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Light rail still popular after free-ride period
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Today was expected to be the first "normal" day for light-rail service in the Valley, with the holiday season over and train trips now costing money.
Car and light rail collide in Tempe
But commuters still find themselves among transit tourists, as Metro's trains remain popular. On a sunny afternoon at the Sycamore/Main Street station in Mesa, a couple paused before boarding to have their pictures taken standing in front of the newest-in-the-nation trains.
Still, the sight was a far cry from last week's mayhem, when the station's park-and-ride lot and platform were jammed all day. It appeared less than half of the 802 parking spaces were full, and pedestrian traffic was a fraction of last week.
Ridership numbers may be released as early as Tuesday morning, Metro spokeswoman Hillary Foose said.
To help prospective passengers, Foose added, Metro has placed "ambassadors" at stations during the morning, lunch and evening rushes, and they are available to answer questions and assist people with the machines that sell tickets.
Unfortunately for Mingo Atkinson, no one was around to help him with a bad transit "U-Pass." As an employee of Arizona State University, Atkinson has a pre-paid card to pay for tickets - but on this day the vending machine wouldn't take it.
Atkinson also admitted having difficulty with Valley Metro's bus connections; otherwise, he wouldn't have to drive to the lot.
"I just hope the bus makes better connections to this point in the future," Atkinson said, "But I like (light rail)."
Meanwhile, Metro service suffered a brief delay this afternoon due to the collision of a train and car near ASU. But Foose said no one was injured in the crash on University Drive, west of Rural Road.
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