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Valley Metro aims to make Express bus routes faster Revamp of commuter service could cut up to half-hour off trip by Sean Holstege - May. 14, 2012 10:56 PM The Republic | azcentral.com When a Tempe Express bus pulls away from the curb on Broadway Road near Loop 101, it begins a 50-minute journey to downtown Phoenix. That 19-mile trip, on Route 520, winds through several neighborhoods and includes up to 12 stops before the bus reaches the freeway -- not exactly "express" in the literal sense. But the pace soon could pick up. Looking to save money and streamline service, Valley Metro wants to revamp its 20 Valley-wide Express routes and make them truly express. The routes would become more like Rapid buses, which operate within Phoenix and travel from outlying park-and-ride lots directly to downtown. The Rapids also offer more comfortable seating. Under the new plan, the Express buses, which would keep their name, would allow riders from across the Valley to reach their destinations more quickly. An Express bus would have one pickup point at a park-and-ride lot near a freeway, and then, within a fairly short time, get into the carpool lane to whisk passengers to their destination. Typically, that's downtown Phoenix. "We are restructuring our entire Express bus system to be more park-and-ride-based," said Paul Hodgins, Valley Metro's regional-planning manager. "The Rapids have shown how successful that park-and-ride system can be." Valley Metro's board is scheduled to vote Thursday on the changes, which would take effect at the end of July, marking a major step toward the goal of a more efficient commuter bus system. "Our ultimate goal is to have an entirely park-and-ride (commuter) system," Hodgins said. The changes also would include cuts to service. Six Express routes that start in Glendale, Mesa, Chandler and Avondale would be eliminated. Other routes would be adjusted or have fewer daily runs or stops. Only six of the 20 routes would be unaffected. Modified Express runs would be 10 to 30 minutes faster, Hodgins said. The new Tempe Express, which would be 4 miles shorter, would reach downtown Phoenix in 34 minutes. The changes may alienate some passengers but attract many new ones, Hodgins said. "Current users will be inconvenienced. They will have to drive to the park-and-rides or transfer buses," Hodgins said. "It may dissuade some people from taking the Expresses. There will be some lost riders, but the gains will far outweigh them." Hodgins predicts that the bus agency will save $2 million a year in operating costs by running fewer and more-direct buses. Michele Gamez, who's ridden Route 520 in Tempe since 1999 and has attended public meetings about the changes, said many riders are skeptical of the changes. She predicted that 90 percent of the people on her bus instead will drive to downtown Phoenix, where she works, because they'll lose their neighborhood stop and won't want to drive to a park-and-ride. "Most people I know, if they are going to get in their car, they will stay in their car," she said. Others will be stranded because they don't have a car or are disabled. "They won't (gain) riders," Gamez, 46, said of the system. "They'll lose the ones they have now." Valley Metro officials point to ridership figures to justify streamlining Expresses. Four Rapid lines carry more than 3,600 passengers per weekday on average, more than all 20 Express buses. In the last 12 months, combined ridership on Rapid and Express buses jumped 12 percent over the previous year. That growth was four times what it was on local routes. Among the Expresses, those that already rely on park-and-ride-based service saw a nearly 24 percent increase in ridership, while those that circulate locally to pick up passengers, like the Tempe Express, lost riders. People who ride Express and Rapid buses are different than passengers aboard local service. The Express and Rapid buses cater to commuters, who tend to have higher incomes, more cars and more choices. A local passenger typically walks to the bus stop when it's a quarter-mile or less away, but people will drive as far as 10 miles to a park-and-ride lot. Many Express routes were introduced years before the region built up its network of freeways, carpool lanes and park-and-ride lots. Consequently, buses like the Tempe Express wind their way through neighborhoods, picking up passengers along the way, before getting on the freeway. Valley Metro says that system is outdated and inefficient. Regional-transportation planners are seeking to entice solo drivers out of their cars to reduce freeway congestion and air pollution. The light-rail system is part of that strategy, along with park-and-ride lots and carpool lanes. Most of it is being paid for by Proposition 400, a transportation sales tax passed by voters in 2004.