Public Hearings Address Service Reductions

Phoenix, AZ   The impacts from the loss of State Lottery funds and ongoing sales tax revenue decreases could be felt as early as July 26, 2010. As of February, the State legislature swept funds that had been dedicated to cities and towns in Arizona for 30 years to help provide transportation. With a loss of about $34 million dollars statewide, transit operators are scrambling to find alternative sources of revenue or look at major cutbacks in service.

“With little warning, our Valley Metro member agencies have lost $22 million annually in funding for the operations of local bus, Dial-a-Ride and METRO light rail,” said Dave Boggs, Valley Metro RPTA executive director. “The elimination of funds could not have come at a worse time, with budgets already constrained due to an ongoing decline in sales tax revenues that also support transit.”

Loss of support from the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) may take Route 660, the rural connector from Wickenburg to Glendale, off of the map as early as July 26, 2010. The route that stretches for 44-miles one-way began in 2006 and currently has a ridership of 23 passengers each weekday.  Approximately 50 percent of the route’s operations costs come from a Federal Transit Administration Section 5311 grant, which funds smaller, rural transit operations. ADOT manages the FTA Section 5311 grant disbursement.

The other 50 percent of operations’ costs for Route 660 comes from Proposition 400 funds, the half-cent countywide excise tax that was passed in 2004. With ongoing sales tax revenue declines and the loss of State Lottery funds, there will be new cuts to transit service Valley-wide. 

The cuts to Valley Metro services will be felt Valley-wide.

Passengers and residents can provide feedback in several ways:

Public Hearings: Open House at 5:30 p.m.; Public Hearing at 6:15 p.m.

May 19
Glendale City Council Chambers
5850 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale 85301

May 25
Webster Elementary School, Cafeteria
202 N. Sycamore, Mesa 85201

May 26
Avondale City Council Chambers
11465 W. Civic Center Dr., Avondale 85323

Webinars on May 25 at noon and May 27 at 5:30 p.m. Register at ValleyMetro.org
Electronic Comment Card at ValleyMetro.org

Proposed changes to service are based on ridership and performance measurements. For a complete listing of proposed service changes, go to ValleyMetro.org.
Valley Metro/RPTA provides eco-friendly public transit options to residents of greater Phoenix and Maricopa County, including a clean-fuel bus fleet, low-emissions light rail,  a bio-diesel Dial-a-Ride fleet, online carpool matching and bus trip mapping, and bicycle and telework assistance. Funding is provided by local, state and federal revenues; and administered by a board of 16 governments working to improve and regionalize the public transit system.

All service and projects funded by the Proposition 400 Regional Transportation Plan funds approved by Maricopa County voters in November 2004.
 

# # #