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Rural Bus Route 685 Traveling Celebrations

Phoenix, AZ (March 9, 2010)

Five days of festivities begin in Ajo on Monday, March 22 and makes celebratory stops in Gila Bend, Buckeye, and Avondale before commencing with a final party on Friday, March 26 in Phoenix.

“This party is for the local communities served by Route 685, the rural bus service that acts as a lifeline for hundreds of rural Arizonans,” said David Boggs, Valley Metro executive director. “We will welcome aboard existing and new passengers with a week of free rides to any destination along the route.”

Download Route 685 Celebration Flyer in PDF format

Route 685, Valley Metro’s longest route, began operating along State Highway 85 in March 2005 as a partnership between the Arizona Department of Transportation, Maricopa County Human Services Department, Pima County Transportation Department and Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority. At that point, there were two roundtrips per weekday from Gila Bend and one weekday roundtrip from Ajo.

Today, the rural bus connector service serves more than 14,000 passengers each year who have a choice of five weekday roundtrips and two Saturday trips between Ajo and Phoenix. The 95-mile route takes them to popular destinations such as the Gila Bend Community Action Program office and Senior Center, Buckeye Community Center, Estrella Mountain Community College, West Valley Career Center and Desert Sky Transit Center.

To celebrate the five years of service, there will be a week of free rides on Route 685, March 22-27. Fares usually cost between $2 and $8 one-way depending on the origin and destination.

Free events will be held at local landmarks that will include refreshments, giveaways, entertainment and a commemorative ceremony. The ceremony, which includes local dignitaries, will begin 30 minutes after the start time of each event. Wednesday’s event in Buckeye will include the planting of five trees to commemorate the five years of service.

Event information:

Passengers traveling on Route 685 use the bus to go to medical appointments, school, work and shopping. According to a recent survey, many passengers would have no other means of transportation or would prefer not to drive. The fleet serving the route are fully accessible for mobility devices and can seat between 16 and 20 passengers.

Funding for the route is provided by Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Section 5311 that helps to enhance general public transportation service in rural areas, Maricopa County’s Proposition 400 half-cent sales tax, the Arizona Department of Transportation and the Pima Association of Governments. More information about Route 685 is available by visiting www.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.



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