Experimental Orbit bus route in Tempe a big hit

Tempe's newest neighborhood circulator bus line was a hit - in big part because it didn't hit anyone.

A city study shows the free Orbit service's Jupiter line, controversial when it started earlier this year, has become the city's second-most popular route of the five offered.

Click on the map for a larger view of Orbit's routes

Nearly 1,500 people per day ride on Jupiter, which connects downtown Tempe and Arizona State University with the residential areas south of campus.

The only line busier was Mercury, which roughly follows Eighth Street eastward from ASU. That route, with its seven-year head start, had an average daily ridership of nearly 2,300.

And despite controversy over residents' fears of Jupiter buses constantly running along one of Arizona's busiest bike paths, College Avenue, there were no collisions with bicyclists or pedestrians.

With Jupiter apparently proving itself during the six-month trial to residents as convenient and safe, sentiment toward the route has softened. All indicators of public opinion show a strong increase in support, the study said.

City transportation staff and the Transportation Commission are now recommending that the Jupiter line be made permanent.

The study will be presented to the City Council at its June 5 meeting.

When Jupiter made its debut in mid-January, city officials expected the route would be popular. The line passes seven schools and cuts through neighborhoods packed with ASU students and faculty.

As city transportation experts rhetorically asked, why would those people want to pay hundreds of dollars for a parking pass when they can get to campus free?

The city's prediction of high ridership was correct, as Jupiter drew 157,284 passengers from its start through April. During that time, the route removed an estimated 346,654 automobile miles from Tempe streets.

Before Jupiter's debut, homeowners spent months trying to kill the service or shift it off their street out of concerns it could endanger pedestrians or bicyclists.

As it turned out, there were only two crashes. Both were with cars, but they were neither on College nor the fault of the Orbit drivers.

Another fear that didn't materialize was parking problems; the study said the absence of neighborhood complaints and field observations indicate ASU students are not parking on residential streets to catch the Jupiter bus.

The study's other recommendations included:

Consider extending Orbit's operating hours to 1 a.m. to coincide with the schedules of the light-rail and arterial bus systems.

Increase ridership on the Earth route, which travels through the city north of the Salt River, possibly by directly connecting downtown with the Tempe Marketplace shopping center.

Examine providing Orbit service to the Tempe Center for the Arts.