32. Bus-ted Bracket
On this episode of Storylines, hosts Juliana and Ricardo sit down with Phoenix Public Transit Director, Jesus Sapien to learn how the city worked to ensure this year’s men’s college basketball finals is a slam dunk for visitors and locals alike. Plus, a bus route bracket buster as we find out which bus route will take it all in our first Great Eight bracket?
Transcript
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of your daily commute?
Juliana:Or how transportation impacts the community you call home?
Brittany:Maybe you want to explore outside your community and don't know where to start.
Juliana:Well, you're in luck because this is where you hop on.
Brittany:I'm Brittany Hoffman.
Juliana:And I'm Juliana Vazquez-Keating,
Brittany:We work in Communications for Valley Metro. And together, we'll discover all the ways that public transit enhances lives across the cities we serve.
Juliana:and we might even make some new friends along the way.
Brittany:Welcome to Storylines.
Juliana:Welcome listeners to another episode of Storylines. I'm here with my cohost, Ricardo Tejada, to talk about a big event happening in our area.
Ricky:That's right, Juliana. All of the Valley has caught a case of March Madness with the Final Four coming into town.
Juliana:Who are you rooting for in the tournament?
Ricky:Well, you know, we all have to go with the Arizona teams, right? We got GCU, we got U of A. I am an underdog story kinda guy, so I'm gonna go with GCU.
Juliana:I'm gonna go with University of Arizona. I'm a Wildcat. I'm hoping they go all the way this year, and I think they can do it. Well, just like last year with the Super Bowl, we're expecting large crowds with several big events happening around the Valley for this year's Final Four. And we got to chat with someone from the city of Phoenix about the best ways for basketball fans to get around town during a very busy weekend.
Jesus:My name is Jesus Sapien. I am the City of Phoenix Public Transit Director.
Ricky:There’s supposed to be thousands of visitors For a pretty big college basketball tournament. So how can people get to and from the Final Four, you know, Phoenix, Glendale, without having to worry about traffic and or parking?
Jesus:So, we've been working for several months and jointly with Valley Metro and several other city departments to kind of lay out the plan. That's very similar to what we've done in the past for other large events like this. So, what we do is that we do some projections in terms of what the crowds are going to be like at different sites, and we try to anticipate what kind of service can we put out to make sure everyone needs to get to where need to go. So on the bus side, we are increasing service, not only the hours of operation, but also the frequency between which people can get from Phoenix. Not only the downtown area, but several Park and Rides along the light rail alignment all the way out to the stadium area. And one of the things that we're doing is that we're going to have an end point at the Glendale Park and Ride, which is a little west of the stadium, and that's at 99th Avenue in Glendale. So, basically, what we're doing is that we're going to connect light rail and bus primarily at 19th Avenue in Glendale and then we're going to have bus service that goes along the existing route 70, which by the way is one of the longest routes in the region. In fact, it may be the longest on the west end. It starts at Luke Air Force Base on the east end. It goes down to 24th Street and Baseline. So we're going to add hours of service. We're going to add frequency on that route on the Saturday and the Monday that there are games out at the stadium. And then of course for light rail, where a lot of the events are going to happen in downtown Phoenix, we're going to add capacity. We're going to add frequency hours of service. And on top of that, we're going to have buses stationed throughout and near the downtown area so that if light rail reaches capacity, we can move people from point A to point B on buses as well.
Juliana:That's great. So people can get from downtown. They can take light rail the way to the Metro Parkway station, hop on a bus and get to Glendale?
Jesus:Well, actually, what they're going to want to do is they're going to want to connect at 19th and Glendale. And that's where Route 70 exists today. So that's a Glendale/24th Street, route, on the bus side of things that we have today. So it travels in an east west fashion, and it connects with light rail at 19th and Glendale. So, folks can take light rail in either direction, depending on where you're coming from, so you can take it from Metro Center to 19th and Glendale and then hop on a bus westbound. Or if you're coming from downtown or the East Valley, same thing. You get off at 19th Avenue and Glendale and then head west. And we're going to increase the frequency before the games start. And then we're going to add hours of operation and frequency after the games in an eastbound direction.
Juliana:So we'll not only have extra trains out there, we're going to have those buses just in case, so we're planning ahead and, we're prepared.
Jesus:Exactly. One of the things that we found is that people want options, right? Depending on who they're traveling with, where they might want to stop along the way, what hours are going to head out there and back, and we did the 2017 Final Four, and we heard some feedback from folks that they wanted more options and more frequency and more hours of service. And we heard that during Super Bowl as well, last year, and then we also experienced that a little bit in the downtown area, with the World Series that the Diamondbacks played in. So basically what we're doing is that we're augmenting existing routes, bus and rail, and making those connections where people need to go.
Juliana:So you touched on this a little bit. So we've hosted several big sporting events in the past couple of years, really. What other lessons have you learned from these events, and how is the Phoenix public transit team bringing it to the Final Four?
Jesus:So I'm really proud of my team and the stuff we do jointly with Valley Metro because basically we all get in a room and we think about, what have we done in the past that's worked? What do we hear back from customers either during or after these types of events? And then we kind of make note of that. We literally go line by line into our operations plan. And our team has a transit working group that's been meeting several times. And they talk about what worked and what do we hear back. And then so basically what we do is that we build upon those lessons learned. And we augment where we can. Things like hours of service, frequency, but even little things like increasing trash pickup and cleanings at bus stops, you know, in the downtown area. We work very closely with our law enforcement partners. City of Phoenix has a transit unit that's a contingent of the police department, and they basically are the eyes and ears of everything on the transit side of things so that the regular precinct assignments can tend to what they need to attend to. But then our transit unit pays especially close attention to everything happening in the downtown area on the bus and rail side of things. And we're always talking. We text we call. We have police department staff and our operation control center where we can see all the buses. So it's really a lot of preparation in advance. And, some of it is also asks from people like the host committee, you know, things that they've seen in other cities that they think works and helps not only get people to the events, but also get some circulating around where the events are happening.
Ricky:And with all these lessons learned, we always have challenges, right? So what are some of the challenges of providing a comprehensive bus service to a big event at State Farm Stadium?
Jesus:I would say the biggest thing is, you know, buses get stuck in traffic just like our cars. One of the things that we heard in the past years is people took the bus service out there and with huge amounts of people leaving the stadium and the stadium area, because Glendale has done a really good job of laying out everything around the Westgate area the stadium area all the new restaurants and shops that are open. So when you have a large amount of people coming back at the same time, you know, our buses are on the street just like a regular car. So we've heard a little bit of that feedback. So we've increased the frequency of service for that reason. One thing that we also did last time around was we partnered with Glendale Police Department to let those buses through a particular lane of traffic ahead of everyone else. So, a little bit of a cheat, a little bit of a hack, you know? But it works because one bus can move, 50, 75 people at once. So that's what we're aiming for this time. And we have done some dry runs. We did some exercises at the convention center a couple of weeks ago. And we're talking to our regional partners, not only within Phoenix, like the police department, the fire department, but also regional agencies, national agencies, we worked with TSA and Glendale PD and se all basically talk to each other and see what works best at that time.
Juliana:And I feel like the City of Phoenix and the Valley in general has had so much practice with big events. So, mean, I'm guessing that we're learning lessons and we're just getting better.
Jesus:Yeah, I would agree with that. You know, everything from pedestrian fencing in the downtown area, to having people stationed at the light rail platforms, having buses staged in several key areas of downtown so that we can get those people out of there if light rail reaches capacity, but then also things like working with other city of Phoenix departments to see what they're doing, that we can take advantage of, our partners in the street transportation department that are heading up all of the street restrictions or closures. They ask us what might work for us, what might constrict us. But more than anything, they inform us of what's going to be restricted or closed in advance and we just come up with a detour to avoid that area. Our planning and development department that's working with, downtown businesses together with economic development department, you know, they talk about where they're going to have big events, private parties, street restrictions, special permits for eating and drinking areas that might, bleed over into a travel lane, things like that. And then we're also working with our street department that oversees the scooters and bikes that are being rented. So, that's why we do dry runs and that's why we do industry specific working groups so we can see from a transportation perspective, what are we doing, what's worked in the past and what might we augment our plans with this time around.
Juliana:It truly is a team effort between all cities, all departments, pretty much everybody.
Jesus:Agreed. Yes. Yes. We meet a lot. I will tell you that.
Juliana:So what advice would you give someone coming from out of town to Phoenix for the Final Four?
Jesus:So, what I would tell folks is, of course, like any good transit rider plan ahead, plan ahead, plan ahead. There will be delays on the freeways and on arterial streets. So plan ahead. Get to where you need to get to early, whether it be a bus stop, a light rail platform, or an event. And then be patient, because on the way out, just like any other large event, you have a lot of people trying to get out, and you're naturally going to have a bottleneck. Luckily over the past couple years, people have been in good moods. When they're leaving a major event where they had a good time. So we haven't had any major incidents, but we ask people to plan ahead and be patient. Have your fare ready.
Ricky:It sounds like we have the right people working on this with all the planning and preparation that goes into a really big event. I think it's great to hear all the hard work and effort that everyone is putting in to making sure that this event goes great. Is there anything else that you'd like to add, Jesus?
Jesus:Yeah, I would like to say that I'm proud of our region because even though transit service is a little bit of a, you know, puzzle piece meets a puzzle piece meets a puzzle piece. In other words, every city's funding it and planning it slightly differently. We do all come together and put forth a regional system that works for the riders. In fact, I just looked at ridership on the bus side of things for last month and bus ridership is like a 27 percent increase over last year. So, we're definitely serving people where they need and when they need. So I'm proud of what our region has been able to do as Juliana said, to come together and plan and carry it out regardless of jurisdictional boundaries or, you know, whatever it might be. My staff and I, over the past several big events, have worked in the Emergency Operations Center, which is every law enforcement, safety, and planning and transportation agency you can think of in the state. And it's just like you see on TV. It's a huge room with a lot of people in uniform and huge television screens in front watching. Every corner, every event, and everyone's getting along and responding and taking care of things, you know, and it's really good to see that when you have events like the Super Bowl, like the Final Four, like a World Series, we don't get that opportunity, , very often, but as Juliana said, in recent years, we've had a lot, and I think it's because organizations like the NFL and the NCAA know that we've carried them out successfully, and have done a good job in terms of planning and executing. And that takes a lot of communication and planning and, we all get along in the sandbox. It's really, really nice.
Ricky:It was great to have Jesus on and learn about all the work that goes into preparing for a big event like this.
Juliana:Even more exciting, fans will be able to score free rides on Valley Metro for all their Final Four transit trips.
Ricky:We're partnering with the City of Phoenix to offer sponsored rides all Final Four weekend long. Even better, one transit pass is good for up to four people.
Juliana:Head to valleymetro.org/basketball to download your pass today.
Ricky:Now we thought we'd have our own fun with our own bracket and we're calling it the Great Eight.
Juliana:Joining us today to debate the best bus route is our own producer, Alex Tsotsos. Welcome, Alex.
Alex:Hey, Juliana, I have not been on the podcast since Storylines 22. So, I'm very excited to be back.
Juliana:Always happy to have you, especially for this very special episode.
Alex:So we have our Great Eight tournament and we've got eight bus routes that we have chosen as contenders for this tournament. Now, these entries were chosen by the podcast team. They are very unscientific. It's just like any other tournament, you see the tournament and you're like, okay, that team doesn't belong in there. Like any team from Tucson doesn't deserve to be in the March Madness, but,
Juliana:That is so rude, Alex. So rude to tell a wildcat.
Alex:But we all live with it, right? So here are our teams in the first bracket. We have Route 50, Camelback Road versus Route 0, Central Avenue. In bracket two, we've got Route 1, Washington Street versus Route 70, 24th Street slash Glendale Avenue. In our third bracket, we have Route 30, University Drive versus Route 56, Priest Drive. And in our last bracket of the Great Eight, we've got Route 72, Scottsdale Road and Rural Road versus Route 41, Indian School Road. Are we ready kids?
Juliana:We're ready.
Alex:All right. So the way it's going to work is that I'm going to describe the route. We're going to talk about it. We're going to determine the winner of the matchup. The first matchup is Camelback Road, number 50 versus Route 0 Central. Route 50, 17 vehicles in peak usage go on this route. It runs 24.8 miles. It has 186 stops and it connects Scottsdale Community College, Grand Canyon University, the Biltmore area, and it goes all the way to Dust Devil Park in the West. So that's Route 50. Route 0, only 8. 3 miles, 4 vehicles peak, so it's 4 versus 17. 74 stops, goes from Sunny Slope Transportation Center all the way to downtown ASU. And the connections, there's a lot of stuff on Route Zero. There's Downtown Phoenix, Civic Space Park, Valley Metro Headquarters, hello, Burton Bar Library, Phoenix Art Museum, Japanese Friendship Garden, and Hance Park. So, what are your feelings?
Juliana:I don't know. I mean, they're both great routes. I love that Route 50 travels to so many places. You can get to Glendale's Camelback Ranch. Like, Camelback is one of the busiest roads in the Valley, so there's so many stops along the way. Route 0 is also important because downtown Phoenix is such a hub for, you know, restaurants, workplaces, and everything. But if I had to vote, I would vote Route 50 just because it has so many stops and goes to so many places. What about you, Ricardo?
Ricky:Yeah, I think, Route 50 is going to be my vote. It passes by the future winners of the NCAA Tournament, GCU by the way.
Juliana: Ricky:Route 50 does not make it all the way to Tucson. Sorry. But, my vote is going to be for Route 50.
Alex:My vote is also for Route 50. I think that, yes, Route Zero, covers a lot of amazing things, but it is very short. And there's also a light rail that basically goes right through the whole thing. So, if you could take a light rail, so Route 50 wins round one, next round Route 1, Washington Street, only two vehicles go on Route One.
Juliana:Two?
Ricky:No Way
Alex:I, I swear. Okay. I, I should mention, I should give a shout out to Aaron Xavier, for giving me the statistics for this episode. So only two vehicles, goes 7. 2 miles, 59 stops. It goes from Van Buren and Central to Priest Drive and Washington. Now, short, not a lot of buses, but where does it go? The airport, Sky Harbor Airport, downtown Phoenix. And most importantly, Phoenix Rising Stadium. I should mention that I'm wearing a Phoenix Rising Championship t shirt right now. So, that's route number 1. First is route 70, 24th Street and Glendale Avenue. There are 17 vehicles on this route. 18. 2 miles, 146 stops. And this is a monster route. Goes all the way from 24th Street and Baseline Park and Ride to Luke Air Force Base. It goes north for several miles, then runs west. And that's far west, at least in my bubble. So the connections Biltmore area, Luke Air Force Base, State Farm stadium, and Westgate Entertainment District, along with may I say a very popular basketball tournament, Phoenix Mountain Preserve, downtown Glendale. And as I mentioned, the light rail, so 24th versus. Route number 1 going by Phoenix Rising Stadium and incidentally the airport.
Juliana:I mean, I see the importance in Route 1. Great for out of towners, if they need to get, you know, from Sky Harbor to Downtown Phoenix. But you can also take the light rail. So, if you need to get somewhere in Downtown, Take the light rail as well. So I would vote for route 70 just because it's one of the longest routes. It runs a long ways and it's going to be very important once the Final Four heads to town to get people to and from State Farm Stadium.
Ricky:Yeah I think route 70 is going to be a crucial piece in making sure that our transit goals are actually met, bringing people to and from the State Farm stadium is going to be our biggest challenge. And we know that route 70 with its 17 buses, and we heard that they are going to be adding more buses to the route are going to play a crucial part in making sure that we service all of the Valley Metro riders properly.
Alex:Yeah, I should mention, yeah, 17 in peak normal hours, but of course, special events, we're going to be putting more buses on that route. Okay, so Route 70 wins. The next quarter final matchup is Route 30, University Drive. Eight vehicles. 24. 8 miles. With a hundred and ninety-six stops. From University Drive and Power Road to 24th Street and Baseline Park and Ride, goes far to the east. Connections, ASU, South Mountain Community College, University of Phoenix. So, ASU, South Mountain Community College, and University of Phoenix, three educational institutions on this route. Versus Route 56, Priest Drive, six vehicles, 12.2 miles, 84 stops, goes to the zoo, the botanical gardens and somebody in the preparation of making this spreadsheet wanted to say that it also connects to Ikea.
Juliana:Hey, that's important.
Alex:Was that you, Juliana?
Juliana:No, that was Peter.
Alex:So Peter, our lead producer, our executive producer, big fan of Ikea. So Route 56 versus Route 3.
Juliana:I don't know. I 56 gets you to some pretty fun places. Like you said, the Phoenix Zoo, Desert Botanical Gardens, ASU Art Museum, et cetera, and Ikea, if you have fun at Ikea. But I think the University Drive route, it helps get people to education. Serving ASU, South Mountain College, University of Phoenix. So I think that's just a really critical route for students. So that would be my vote. Route 30.
Ricky:You know, I've ridden the 56 personally. It's a route that I hold near and dear. Lived in that area for a long time. never used it to go to Ikea, but I have used it to go up to Washington street to be able to transfer to the light rail. But Route 30, wow, has eight buses and services 24 miles and over 180 stops. I think that sounds like a, like a very big workhorse in our transit system. So Route 30 is definitely going to be my pick.
Alex:Maybe true with any tournament, you know, there's the first round knockouts that is just like, ah, there's no way that this one can compete against that. So that takes care of Route 56 last quarterfinal matchup. First one. It's my home route. Route 72, Scottsdale Road and Rural Road, stretching from Chandler Fashion Center all the way to Thompson Peak Parkway. 12 vehicles, 28.2 miles, 220 stops. Serves Old Town, Downtown Tempe, ASU, Chandler. It is a tour de force of the Eastern Phoenix Metroplex versus Route 41 Indian School Road, 19 vehicles, 22.7 miles, 168 stops Indian School and Granite Reef on the east side all the way to Indian School and 107th Avenue well past the west side of the 101. It goes to Indian School Park, Arizona Falls, and this is also goes to Old Town Scottsdale. So, how do you feel about this matchup?
Juliana:That's a tough one. Route 72 kinda goes more in my neck of the woods. I live in the East Valley. Love that it goes from Chandler to Tempe to Scottsdale. But, I don't know, Route 41 is a little bit longer, serves more people, and it actually goes through a We Ride Zone in Litchfield Park. So, providing those additional connections to where there is no local bus service. So, I think my vote's Route 41.
Ricky:I'm going to go with route 41 also. I know that 72 is near and dear to Alex and, you know, maybe I should have voted 72 to have Alex have the, tie breaker there, but 41 it just connects so many cities. And I, think that that's what this is all about. It's works very well with our motto of connecting community and enhancing lives.
Alex:Great. Alright so now we’re into our semifinal matchups. It's Route 50, Camelback Road versus 24th Street and Glendale, Route 70. This is Scottsdale Community College, Grand Canyon University, the Biltmore area versus also the Biltmore area, Luke Air Force Base, State Farm Stadium, Phoenix Mountain Preserve, downtown Glendale.
Juliana:Hmm that’s a tough one because they're both really great routes, but I think route 70 just because it's one of our longest routes, serves the most people.
Ricky:I think I'm going to go with Route 70 because it's just going to be bringing me to and from where GCU is going to win it all, while it's also passing me by there too. So, I'll take Route 70.
Alex:Okay, so that means it's going to be Route 70 versus the winner of this matchup, Route 30, University Drive, with its connections to educational institutions, versus Route 41, Indian School Road, east to west powerhouse, going from like Old Town Scottsdale all the way to like Indian School and 107th, Steele Indian School Park Arizona Falls Old Town Scottsdale.
Juliana:Another tough one because they're both so important. 30 gets you to education. 41 has a great east to west transportation, but I think I'll go with route 41.
Ricky:41's my take on, here too. I know the listeners can't see this, but 41 is actually the second seed on this bracket. And it's making it to the finals. So, I'm going with Route 41.
Alex:Fantastic okay so here we are folks this is the finals this is where it all comes down to we've got route 70, 24th Street/Glendale Avenue versus Route 41, Indian School Road, really interesting. One goes north, south, and then east, west. The other one is primarily east, west.
Juliana:Hmm, what a tough matchup. But let's, I don't know, this is such a tough one for me.
Alex:So the Indian School Road has a slight lead in the number of vehicles with two more vehicles. Also, Route 41 has a slight lead in the number of miles, with 22.7. And with all that extra mileage, it has an additional 22 stops.
Juliana:That's tough. But I think just having that additional connectivity to the West Valley like Lichfield Park is so important because they don't have local bus service. So I think my pick is Route 41.
Ricky:Wow. Route 41. The second seed. Okay, so, you know what? I really think Route 70 is a great route. You know, Luke Air Force Base, all the way, southeast. To 24th street and Baseline. I think route 70 is just going to be my pick. Get off at 19th and Glendale. If you're taking the light rail, hop on route 70 West, it'll leave you right in front of State Farm stadium. Be happy going to the semifinals and the finals for the Final Four.
Alex:It comes down to me. Route 41 versus Route 70. It is the first decision that I've had to make, and boy, could it be even more important than this? Determining the top bus route for Valley Metro in this tournament. I've looked at all the stats, I've looked at all the destinations, and I have to say, I'm going to give it to Route 70, 24th Street and Glendale.
Ricky:Let's Go!
Alex:Luke Air Force Base, State Farm Stadium, Westgate. Let's go. Okay. So that is our first, who knows, maybe final. I don't know. That is our first bus bracket. had a great time, being with you on this segment and we'll see you on the flip side.
Juliana:Thanks for joining us.
Alex:My pleasure.
Ricky:Thanks again, Alex, for joining us for this discussion.
Juliana:And while Route 70 took the top spot. We love all our bus routes here at Valley Metro. Have a route or topic you want featured on the podcast. Email us at podcast@valleymetro.org.
Ricky:And don't forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss out on an episode.
Juliana:For Valley Metro. I'm Juliana.
Ricky:I'm Ricky.
Juliana:Thanks for riding with us.
Ricky:We'll meet you at the next stop.
Juliana:Storylines is produced by Alex Tsotsos and Dane Ryals. Peter Corkery is the executive producer. I'm Juliana Vazquez-Keating. Thanks for listening.
