MaricopaXpress rider laments loss of bus

What a sense of community we have lost, a community within a community. The Maricopa Xpress is coming to a very sad end. (click here for news story)

Not only did this service get us to work each day, a family was created of those of us who rode daily over several years. A family I feel privileged to be part of and have come to care about greatly. During the past three years I’ve ridden the bus we have celebrated weddings, birthdays and the births of grandchildren. We wept openly for the death of a son, applauded tests passed and master’s degrees achieved, cared about those of us who’ve had accidents and watched out for one another making sure no one missed the bus.  We’ve shared books, stories, pictures and gladly welcomed new riders.

The city of Maricopa is losing in so many ways with this service stopping. Those who rented here and worked in Phoenix or Tempe have left Maricopa as their transportation was taken away. Some have purchased homes elsewhere and their monies will be spent in those communities, not ours. People who have asked me how I like living here and using the bus will think twice about moving here since the transportation is stopping. That’s residents, potential residents and renters, all who contributed to our economy, or would have, gone.

This service seemed to be a well-kept secret as almost everyone who finally discovered it, had never heard about it before. Some didn’t know about it until the Park and Ride was built. There were to be flyers in each of the model home offices to show potential residents that this service was an option to get to work if they bought out here. I checked three of those offices and no one had ever heard of the fliers. There were to be signs on the grocery store carts. I never saw any.  We were told by the city council to build our ridership and then they changed the routes and times which became very inconvenient for many riders and they stopped riding.

The bus numbers started growing but it was slow. This service would need time to grow and build up a large ridership. More and more people were so excited to see this service since the cost of gas is continuing to rise. Some took job offers in Phoenix and Tempe knowing they could get to work on the bus. Now, State Road 347 will have many more cars on it each day. Our air pollution will increase.