 7-day pass is the same price as purchasing 5 All-day passes. Please note that the 7-day pass must be used in 7 consecutive days.
Q. Will all of the service changes be listed in the Transit Book?
A. There will NOT be a new printed edition of the Transit Book in July. Please keep your current Transit Book for reference as your route may not be affected. An online version will be available on ValleyMetro.org on July 23
Q. Where can I get all of the latest information?
A. Up-to-date information, including route and schedule changes, will be on ValleyMetro.org under the Service Changes alert symbol. Customer service will also have the latest information by calling 602.253.5000.
Q. What are my alternatives to bus and light rail service?
A. You can securely search for a carpool partner based on proximity, destination and travel route, as well as schedules and preferences, online at sharetheride.valleymetro.org.
Q. Why are there service changes 2 times per year?
A. Service changes are organized so that all changes to routes and schedules can occur at the same time. This helps Valley Metro communicate the changes by releasing updated documents, like the Transit Book, only when those changes occur. We are faced with a challenge this year to possibly enact more service changes than normally scheduled due to funding shortfalls and elimination.
Q. Where can I pick up a free Transit Book Supplement?
A. Places where you can find the Supplement after July 19:
- On buses
- City offices
- Local libraries
- Transit centers
- Park-and- Rides
- City convention centers or visitor centers
- Valley shopping mall concierge desks
The large print Transit Book Supplement can be found Senior Centers and organizations serving the blind.
Q. What will be included in the Transit Book Supplement?
A. The supplement includes only the schedules of local routes that are changing as of July 26, 2010 and a system map. There are no individual route maps and it does not contain a METRO light rail schedule.
Q. What should I do if my route or a portion of my route is eliminated?
A. In most cases, alternative route(s) are available if someone’s route is being eliminated or changed. We apologize for any inconvenience to our passengers. If your route is affected by the service cuts, there are options to bus and light rail service. ShareTheRide.ValleyMetro.org is a ride matching system that allows commuters to quickly and securely find a carpooling partner or view various bus options. The system matches commuters based on proximity, destination and route travel, as well as schedules and preferences.