There’s a general sentiment that public transit has low ridership for a high cost, a perspective further affirmed by one elected’s experience this week.
Fountain Hills Councilman Allen Skillicorn offered a show-and-tell of his experience riding the Valley Metro Express bus to work. The councilman observed that he was the only rider from Fountain Hills to Mesa and remarked that, coupled with the ticket cost, the busing was a large drain on taxpayer funding.
“Trying the Valley Metro Express bus to work today. I’m the only rider Fountain Hills to Mesa,” posted Skillicorn on X. “I don’t think my $3.25 covers the cost. Taxpayers are stuck with the bill no matter how few riders use it.”
Trying the Valley Metro Express bus to work today. I’m the only rider Fountain Hills to Mesa. I don’t think my $3.25 covers the cost. Taxpayers are stuck with the bill no matter how few riders use it. pic.twitter.com/XGUG5caIhO
— Allen Skillicorn ™ 🌵 🇺🇸 (@allenskillicorn) May 13, 2024
$3.25 is the high end of the cost for the route Skillicorn took, the Fountain Hills-Mesa Connector: Valley Metro doesn’t charge riders who board the Express 515 Connector at the Fountain Hills Library or the Gilbert & McDowell Park-and-Ride. Riders pay when boarding the 535 Northeast Mesa Express or Route 136 – Gilbert Road bus.
Skillicorn also disclosed that the ride took more than double the amount of time it would’ve taken by car, and that the bus ride didn’t take him exactly where he needed to go anyways: the councilman had to use a scooter for the remainder of the journey.
For this fiscal year, Valley Metro’s total operating and capital budget sits at over $475 million, a $22.6 million increase from the 2023 fiscal year budget. The sources of funds were disproportionately on those responsible for operations versus those responsible for capital expenditures.
Operating sources of funds (public transportation funds, member city contributions, VMR Pass-Through funding) went up 17 percent, or $41.4 million, from the 2023 fiscal year to over $283 million. By comparison, capital sources of funds (programmed public transportation funds, federal funding, total VMR Capital public transportation funds) went down nine percent, or nearly $19 million from the 2023 fiscal year total of $192 million.
Over half of the increase to the operating uses of funds (nearly $23 million) arose from negotiated increases in service contracts for labor, start up, and fuel costs. The second-largest cause for the marked increase came from increased provider costs: start-up costs, inflation, and ADA service provided by the city of Phoenix.
Valley Metro had low estimates for returns on fare. The transit authority estimated that fare revenues would increase by just over $1 million in this fiscal year from the last.
Ridership increased slightly from 31.8 million in 2022 to 34.8 million in 2023, part of a steady rise that began in 2021 following a steady decline from 2019 to 2020 and sharp decline between 2020 to 2021 due to the pandemic. Ridership rose to slightly more than half the total from 2019.
The decrease in ridership may have to do with the crime rates. Valley Metro CEO Jessica Mefford-Miller reported 81 assaults on passengers over the course of six months last year during an October meeting with Phoenix City Council.