Valley Metro Bus[7] is the public transit bus service in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Valley Metro Bus provides local, regional, express, and rural bus services in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, covering a service area of 525 sq mi (1,360 km2). In 2023, the system had a ridership of 24,215,700, or about 75,300 per weekday in the third quarter of 2024.
Valley Metro, officially known as the Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority, is responsible for coordinating the bus system. Bus services are operated by private contractors and individual municipalities in the Phoenix area, branded as Valley Metro.
All Valley Metro Bus services are accessible to persons with disabilities, with ramps or lifts installed on all buses. Additionally, all fixed-route buses are equipped with bicycle racks.
Operations
There are over 100 bus routes contracted by Valley Metro, including regular routes, limited-stop routes, and community circulators. Bus frequency, hours, and days of operation vary by route. The most heavily used routes have peak service frequency of every 10 minutes and run as late as 1:00 am,[8] while less used routes run every 30 minutes off-peak, with service ending at midnight.
Route types and naming conventions
There are currently 60 local bus routes that form Valley Metro's super-grid bus system. They are numbered roughly according to the address on the Phoenix area's street grid on which they travel. For example:
Route 35 is a north–south route which runs along 35th Avenue, which is the 3500 block, west, on the street grid.
Route 0 runs north–south along Central Avenue, which is the dividing street or "zero point" separating east and west Phoenix on the street grid.
Route 50 runs east–west along Camelback Road, which is the 5000 block, north, on the street grid
Route 72 runs north–south along Scottsdale and Rural Roads, which are the 7200 block, east, on the street grid.
Route 104 runs north–south along Alma School Road, which corresponds to the 10400 block, east, on the street grid (but not in the city of Mesa itself, which uses a different street numbering/zero point origin from the city of Phoenix).
Routes 7 and 8 each run on 7th Street and 7th Avenue respectively. Given that Phoenix has numbered thoroughfares designated as "Avenues" west of Central and "Streets" east of Central, Route 8 is one digit higher to avoid confusion with Route 7 which are both the 700 blocks.
Route 17 runs east–west along McDowell Road, which actually is the 1600 block, north, on the street grid. Route 17 is one digit higher to avoid confusion with Route 16, which runs north–south along 16th Street which is the 1600 block, east, on the street grid.
Route 81 runs north-south on Hayden Road and McClintock Drive, which is the 8000 block, east, on the street grid. Route 81 is one digit higher to avoid confusion with Route 80, which runs east-west along Northern Avenue, which is the 8000 block, north, on the street grid.
The community circulator routes are mostly a free service, the exceptions being the Avondale Zoom routes with a 50 cent fare each; formerly the Glendale Urban Shuttle (GUS) routes had a 25 cent fare each to ride; this fare was eliminated on October 23, 2017. They supplement the standard grid service with routes that connect neighborhoods to nearby business districts. Circulator vehicles are typically minibusses, with the Avondale Zoom routes, Scottsdale Trolley routes, and select Tempe Orbit routes using mid-size buses and the DASH circulator serving Downtown Phoenix using 40-foot buses. The naming convention varies by the communities they serve, such as the Scottsdale Neighborhood Trolley, Tempe Orbit Jupiter, and Phoenix SMART.
The LINK routes were limited-stop, streamlined bus connections to transit centers served by Valley Metro Rail. These routes used upgraded bus shelters that have LED "Next Bus" signs and bus rapid transit-styled vehicles with traffic signal priority. They were named after the street they travel on. The two routes were the Main Street LINK and the Arizona Avenue LINK. LINK service was discontinued on October 24, 2016, and was replaced by enhanced local service on Routes 40 and 112.
The six RAPID routes are limited-stop commuter routes in the city of Phoenix that travel from Park and Ride lots in outlying neighborhoods near major freeways to RAPID stops in the downtown business core (including the Arizona State Capitol complex). These routes are mostly named for the freeway on which they travel, such as RAPID I-10 East and South Mountain RAPID routes (two routes connect newly developed neighborhoods along Baseline Road with downtown via 19th Avenue or 24th Street). They are unidirectional, traveling toward downtown in the morning and out of downtown in the afternoons. These routes use NABI45C-LFW suburban buses with a special paint scheme.
The express routes are also limited-stop commuter routes. They operate similarly to the RAPID routes, from outlying Park and Ride lots and pick-up points in suburban areas outside the city of Phoenix, with higher fares than standard routes, but the same as RAPID routes. They are numbered in the 500s, with the second digit indicating the area they serve, using the following scheme:
51x – Scottsdale
52x – Tempe
53x – Mesa and Gilbert
54x – Chandler
56x – Southwest Valley (Avondale, Goodyear, Buckeye, and Tolleson)
57x – Northwest Valley (Glendale, Peoria, Surprise, and Sun Cities)
These routes use a mix of bus types, ranging from transit-style buses with hard seats to "semi-suburban" buses (with highback, non-reclining seats) to full suburban buses (with a single door, luggage racks, and personal reading lights). These routes are also unidirectional, traveling into downtown Phoenix and the State Capitol in the morning (using the major freeways after traveling on surface streets for part of the trip) and out of downtown in the afternoons.
Route list
Routes marked with an asterisk (*) are a part of the Frequent Bus Network (15 minute-or-better headways on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
Color key:
Color
Operator
Note
Blue
Transdev-Phoenix
Formerly Veolia-Phoenix. Operates the North and South Phoenix facilities.
Orange
Transdev-Phoenix (Formerly First Transit)
Operates the West Phoenix facility.
Pink
Keolis-RPTA (Formerly First Transit)
Operates the Mesa and Tempe facilities. Replaced Veolia-RPTA (Mesa) and Veolia-Tempe on July 1, 2013.
Purple
Total Transit
Contracted by the RPTA. Operated from the Total Transit facility in southeast Glendale.
Turquoise
City of Glendale
Only non-contracted routes in the system. Also operates Glendale Dial-a-Ride.
Originally one bi-directional route split into two
MARS
Tempe – Orbit Mars
Circulator
First Transit-RPTA
Tempe
Tempe Southern Ave & Evergreen Rd
6.98 miles (11.23 km)
550,531
MERC
Tempe – Orbit Mercury
Circulator
First Transit-RPTA
Tempe
Tempe Escalante Community Center
5.88 miles (9.46 km)
423,563
VENU
Tempe – Orbit Venus
Circulator
First Transit-RPTA
Tempe
5.49 miles (8.84 km)
341,025
Bidirectional route serving West Tempe neighborhoods
STRN
Tempe – Orbit Saturn
Circulator
First Transit-RPTA
Tempe
Tempe Tempe Public Library
South Tempe Priest Dr & Elliot Rd
5.82 miles (9.37 km)
106,098
SR-51
SR-51 Rapid
Rapid
Transdev-Phoenix
Phoenix North
Central City 17th Ave & State Capitol (last drop-off) Jefferson St & 18th Ave (first pick-up)
Desert Ridge Deer Valley Rd & Marriott Dr
24.5 miles (39.4 km)
33,253
Short trips serve Dreamy Draw P&R and SR-51/Bell Rd P&R
I-10E
I-10 East Rapid
Rapid
Transdev-Phoenix
Phoenix South
Ahwatukee 40th St/Pecos Rd P&R
20.7 miles (33.3 km)
33,001
I-10W
I-10 West Rapid
Rapid
Transdev-Phoenix
Phoenix South
Maryvale Village Desert Sky Transit Center
12.6 miles (20.3 km)
26,990
Short trips start and end at I-10/79th Ave P&R
I-17
I-17 Rapid
Rapid
Transdev-Phoenix
Phoenix North
Deer Valley Deer Valley P&R (I-17 & Happy Valley Rd)
18.8 miles (30.3 km)
78,229
Short trips go to Metrocenter TC and I-17/Bell Rd P&R
SME
South Mountain East Rapid
Rapid
Transdev-Phoenix
Phoenix South
South Mountain Heights 24th Street/Baseline P&R
9.1 miles (14.6 km)
1,775
SMW
South Mountain West Rapid
Rapid
Transdev-Phoenix
Phoenix South
South Mountain Heights 27th Avenue/Baseline P&R
5.8 miles (9.3 km)
4,063
Note that the listed facility assignments for Transdev-Phoenix operated routes are normal assignments, however, routes normally operated from the South facility may occasionally be substituted with buses from the North facility and vice versa.
Route history
Route
History
0
Alternate trips truncated to Baseline Road on January 23, 2012[10]
Section south of Central Station split off into route 0A in 2020
0A
Created in 2020 as southern section of route 0
Alternate weekday trips north of Baseline Road added on October 25, 2021[11]
1
Created on October 13, 2003 to replace the Phoenix-Tempe section of Yellow Line[12]
Extended from 19th Avenue to 27th Avenue on July 25, 2005[13]
Rerouted from Downtown Tempe to Phoenix Zoo upon the opening of Valley Metro Rail on December 29, 2008
Eastern terminus loop changed on July 23, 2012[14]
Rerouted via Sky Train Transit Center on January 28, 2013[15]
Truncated to Sky Train Transit Center on July 22, 2013[16]
Truncated on western end to Central Station and extended on eastern end along Washington Street to Priest Drive on October 27, 2014[17]
Route revised and first stop in downtown Phoenix changed on April 25, 2016[18]
Rerouted to bypass SkyTrain Transit Center on April 23, 2018[19]
Service to Terminals 3 and 4 replaced by PHX SkyTrain on April 27, 2015[27]
Truncated to 24th Street SkyTrain station on October 28, 2024[28]
15
Rerouted to serve Montebello/19th Avenue Transit Center and extended to Metrocenter Transit Center on north end and Sky Harbor Airport on southern end upon the opening of Valley Metro Rail on December 29, 2008
Truncated from Sky Harbor Airport to Central Station on July 26, 2010[21]
Truncated to Montebello/19th Avenue Transit Center due to light rail construction on January 28, 2013[15]
Loop into Montebello/19th Avenue Transit Center changed on July 22, 2013[16]
16
Restructured on southern end, effective January 24, 2005[29]
Extended to Paradise Valley Community College to replace route 32 on July 26, 2010[21]
Service to Sunnyslope Transit Center eliminated on July 23, 2012[14]
Alternate rush hour trips extended to Northern Avenue on July 22, 2013[16]
Rerouted on southern end to Dobbins Road/Central Avenue on January 27, 2014[24]
Alternate rush hour trips between Northern Avenue and Baseline Road expanded to all-day weekdays on October 23, 2023[22]
17
51st Avenue branch eliminated and all trips rerouted to serve Desert Sky Mall on October 13, 2003[12]
Eastern terminus loop changed on July 23, 2012[14]
Extended on western end to Estrella Parkway to replace route 17A and extended on east end to SkySong Transit Center on January 27, 2014[24]
Extended east to Pima Road and Desert Sky Mall service eliminated on October 27, 2014[17]
19
Rerouted on 15th Avenue between Campbell Avenue and Missouri Avenue due to construction on January 22, 2007[30]
Extended to Pinnacle Peak Road on July 23, 2007[20]
Streamlined back on 19th Avenue from 15th Avenue upon opening of Valley Metro Rail on December 29, 2008
Truncated to new 27th Avenue/Baseline Road Park and Ride on January 23, 2012[10]
Northern terminus loop changed on July 23, 2012[14]
Rerouted onto 7th Avenue between Bethany Home Road and Dunlap Avenue due to light rail construction on January 28, 2013[15]
Deer Valley branch replaced by route 7 on January 27, 2014[24]
Restored to 19th Avenue between Bethany Home Road and Dunlap Avenue on October 26, 2015[31]
Extended north on 23rd Avenue to Happy Valley Road on October 23, 2017[32]
Alternate weekday short turns between Union Hills Drive and Jefferson Street expanded to the full route on October 23, 2023[22]
27
Rerouted away from downtown to continue serving 27th Avenue on July 25, 2005[13]
Extended to Union Hills Drive on January 22, 2007[30]
Service on northern end split into two branches, 27th Avenue/Deer Valley Road and 23rd Avenue/Rose Garden Lane, and extended south to Lower Buckeye Road on July 23, 2012[14]
Alternate rush hour trips added south of Bell Road on October 23, 2023[22]
28
Created on October 27, 2014, to replace route 10 section on Lower Buckeye Road[17]
Extended from 75th Avenue to 99th Avenue on April 23, 2023[33]
29
Renamed from Green Line upon the opening of Valley Metro Rail on December 29, 2008
Restored south of Camelback Road on April 25, 2016[18]
Extended to Baseline Road/Priest Drive via 40th Street and Baseline Road on April 23, 2018[19]
Service along Baseline Road eliminated on April 26, 2021[38]
35
Service to Maricopa County Durango Complex discontinued and select trips extended to Deer Valley Road on July 25, 2005[13]
Select trip extension to Deer Valley Road discontinued and all trips extended to Happy Valley Road on January 22, 2007[30]
Rerouted to new 27th Avenue/Baseline Road Park and Ride on January 23, 2012[10]
Northern terminus loop changed on July 23, 2012[14]
Alternate rush hour trips south of Metrocenter TC truncated on southern end to Baseline Road and expanded to all-day weekdays on October 23, 2023[22]
39
Created upon the opening of Valley Metro Rail on December 29, 2008, between Central Avenue/Camelback station and Phoenix Mayo Hospital
Changed to turn around in Mayo Clinic parking lot on July 25, 2011[39]
Restructured into a new route, running between Paradise Valley Community College and 40th Street/Shea Boulevard on July 22, 2013[16]
Extended to Dreamy Draw Park and Ride on April 24, 2017[40]
40
Created to replace eastern section of Red Line, running between Sky Harbor Airport and Superstition Springs Transit Center upon the opening of Valley Metro Rail on December 29, 2008
Truncated from Sky Harbor Airport to Tempe Transit Center on July 26, 2010[21]
Truncated from Tempe Transit Center to Loop 101 Freeway/Apache Boulevard Park and Ride on July 25, 2011[39]
Short turns east of Mesa/Main Street station added to replace Main Street Link on October 24, 2016[41]
Truncated to Sycamore/Main Street station on April 26, 2021[38]
Created on January 25, 2010 to replace part of route 92, with a deviation to Tempe Center for the Arts[35]
Slightly truncated to terminate outside of Arizona Mills Mall on Baseline Road/Priest Drive on October 27, 2014[17]
Extended to Tempe Marketplace on October 26, 2015[31]
Extended to Mesa Riverview on October 23, 2023[22]
50
Alternate trips extended to Scottsdale Community College on January 12, 2004[42]
Rerouted onto Campbell Avenue between 15th Avenue and 23rd Avenue due to construction on January 22, 2007[30]
Streamlined back onto Camelback Road from Campbell Avenue upon the opening of Valley Metro Rail on December 29, 2008
Extended to 107th Avenue and eastern terminus loop changed on July 23, 2012[14]
Service between Scottsdale Road and Scottsdale Community College replaced by new Camelback Trolley on October 26, 2015[31]
Eastern end loop rerouted via Scottsdale Road and Drinkwater Boulevard on October 24, 2016[41]
Extended back to Scottsdale Community College on April 26, 2021[38]
51
Created on October 13, 2003, between ASU West and Roosevelt Street[12]
Extended to Van Buren Street and southern terminus loop changed on July 23, 2012[14]
Extended to Lower Buckeye Road on January 27, 2014[24]
Extended to Baseline Road, with alternate trips extended even further to Pecos Road to replace route 251 on April 23, 2018[19]
52
Western terminus loop reversed on July 26, 2004[43]
Eastern and western termini loop changed on July 23, 2012[14]
Deviation to Ed Pastor Transit Center removed on October 25, 2021[11]
56
Northern end restructured between Priest Drive and Mill Avenue on January 24, 2005[29]
Fountainhead Parkway loop discontinued on July 25, 2005[13]
Truncated to Van Buren Street upon the opening of Valley Metro Rail on December 29, 2008
Streamlined onto Priest Drive and rerouted to terminate at Ray Road/48th Street on July 22, 2013[16]
Arizona Mills Mall deviation eliminated and extended to SkySong Transit Center on October 27, 2014[17]
Route modified at SkySong Transit Center on April 27, 2015[27]
Truncated to Desert Botanical Garden on October 22, 2018[26]
59
Bell Road short turns eliminated on January 12, 2004[42]
Extended north to Loop 101 on January 23, 2012[10]
Southern terminus loop changed on July 23, 2012[14]
Deviation on Union Hills Drive and Utopia Road in Glendale eliminated on April 23, 2018[19]
60
Western end turnaround changed on July 25, 2005[13]
Extended west to 83rd Avenue and east to 40th Street/Camelback Road on July 23, 2007[20]
Adjusted to serve 83rd Avenue/Glendale Avenue on January 28, 2008[44]
Truncated to 16th Street/Bethany Home Road on July 23, 2012[14]
Rerouted to serve Montebello/19th Avenue Transit Center via 15th Avenue instead of 19th Avenue due to light rail construction on January 28, 2013[15]
Routing into Montebello/19th Avenue Transit Center changed on July 22, 2013[16]
Restored to 19th Avenue between Bethany Home Road and Montebello/19th Avenue Transit Center on October 26, 2015[31]
Service on 83rd Avenue replaced by route 83 and extended on eastern end to Camelback Road/24th Street on October 23, 2017[32]
Rerouted to use Camelback Road in both directions between 16th and 24th Streets instead of Missouri Avenue, 20th and 24th Streets on April 27, 2020[25]
91st Avenue short turns extended to Glendale Park & Ride and rerouted to stay on 24th Street past South Mountain Community College on January 28, 2008[44]
Rerouted at Luke Air Force Base from South Gate to Lightning Gate on July 25, 2011[39]
Southern terminus loop changed on July 23, 2012[14]
Streamlined on 24th Street near Sky Harbor Airport on January 27, 2014[24]
Truncated from South Mountain Avenue to 24th Street/Baseline Road Park and Ride on April 24, 2017[40]
Deviation on 95th Avenue and Maryland Avenue in Glendale eliminated on April 23, 2018[19]
Alternate weekday short turns added east of 43rd Avenue on October 23, 2023[22]
Select weekday trip deviation to South Mountain Community College added on January 25, 2010[35]
Extended west to 75th Avenue, bypassing Cesar Chavez High School, on January 23, 2012[10]
Arizona Mills Mall deviation eliminated on October 27, 2014[17]
Extended from Dobson Road to West Mesa Park and Ride on October 24, 2022[37]
Extended west to Gila River Indian Community Service Center on October 28, 2024[28]
80
Rerouted from Sunnyslope Transit Center to 16th Street/Northern Avenue on July 23, 2012[14]
Extended to HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center via Shea Boulevard, with select trips serving Mayo Clinic Scottsdale to replace route 106 on July 22, 2013[16]
Service east of Mustang Transit Center replaced by new Mustang Trolley on October 22, 2018[26]
Diverted to serve Tempe Marketplace on July 23, 2007[20]
Rerouted to terminate at Chandler Fashion Mall (now Chandler Fashion Center) on July 28, 2008[46]
Full-length route trips streamlined on McClintock from ASU Research Park and ASU Research Park short turn trips rerouted via Warner Road on January 25, 2010[35]
Alternate rush hour trips truncated to HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center on July 26, 2010[21]
Rerouted to use Raintree Drive instead of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard in Northsight on July 25, 2011[39]
Rerouted on Pima Road north of Indian Bend Road on April 25, 2016[18]
Modified to serve new Mustang Transit Center on April 23, 2018[19]
Service north of Mustang Transit Center replaced by new Mustang Trolley on October 22, 2018[26]
Rerouted to use McDonald Drive instead of Indian Bend Road on October 28, 2019
Stops north of Mustang Transit Center eliminated on April 27, 2020[25]
83
Created on October 27, 2014, running between Van Buren Street and Camelback Road[17]
Extended north to Arrowhead Transit Center on October 23, 2017[32]
90
Rerouted from Paradise Valley CC to Rose Garden Lane on July 23, 2007[20]
Eastern terminus loop changed on July 23, 2012[14]
96
Extended north to Mesa Riverview and south to Ocotillo Road on weekdays and Saturdays alongside the introduction of Sunday service on July 28, 2008[46]
Rerouted to serve Sycamore/Main Street station upon the opening of Valley Metro Rail on December 29, 2008
Weekend service truncated to Pecos Road on July 26, 2010[21]
Deviation to Intel Plant removed on January 24, 2011[36]
Off-peak service south of Pecos Road and Sunday service south of Baseline Road eliminated on January 23, 2012[10]
Price Road deviation added on October 27, 2014[17]
Deviation to Intel Campus eliminated on April 27, 2015[27]
Schedule modified for all trips to serve Sycamore/Main Street station on April 27, 2020[25]
104
Rerouted from Mesa Senior Center to Mesa Riverview via Sycamore/Main Street station upon the opening of Valley Metro Rail on December 29, 2008
Southern terminus loop changed on July 27, 2009[34]
Sycamore/Main Street station deviation removed on October 26, 2015[31]
Extended to Hamilton Street/Morelos Street on October 23, 2017[32]
Deviation serving Fiesta Mall eliminated on October 22, 2018[26]
106
Originally Peoria/Shea, running between Banner Boswell Medical Center and Mayo Clinic Scottsdale
Rerouted to run on Via Linda in East Scottsdale to replace 114 on January 25, 2010[35]
Saturday service extended to 99th Avenue on July 25, 2011[39]
Truncated to Paradise Valley Mall Transit Center on July 22, 2013[16]
Truncated to Sunnyslope Transit Center on October 27, 2014[17]
Realigned to travel counterclockwise around MetroCenter Mall in both directions on October 22, 2018[26]
Sunday service extended to 99th Avenue on October 24, 2022[37]
108
Weekend service east of ASU Research Park eliminated on July 27, 2009[34]
Extended to 48th Street/Chandler Boulevard alongside additional peak service to/from 40th Street/Pecos Park and Ride on July 22, 2013[16]
Limited rush hour service to 40th Street/Pecos Park and Ride eliminated on April 27, 2015[27]
Streamlined on Elliot Road on October 26, 2020[47]
Extended to Hamilton Street/Morelos Street via Pecos Road and off-peak service except late nights to West Mesa Park and Ride eliminated on January 28, 2013[15]
Partial trip extension to Chandler Park and Ride and short turns added between Main Street and Hamilton Street/Morelos Street to replace Arizona Avenue/Country Club Drive Link on October 24, 2016[41]
All trips extended to Chandler Park and Ride and Hamilton Street/Morelos Street segment replaced by Route 104 on October 23, 2017[32]
Alternate weekday trips to/from Center/Main St station rerouted to run via University Drive instead of First Street on April 23, 2018[19]
Alternate weekday trips reverted to running via First Street in 2020
Service south of Metrocenter Transit Center eliminated on July 26, 2010[21]
Truncated back to 51st Avenue on July 23, 2012[14]
Truncated to Cactus Road and 19th Avenue on July 22, 2013[16]
Extended on western end to ASU West Campus and extended on eastern end to 19th Avenue/Dunlap station on April 24, 2017[40]
128
136
Boeing Facility terminus route modified July 26, 2004[43]
Streamlined on Gilbert Road and extended to Crossroads Towne Center on July 26, 2010[21]
Streamlined on Gilbert Road due to the elimination of the Gilbert/McKellips Road Park and Ride on July 25, 2011[39]
Deviation to Boeing Facility eliminated on April 27, 2020[25]
138
Extended on western end to Banner Boswell Medical Center and rerouted on eastern end to Thunderbird Road/32nd Street via Cactus Road on October 27, 2014[17]
Rerouted from Via Linda to serve new Mustang Transit Center on April 23, 2018[19]
Truncated to Mustang Transit Center, with service to Fountain Hills replaced by route 515, which does not connect to route 514, but has a free transfer to route 535 at Gilbert-McDowell Park and Ride, on October 25, 2021[11]
515
Created on October 25, 2021, replacing 514 service in Fountain Hills, running between Fountain Hills Park and Ride and Gilbert-McDowell Park and Ride, with a free transfer available to route 535 to continue to Central City[11]
521
Truncated to Baseline Road and Price Road on July 25, 2011[39]
Modified to closed door service, rerouted to terminate at Tempe Public Library and run via US-60 on April 26, 2021[38]
Inbound trips extended to East Mesa Service Center Park and Ride on July 26, 2010[21]
Short turns extended due to the closure of Gilbert/McKellips Road Park and Ride and East Mesa Service Center Park and Ride trips truncated to Power Road Park and Ride on July 25, 2011[39]
The Transit Book (known until December 2008 as the Bus Book, and mentioned above) is updated twice yearly and contains maps and schedules for all routes. Copies are available at no charge at Valley Metro ticket offices, many public libraries, community colleges, and other civic facilities around the metropolitan area, and on the buses themselves. Because the Transit Book is difficult to carry around easily (the size is similar to a medium-sized catalog, averaging about 250 pages), patrons often use it to quickly reference the time when their next bus will arrive and simply leave the book sitting at their bus stop when finished, for the use of other riders.
Additionally, route schedules are posted at most bus stops in Tempe, selected bus stops in Scottsdale and Glendale, and at major transit centers in the city of Phoenix and throughout the Valley. On RAPID routes, schedules are electronic and are based on real-time information.
An automated next scheduled arrival service, NextRide, provides future arrival times for routes that serve a bus stop or light rail station. Each bus stop and light rail station has a five-digit "STOP#" found on a sign affixed to the bus stop sign post, shelter, or rail station. By calling the customer service number or by sending a text message, the passenger will be provided with the next three scheduled arrival times. If it is within 15 minutes of a scheduled arrival, a real-time estimate of when the bus or train will arrive will be provided, based on the vehicle's current location along the route.[50]
A customer service call center is operated for passengers to plan their bus trips with the assistance of either an automated voice response system or a live customer service representative. The Valley Metro website [1] also has an online trip planning function, and includes all schedules and maps featured in the Transit Book; since 2006, Valley Metro is relying more on the website to post schedule information and is printing fewer paper copies of the Transit Book.
Passenger information systems
Like most major cities, all buses (except for the non-Phoenix circulator vehicles) include the Route Scout on-board passenger information system, which includes a lighted marquee displaying the correct date and time, and an audio and visual Stop Requested announcement. Automatic Voice Annunciation (AVA) for audio and visual announcements for each major intersection, as well as minor cross streets.
Previously, these were voiced by longtime Phoenix radio personality, Liz Boyle [2][3], however, these prerecorded announcements are slowly being phased out in favor of speech synthesis, to allow for easier updates. This same system is used by the LA Metro fleet and was introduced on the 2004 New Flyer D60LF buses.
Valley Metro Rail vehicles feature a similar passenger information system that uses speech synthesis technology, rather than a recorded voice, to announce approaching stations and give other travel-related announcements. Train operators may also use the vehicle's public address system at their discretion.
The RAPID bus stops as well as the former LINK bus stops include a display with real-time predictions for the next arrival at that stop. Additionally, all Valley Metro Rail platforms feature annunciation for the approximate arrival of the next train, while also allowing for messages regarding potential delays and general service information.
SR-51, I-10 East, I-10 West, I-17, Central Ave/South Mountain East, Central Ave/South Mountain West
ALEX (Ahwatukee Local Explorer), DASH (Downtown Area Shuttle), SMART (Sunnyslope Multi-Access Residential Transit)
Red Line (Weekday operations, route discontinued December 29, 2008), Blue Line (Route discontinued December 29, 2008), 581 (Route discontinued in 2012)
Green (Renamed Route 29 on December 29, 2008), 560 (Route discontinued in 2012), I-10 West RAPID (Service transferred to Veolia/Transdev-Phoenix in July 2012), 19C (Route discontinued in October 2015), GL (Service transferred to Valu Trans/RPTA in April 2016)[51]
BUZZ (Downtown Mesa BUZZ), FLASH Forward/Back (Free Local Area Shuttle), ORBIT
Red Line (Weekend operations as Veolia-Tempe, route discontinued December 29, 2008), 76 (as Veolia-Tempe, Service transferred to Ollie the Trolley and now known as Miller Road Trolley), 84, 92, 114, 277, 510 (as Veolia-Tempe, Route discontinued July 2012 and replaced by Route 514 due to budget crisis), 511 (Route discontinued October 2014 due to low ridership), 512 (as Veolia-Tempe, Route discontinued July 2012 and replaced by Route 514 due to budget crisis), 532 (as Veolia-RPTA, Route discontinued in July 2012 due to budget crisis), 534 (as Veolia-RPTA, Route discontinued in 2008 due to low ridership), 540 (as Veolia-RPTA, Route discontinued July 2012 due to budget crisis), FLASH McAllister (route discontinued on December 14, 2015, due to low ridership), Main Street LINK (Route discontinued on October 24, 2016, replaced by enhanced service on Route 40), Arizona Avenue LINK (Route discontinued on October 24, 2016, replaced by enhanced service on Route 112), 541 (discontinued on October 23, 2022)
Downtown Trolley, Miller Road Trolley, Neighborhood Trolley, Talking Stick Trolley, Resort Trolley (all the above routes were realigned in 2019) Hospitality Trolley (Seasonal route discontinued after 2014–2015 winter season due to low ridership)
National Express
RPTA
685
660 (Route discontinued October 2011 due to low ridership)
City of Glendale
City of Glendale
GUS 1, GUS 2, GUS 3
Glendale Dial-a-Ride
Unification of Tempe bus operations with the RPTA
In 2012, the City of Tempe introduced a proposal that would unify its transit operations with the RPTA.[52] Under the new agreement, all Tempe bus operations would be handed over to the RPTA, where the Tempe transit facility would be utilized by the RPTA to reduce costs and improve efficiencies for certain routes by reducing deadheads due to its more central location than the existing RPTA facility in Mesa.
On November 24, 2012, the City of Tempe agreed to move forward with unifying its transit operations with the RPTA.[53] The contract for both agencies was initially planned to be awarded to First Transit on December 13, 2012, however, Veolia Transport protested the award because First Transit wasn't releasing information of where their cost savings would come from. The protest was denied and the contract was officially awarded to First Transit on January 24, 2013.[54]
Bus fleet
Valley Metro and member cities maintain a growing fleet of over 800 vehicles for public bus routes and nearly 200 for paratransit.
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