Valley Metro Bus
Valley Metro Bus is a transit bus system for public transport in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Buses are operated by private companies contracted by Valley Metro and the City of Phoenix. Service currently operates throughout the broader Phoenix Metropolitan Area. All buses have wheelchair ramps or lifts, and except for paratransit vehicles, all buses have bike 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 3:30 am, 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.
- 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.
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. These routes are mostly named for the freeway on which they travel, such as RAPID I-10 East and South Mountain RAPID routes. They are unidirectional, traveling toward downtown in the morning and out of downtown in the afternoons. These routes use NABI 45C-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
- 57x - Northwest Valley
Route list
Color key:| Color | Operator | Note |
| Blue | Transdev-Phoenix | Formerly Veolia-Phoenix. Operates the North and South Phoenix facilities. |
| Orange | First Transit-Phoenix | Operates the West Phoenix facility. |
| Pink | First Transit-RPTA | Operates the Mesa and Tempe facilities. Replaced Veolia-RPTA 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. |
| Olive | RTW Management | Operations only, maintenance performed in-house. |
| Brown | Ajo Transportation | Contracted by the RPTA. |
| No. | Name | Type | Operator | Facilities | Note |
| 0 | Central Avenue | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South, Phoenix North | |
| 1 | Washington/Jefferson Street | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South | |
| 3 | Van Buren Street | Local | First Transit-Phoenix | Phoenix West | |
| 7 | 7th Street | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South, Phoenix North | |
| 8 | 7th Avenue | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South, Phoenix North | |
| 10 | Roosevelt | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South | |
| 12 | 12th Street | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South, Phoenix North | |
| 13 | Buckeye Road | Local | First Transit-Phoenix | Phoenix West | |
| 15 | 15th Avenue | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South, Phoenix North | |
| 16 | 16th/32nd Street | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South, Phoenix North | |
| 17 | McDowell Road | Local | First Transit-Phoenix | Phoenix West | |
| 19 | 19th Avenue | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South, Phoenix North | |
| 27 | 27th Avenue | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South, Phoenix North | |
| 28 | Lower Buckeye Road | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South | |
| 29 | Thomas Road | Local | First Transit-Phoenix | Phoenix West | |
| 30 | University Drive | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa, Tempe | |
| 32 | 32nd Street South | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South | |
| 35 | 35th Avenue | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South, Phoenix North | |
| 39 | 40th Street North Phoenix | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix North | |
| 40 | Apache/Main Street | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa, Tempe | |
| 41 | Indian School Road | Local | First Transit-Phoenix | Phoenix West | |
| 43 | 43rd Avenue | Local | First Transit-Phoenix | Phoenix West | |
| 44 | 44th Street/Tatum Boulevard | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South, Phoenix North | |
| 45 | Broadway | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa, Tempe | |
| 48 | 48th Street/Rio Salado Parkway | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| 50 | Camelback Road | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South, Phoenix North | |
| 51 | 51st Avenue | Local | First Transit-Phoenix | Phoenix West | |
| 52 | Roeser Road | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South | |
| 56 | Priest Drive | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| 59 | 59th Avenue | Local | First Transit-Phoenix | Phoenix West | |
| 60 | Bethany Home Road | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South | |
| 61 | Southern Avenue | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa, Tempe | |
| 62 | Hardy/Guadalupe | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| 65 | Mill/Kyrene | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| 66 | Mill/Kyrene | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| 67 | 67th Avenue | Local | First Transit-Phoenix | Phoenix West | |
| 70 | 24th Street/Glendale | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South | |
| 72 | Scottsdale/Rural Road | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| 75 | 75th Avenue | Local | First Transit-Phoenix | Phoenix West | |
| 77 | Baseline Road | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa, Tempe | |
| 80 | Northern/Shea | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix North | |
| 81 | Hayden/McClintock Drive | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa, Tempe | |
| 83 | 83rd Avenue | Local | First Transit-Phoenix | Phoenix West | |
| 90 | Dunlap/Cave Creek Road | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix North | |
| 96 | Dobson Road | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa, Tempe | |
| 104 | Alma School Road | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa, Tempe | |
| 106 | Peoria Avenue | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix North | |
| 108 | Elliot/48th Street | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa, Tempe | |
| 112 | Country Club/Arizona Avenue | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa | |
| 120 | Mesa Drive | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa | |
| 122 | Cactus Road | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix North | |
| 128 | Stapley Drive | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa | |
| 136 | Gilbert Road | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa | |
| 138 | Thunderbird Road | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix North | |
| 140 | Ray Road | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa, Tempe | |
| 154 | Greenway Road | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix North | |
| 156 | Chandler Boulevard/Williams Field Road | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa, Tempe | |
| 170 | Bell Road | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix North | |
| 184 | Power Road | Local | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa, Tempe | |
| 186 | Union Hills Drive | Local | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix North | |
| 514 | Scottsdale | Express | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa | |
| 520 | Tempe | Express | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| 521 | Tempe | Express | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| 522 | Tempe | Express | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| 531 | Mesa/Gilbert | Express | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa, Tempe | |
| 533 | Mesa | Express | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa | |
| 535 | Northeast Mesa/Downtown | Express | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa | |
| 541 | Chandler | Express | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| 542 | Chandler/Downtown | Express | First Transit-RPTA | Mesa, Tempe | |
| 562 | Goodyear/Downtown | Express | Total Transit | Southeast Glendale | |
| 563 | Buckeye | Express | Total Transit | Southeast Glendale | |
| 571 | Surprise | Express | Total Transit | Southeast Glendale | |
| 573 | Northwest Valley/Downtown | Express | Total Transit | Southeast Glendale | |
| 575 | Northwest Valley/Loop 101/Downtown | Express | Total Transit | Southeast Glendale | |
| 685 | Gila Bend Regional Connector | Express | Ajo Transportation | Ajo | |
| GL | Grand Avenue Limited | Express | Total Transit | Southeast Glendale | Provides express service, but with a local fare. |
| ZOOM North | Avondale Zoom North | Circulator | Total Transit | Southeast Glendale | $0.50 fare to ride. |
| ZOOM South | Avondale Zoom South | Circulator | Total Transit | Southeast Glendale | $0.50 fare to ride. |
| GUS 1 | Glendale Urban Shuttle 1 | Circulator | City of Glendale | Northwest Glendale | |
| GUS 2 | Glendale Urban Shuttle 2 | Circulator | City of Glendale | Northwest Glendale | |
| GUS 3 | Glendale Urban Shuttle 3 | Circulator | City of Glendale | Northwest Glendale | |
| BUZZ | Mesa Downtown BUZZ | Circulator | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| ALEX | Phoenix Neighborhood Circulator - ALEX | Circulator | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South | |
| DASH | Phoenix Neighborhood Circulator - DASH | Circulator | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South | |
| MARY | Phoenix Neighborhood Circulator - MARY | Circulator | First Transit-Phoenix | Phoenix West | |
| SMART | Phoenix Neighborhood Circulator - SMART | Circulator | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix North | |
| 68CM | Scottsdale 68th Street/Camelback Trolley | Circulator | RTW Management | Scottsdale | |
| OLDT | Scottsdale Old Town Trolley | Circulator | RTW Management | Scottsdale | |
| MLHD | Scottsdale Miller/Hayden Trolley | Circulator | RTW Management | Scottsdale | |
| MSTG | Scottsdale Mustang Trolley | Circulator | RTW Management | Scottsdale | |
| FLSH | FLASH Forward | Circulator | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| FLSH | FLASH Back | Circulator | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| EART | Tempe - Orbit Earth | Circulator | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| JUPI | Tempe - Orbit Jupiter | Circulator | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| MARS | Tempe - Orbit Mars | Circulator | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| MERC | Tempe - Orbit Mercury | Circulator | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| VENU | Tempe - Orbit Venus | Circulator | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| STRN | Tempe - Orbit Saturn | Circulator | First Transit-RPTA | Tempe | |
| SR-51 | SR-51 Rapid | Rapid | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix North | |
| I-10E | I-10 East Rapid | Rapid | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South | |
| I-10W | I-10 West Rapid | Rapid | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South | |
| I-17 | I-17 Rapid | Rapid | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix North | |
| SME | Central/South Mountain East Rapid | Rapid | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South | |
| SMW | Central/South Mountain West Rapid | Rapid | Transdev-Phoenix | Phoenix South |
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.
Customer service
The Transit Book 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, 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.
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 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 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 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 , 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.
Valley Metro service providers
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. 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. 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.