Title
October 2022 Proposed Bus Service Improvements (Ordinance S-49025)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to implement the October 2022 bus service changes. If approved, the service changes will take effect Oct. 24, 2022.
Report
Summary
The Public Transit Department (PTD) is proposing minor adjustments to Route 43 and Route 156:
- Route 43 (43rd Avenue) - extend the route one mile south to Lower Buckeye Road; and
- Route 156 (Chandler Boulevard) - increase frequency within Phoenix's city limits during peak hours to maintain consistency with proposed improvements to the route’s frequency within Chandler.
Current Service
Route 43 (43rd Avenue) - Phoenix operates the 15-mile local route on 43rd Avenue between Union Hills Drive (to the north) and Buckeye Road (to the south). The route has a 30-minute frequency and provides connections with 16 other local transit routes in Phoenix and Glendale, and 1 circulator route in Glendale (GUS2).
Route 156 (Chandler Boulevard) - Valley Metro operates the 21-mile local route on Chandler Boulevard between 48th Street (to the west) and ASU Polytechnic Campus (to the east) in Mesa. The route has a 30-minute frequency and provides connections with 9 other local transit routes in Phoenix, Chandler, Gilbert, and Mesa, and 1 circulator route in Phoenix (ALEX in Ahwatukee).
Proposed Change
Route 43 (43rd Avenue) - In early 2022, PTD collaborated with Community and Economic Development staff regarding requests from businesses along 43rd Avenue to explore options to extend Route 43 farther south to provide transit service for warehouse workers at locations near Lower Buckeye Road. PTD evaluated the request and determined that this service is feasible after reviewing vehicle availability, bus turnaround routing, and roadway conditions (Attachment A).
As a result, PTD is proposing to extend Route 43 one mile south to Lower Buckeye Road. This would not only provide transit service to businesses between Buckeye Road and Lower Buckeye Road, but would also add a transit connection with Route 28 on Lower Buckeye Road.
Route 156 (Chandler Boulevard) - Chandler is proposing to introduce 15-minute frequency during weekday peak hours. To promote regional connectivity and avoid bus trips ending at the city boundary, PTD is proposing to match the 15-minute frequency within city boundaries between 48th Street and the I-10 freeway ramp, a distance of about one-half mile (Attachment A).
Per Federal Transit Administration regulations, Title VI Service Equity Analysis on each proposed service change was conducted to analyze if the proposed changes cause a disparate impact on minority populations or yield a disproportionate burden towards low-income populations (Attachment B). None of the October 2022 proposed service changes meet the definition of a “major service change,” so no further service equity analysis is required, although PTD notes that both proposed changes are service improvements.
PTD is recommending the proposed service changes to better serve the two communities that the routes currently serve.
Financial Impact
The proposed service changes of both routes will increase PTD’s operating expenses by $233,000 annually, of which $224,000 is attributed to Route 43 and $9,000 is attributed to Route 156. With the service change effective Oct. 24, 2022 the current fiscal year cost for these service changes is $158,000. Funding is available in the Public Transit Department's Operating budget in the T2050 fund.
Public Outreach
PTD used the locally-adopted public outreach process to solicit public feedback on proposed service changes. Phoenix and Valley Metro staff conducted in-person and virtual outreach utilizing posters and A-Frame signs placed in key areas along each route to notify the public of the proposed changes and to direct passengers to visit Valley Metro’s website to submit comments through June 3.
The proposed changes were also advertised via social media and interactive webinars, and a public hearing was held on May 18.
Overall, 218 total comments and suggestions were received about Phoenix’s proposed service changes in general, with 84 of those registering an opinion for these particular routes. The following table summarizes the public input by route:
Route 43
- 38 support (90 percent)
- 4 against (10 percent)
Route 156
- 40 support (95 percent)
- 2 against (5 percent)
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
This item was recommended for approval at the Citizen's Transportation Commission meeting on Aug. 25, 2022, by a vote of 10-0.
Location
Council Districts: 6 and 7
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Public Transit Department.