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The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration has awarded the Phoenix Transit Authority a $12.9 million congestion relief grant.
The award will fund Project EASE, also known as Effective Access Solutions to Reduce Congestion in the City.
This project, in partnership with Via Transportation, Inc., will introduce microtransit service, a flexible, on-demand transportation option, and evaluate its effectiveness with the city's commuter bus program. The project also aims to discover new ways to reduce congestion within specific zones.
According to a city release, Project EASE is a three-pronged “congestion mitigation initiative” aimed at giving riders the option of using public transportation, including:
Deploying three strategically located microtransit zones in Phoenix over three years. Enhances existing RAPID commuter bus service that complements the new microtransit zone. Integrate new and existing microtransit services into a regional transportation software application (Valley Metro app) for trip planning, real-time vehicle tracking, and fare payment.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $16.2 million, with Phoenix contributing $3.2 million locally.
The City plans to begin a community engagement and outreach effort in 2025 to gather public feedback and input on service implementation and improvements.
We would like to invite our readers to submit public comments on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
