Local
Valley Metro weighs bus changes as ridership remains below pre-pandemic levels
Valley Metro is proposing changes to dozens of routes in a cost-neutral redesign, including more frequent weekend service on 11 busy lines. The agency says it wants rider feedback as it adjusts a network that has largely stayed the same while travel patterns changed.
PHOENIX — Valley Metro is seeking input from bus riders as it considers a major overhaul of its bus network, with proposed changes affecting dozens of routes across the region.
The agency says bus ridership is about 60% of its pre-pandemic level, while travel patterns have shifted and the route network has remained largely unchanged. Michael Eshleman, Valley Metro’s deputy chief of service planning, said the review is intended to align service more closely with current ridership.
Under the proposals, some routes would run more often, while others would see less frequent service or be discontinued, depending in part on ridership. Eshleman said the agency is aiming to keep the changes cost-neutral, shifting resources toward service that is being used more heavily.
One proposed improvement would reduce weekend waits on 11 of the system’s busiest routes from 30 minutes to 15 minutes. The agency has not specified in the information released which routes would gain or lose service, or when any changes would take effect.
The redesign could affect how residents reach jobs, schools, health care and other destinations, particularly riders who depend on transit and do not have easy alternatives. Valley Metro is asking bus users to weigh in as it develops the changes.