Wednesday, February 18, 2009

METRO ridership off to a positive start

For January 2009, METRO ridership totals 911,883 boardings, resulting in an average weekday ridership of 30,617, average Saturday ridership of 31,331 and average Sunday and holiday ridership of 23,815.

“We are delighted with the community’s response to the system and their turn out. We hope to see this success continue with more and more people integrating light rail into their transportation plans,” said Councilman Tom Simplot, METRO’s board chairman.

During the extensive planning for METRO, an average weekday ridership of 26,000 daily boardings was projected for its first year of operation. METRO will continue to monitor ridership and report new totals each month. “The METRO team is hard at work to provide a high level of service that keeps customers coming back to light rail,” said METRO CEO Rick Simonetta. “We are extremely pleased with these preliminary numbers and hope to see them continue to exceed our projections over the course of this first year.”

Source: Metro Rail

Friday, February 13, 2009

METRO service extension for NBA All-Star weekend

Free parking at METRO park-and-rides.

METRO will extend its service hours Feb. 13 – 15 to better support patrons of the NBA All-Star 2009. “This is a rare opportunity for the region. METRO will do all it can to encourage the use public transportation to these exciting events,” said METRO CEO Rick Simonetta.

On all three nights – Friday, Feb. 13, Saturday, Feb. 14 and Sunday, Feb. 15 – METRO will offer the last trip east or westbound from downtown Phoenix at 1 a.m.

Service frequency will not change. Patrons can expect 10-minute service on weekdays and 15-minute service on weekends between 6 a.m. – 7 p.m. After 7 p.m., METRO arrives every 20 minutes through the end of service, weeknights or weekends.

As with all special events that occur along the line, METRO promotes the use of existing fare media (a 3-day, 7-day, 31-day pass or Platinum Pass) or purchasing an all-day pass when first boarding. An all-day pass or more eliminates the need to wait in line to buy another single ride pass when leaving the special event.

For more on how to ride METRO, visit the online Ride Guide at
http://www.valleymetro.org/images/uploads/lightrail_publications/METRO-Ride-Guide-web.pdf.

Source: Metro Rail

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

METRO encourages safe behavior with Valentine's Day promotion‏

In an effort keep safety top of mind, METRO will share its love for passengers and safety with the “Stay Safe for Your Sweetheart” Valentine’s Day promotion. On Friday, Feb. 13, morning commuters will receive chocolates and custom Valentines with clever tips for staying safe this holiday and beyond.

From 7 – 9 a.m. on Feb. 13,

METRO staff will be present at the following platforms:

Montebello/19th Avenue

Central Station (Van Buren/Central Avenue and Van Buren/1st Avenue)

University Drive/Rural Road

Sycamore/Main Street

While this event is light-hearted in nature, the safety of motorists, pedestrians and passengers around light rail continues to be the top METRO priority. Please help us share METRO safety tips including obey traffic signals, use the crosswalks, stay off the tracks and look and listen for the train. More information is available online at www.metrolightrail.org/safety.

Source: Metro Rail

Friday, February 6, 2009

METRO service enhancement for NBA All-Star weekend

METRO will extend its service hours Feb. 13 – 15 to better support patrons of the NBA All-Star 2009. “This is a rare opportunity for the region. METRO will do all it can to encourage the use public transportation to these exciting events,” said METRO CEO Rick Simonetta.

On all three nights – Friday, Feb. 13, Saturday, Feb. 14 and Sunday, Feb. 15 – METRO will offer the last trip east or westbound from downtown Phoenix at 1 a.m.

Service frequency will not change. Patrons can expect 10-minute service on weekdays and 15-minute service on weekends between 6 a.m. – 7 p.m. After 7 p.m., METRO arrives every 20 minutes through the end of service, weeknights or weekends.

As with all special events that occur along the line, METRO promotes the use of existing fare media (a 3-day, 7-day, 31-day pass or Platinum Pass) or purchasing an all-day pass when first boarding. An all-day pass or more eliminates the need to wait in line to buy another single ride pass when leaving the special event.

For more on how to ride METRO, visit the online Ride Guide at
http://www.valleymetro.org/images/uploads/lightrail_publications/METRO-Ride-Guide-web.pdf.

Source: Metro Rail