The Valley's light rail caused a lot of controversy when it was voted into effect (by a landslide), while it was being constructed (with a movement to stop the light rail, even while streets were torn up to install it) and now that it's being used and beating expectations (being called a waste of money). Truth be told, it's public transportation and like all forms of transportation it's just another option for getting around. If you want to spend a day around Central Phoenix you can purchase an all-day pass while saving gas. If you want to go to one place in particular and want to get there in a hurry, you may want to use a car. If you want to get to one place in particular and don't want to pay more money for parking and/or anticipate heavy traffic congestion afterward, the light rail is a great option. No, it isn't a subway system, but one opposing argument to the rail is its expense. Given Phoenix' granite and caliche base, plus it's sprawl, a subway would've cost significantly more and would've taken significantly longer to build. Yes, it has limited access. A by-product of this age of instant gratification is impatience, and unfortunately, building the damn thing takes A LOT of time. We won't wake up and have an extensive system, ever. The line is exactly as Valley Metro calls it: a STARTER line. More lines are scheduled to be built and it will take time until other lines feed into it and give more of the Valley light rail access. Every city with rail transportation had to start with one line at one time or another. Most complaints about the system are more or less people complaining just to complain. It's modern, comfortable, doesn't have that "rat in a tunnel" feel subways do, and gives people other options of getting around. read more

Today one of my dreams came true. Being a Phoenix native I eagerly awaited the opening of the Metro for many, many years. It is finally here and I rode it to work today. Halleluiah to reducing my carbon footprint. I took a bus from Central and Dobbins to the Main Station at 1st and Van Buren where I caught the Metro, then I got dropped off on 3rd and Mill and walked to work. Total trip time was 1 hour 10 minutes. Granted it only takes me about half that time to drive, but taking the Metro just makes you feel good. That and you can people watch, read a book whatever. I was really impressed about how clean the Metro was, and it wasn't crowded at all, probably only 60% full. Phoenix is growing up. Hopefull people will use the Metroenough where it can afford to stay open for later hours.. read more

I've ridden the light rail quite a few times. I'm sure if I lived closer to a stop, I'd ride it more. We'll see how efficient it is for commuters when it expands. I'm thrilled Phoenix finally has some sort of mass transit besides the bus. As far as this being THE solution to overcrowded streets and freeways, I think not. However, a city has to start somewhere and I am happy that Phoenix has the light rail finally. It actually somewhat felt like I lived in a real city when I was riding it (as in, a city that's cool and has culture other than white bread activities) but I digress... Unfortunately... It's slow. It stops at lights. And it's not very efficient. To get from the Dobson/Main stop in Mesa to the stop in Phoenix for First Friday's it took over an hour. That wasn't accounting for the delay in the car of over 30 minutes! It would have cost me less and taken less time (even without the delay) to have driven from far east Gilbert, parked near First Friday's, and driven home. Yah, I'm a hater, sorry. It's good if you're one of the lucky ones in one of our sprawling cities that has the great convienince of living within a couple miles of the line, other than that it's not cost or time efficient for the hundreds of thousands of others...rather just a novelty. read more

Awwww, PHX folks, you are so spoiled. Endless outdoor dining options, beautiful landscapes, incredible views AND affordable public transport?!?! So jealous. Whenever I travel outside of Indy, I ask myself "Why do I not live here?" And Phoenix, that is how I feel about you. For $4 you can ride all day unlimited and easily access so much of the town via the Light Rail - even for a tourist, this is a very easy way to navigate the city and see a lot with little time. It runs every 12 minutes throughout the business week and every 20 on the weekend. I have a feeling that although some locals don't LOVE it, there is something to be said for a growing economy in PHX popping up around the rail. So many cool ways to go downtown, eat and drink in the city. It's reasonably safe as I never felt awkward or out of place, though it did get crowded on First Friday. We were still able to squeeze in with the locals! The daytime ride included being joined by local students which were amazingly well behaved, despite the lack of adults around (we don't count ourselves). For a mere $4 ride all day! I love it. I am jealous - that is all. read more

Ever since visiting Chase Field a couple years ago, I had always taken my vehicle to watch the ballgame. Although traffic is not as bad as Los Angeles, I just wanted to relax to and from my games. The Valley Metro Light Rail is the perfect way to get to and from Downtown Phoenix. For just $4, you can get an All Day Pass and travel on the rail. I am not sure if the Day Pass works for the buses as well. Most of the time, I park my vehicle at the Montebello & 19th Station near the Christown Spectrum Mall. There are very few stations with Park & Ride Lots that you can use. The Light Rail Trains (LRT) are very interesting. Although the doors are closed, you just press a button to open the door and walk into a very COOL and well maintained air conditioned train. With a lot of transients, it was very hard to to see any graffiti or any damage inside the train. That shows you that Valley Metro takes care of their trains. There are bicycle racks on the train to provide space on board the trains. However, it can get too packed on very busy days The LRT stops at the important stops such as malls, airport, and more importantly for me, Chase Field for any baseball game. Whether you are watching the Phoenix Suns Game or Arizona Diamondbacks Game, the LRT will get you there faster and cheaper. If you are waiting at LRT Station, there are some parts of the station that there is a button. That button is an AC Cooler. It is very interesting. Just push the button and you can be cool for a few moments. I like how Valley Metro is thinking for their customers and making sure they are cool on hot days. Like my Dodger Games, I try to take the train whether its in Atlanta, Los Angeles, or Phoenix, I've got to experience how other people get to their games. I want to tryout the New York Games and see how people get to their games on packed subway cars to the Mets or Yankees Game. Like our motto in Los Angeles, this should apply to all public transportation system, "Go Metro!" Yelp! The One Stop Place For Your Everyday Research! read more

I was in Phoenix over the weekend and took the Light Rail for the first time to get to/from the Rock n Roll Marathon in Tempe. We parked at the Park and Ride at Price Freeway/Apache Boulevard (approx 700 free parking spaces) and rode into 3rd Street and Mill. Must have been one of the cleanest forms of public transpo I have ever used in a city. I'd highly recommend it. All day fare was $3.50 I believe - can't be that! read more

Rode downtown last Friday night for the First Friday festivities. An older gentleman gave us his all day passes as he was exiting the 19th Ave and Bethany stop. Sweet, we didn't have to pay! I quickly realized though that him and his wife's tickets were reduced fare for seniors. I guess you can get a ticket if you have the wrong type of ticket. Enter Light Rail "Security Officers". That was our cue to get off. We walked one mile, got back on at the next stop, and rode the rest of the way hassle-free. I love the Light Rail! read more

So I was on the first train, at 10 AM on Saturday, Dec. 27th. I have ridden the train every day since, mostly to Tempe and back, but a couple times westbound. I've ridden it to do grocery shopping, go to dinner, go drinking, celebrate my birthday, hell just about everything. My truck has been driven once since the first day of service, and I've ridden my motorcycle maybe 4 times.... its been 9 days folks. This thing changed my daily routine for the better. I understand I could have done the same thing with a bus, but the bus only ran every 30 minutes and took forever and was uncomfortable and was so small if there was a smelly bum you couldn't get away from him. The train has changed it all for me. What's keeping it from 5 stars? The same thing that everyone else is complaining about, the running hours. I'd love to not have to leave the bars at 10:40 to get a ride home. It's also very inefficient running through the city. I can get from the 12th street station to Mill Avenue in 16 minutes which is about 11 miles. In the meantime, it takes about 23 minutes to get to Camelback, which is half the distance. Also, I do feel very insecure at the Eastlake platforms at night time. I wish they could do something to at least give you the illusion that you are safe. read more

Ok, so part of Phoenix has a "train" running through it. Big whoop. 1. The route it runs is actually ok. PASS 2. The hours suck. Can't take the rail to a bar (don't drink & drive!) & be able to take it home. FAIL 3. Why oh why did they not build it elevated?! All the money spent buying land could have been put into an elevated/underground system. FAIL 4. Build a gate/cage with turnstiles! Why would people pay when they can ride for free? If people paid to use the rail it would have been paid off by now & it could have been built better in the first place. FAIL 5. If people had to pay, the city could hire security for each & every train, plus at each stop. As of now it's not that safe to take the rail, especially at night. FAIL Overall impression: The people who planned this are morons. What were they thinking? Oh wait, they weren't. read more

I have been on a lot of light rails before and this one is favorite one. You can go from Phoenix to mesa, in a couple of hours. It is pretty new and the city does a great job at keeping it clean. I like taking the light rail to Tempe; it is just a 45 minute ride from downtown Phoenix. It is nice that they have bike racks, and is accessible for handicap people on the rail. I'm excited that they are going to extended it to north Phoenix and Scottsdale. You can ride 1 time for $2.00 or just do an all-day pass for $4.00. Either way it is a great deal. They even have a monthly pass for $64.00 and you can ride the busses with the monthly pass. While if you are looking for a ride and don't really feel like paying for a taxes. You should take the light rail. read more

We had a great time riding the rail yesterday. We parked at Christown Mall and hopped on to go downtown to eat and then to Tempe. At 9 in the morning going south was fairly empty. We were able to easily get on and off , no long waits, no weirdness. The stops are obvious and I love how they are really close so if you make a mistake you can get off at the next stop no biggie. On the ride home about 1:00 the cars were full , but not packed . You had to find a space to sit but there were spaces. I look forward to using it bring family and friends downtown for events and dinners. read more

I live in the Bay area and use BART pretty regularly, and even use Caltrain occasionally. I'm not sure if it's fair to compare the Light Rail to either of those transit systems since they cover a lot more area, but I think overall it's a pretty good system. I like that it's clean (although it's fairly new, so I don't know how much longer that will last). I like that's it's cheap. I REALLY like the fact that on the weekends (it may even be the case during the week, I didn't notice) that it runs all night. Obviously it doesn't run as often in the wee hours of the morning, but at least there's a train every hour. That's always been a major complaint of mine with BART so I gotta give the Light Rail kudos for that. The one complaint I have (like others have mentioned) is that it's slow. With most public transit systems, one of the benefits is that you can get from point A to point B faster than you would if you were driving. That's not the case with the Light Rail, however. I don't necessarily think it's that big a deal though. I would think in most cases, whether you're using it for work, going out to bars, etc., you would be aware of the schedule and would plan accordingly. I also wish it would reach other areas of the valley (right now it pretty much seems like a connection for Tempe & Phoenix), but it's new and hopefully things will eventually expand. I also think think the whole "honor system" payment thing is kind of weird. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or bad thing. It's just weird. However, at $1.75 ($3.50 round trip) I don't see why you wouldn't just buy a ticket to be safe. That's VERY reasonable for a public transit system like this. I also think it's weird that there's just a flat rate no matter where you go. I know on BART or Caltrain the further you ride, the higher the cost is. Like I said, none of this pricing stuff is necessarily a good or bad thing IMO, it's just different. Overall, I think the Light Rail is a good public transit system, and I'm glad that Phoenix FINALLY has something like this. read more

Perfectly adequate for my needs. Possibly perfect for your needs as well. Two bucks gets one where one needs to go (some people pay nothing; they just hop on [it is considered "fair pay"]). There are a lot of rules, and, there are employees/guards who come by at times to swipe transit passes (making sure everything is on the up-and-up) on this small hand-held devices they carry. At this point, you may want to make this your "stop," if you still can, as I have seen others do, so you do not get issued a costly citation. The Metro is connected to PHX airport via the (free) Sky Train™ (before, one had to ride a shuttle, provided by Metro Light Rail [free]). I ride it every time I am in Phoenix. Wish we had something like this in Vegas but we probably never will. - E read more

Saturday, Dec 27, 2008, FIRST DAY - It's 267 steps from here to the platform. Rode end-to-end-to-end. It's great! And it's gonna be greater as we infill the Valley and as Light Rail is extended the next 20 miles and beyond! Crowded? Of course - it was the first day, and it was free. I rode it again Monday to work. Very convenient, and I didn't have to fight any traffic, and somehow, I didn't burn any gas outta my car. Go figure! Stopped off halfway home for lunch at Alexi's, then back on the train to deliver the leftovers to the Fridge. Nice. read more

For all those griping about the tax subsidies for the light rail, Phoenix needed a light rail system, just like it needed I-10, 202, 51, and 101, and a big airport too; pretty much all paid for with our tax dollars. You paid for those extra lanes of congestion even if you never drive one of those roads. We all did. Are they all perfect and to everyones liking? Of course not. We're either a growing city or a dying one, so keep on expanding the system I say. I've enjoyed riding it when I can i think it's a source of pride for our city. I give it four stars for the cool factor, of finally having a public transportation system that I would actually use. [Train vs. bus] I only hope the system will connect more shopping hubs, schools and the sports arenas in Glendale one day. read more

What can I say, I'm light rail hard. I'm a public transportation junkie. It has kind of replaced the red line if one is on a venture to the depths of the west side. It is much quicker than taking a bus. It goes from Tempe to Downtown Phoenix, which is the ride I'm abusing right now. It runs smooth, and I only saw it be incredibly packed on the first days of it's opening, when everyone had "light rail fever". The fare for it is cheap and the all day works on the buses too. There's really nothing I can say bad about it other than that I want more. More distance, more directions, more light rails. Don't let the petro-chemical anti-environment puppet masters control you and take the light rail. read more

5 stars. Phoenix is becoming more and more like a "real city." First of all, I ride the light rail to and from work 5 days a week. It's on time, air-conditioned and remarkably clean. The Tempe kids are harder on it than the transients who invariably use it to cool off downtown. Parking at the airport is a thing of the past. Dinner downtown or in Tempe? Have as much wine as you want. You've got a sober driver until well after the bars close (on the weekends, at least). If they ever get a line out to Scottsdale, it's over. I'd sell my car. Bottom line: if you can use the light rail, you should. It's convenient, fast and environmentally responsible. Support it now and encourage expansion. read more

I dream of a fabulous public transportation system in Phoenix... but it's still just a dream. Until light rail expands and bus connections are sensible and convenient, light rail usefulness will be limited for those us us in the central metro area beyond walking distance from the rail line. From most of north central phx it's still much quicker to drive most anywhere on the line expect maybe Mesa, but who wants to go to Mesa anyway. What we've got of light rail I love...but we need MORE! The cars are clean, the system is easy to use and fun to ride. It IS still public transportation and about half of the dozen or so times I've ridden I've shared a car with hawkers, crazed meth-heads, people carrying on heated arguments with no one visible...etc. Still, the frequency of being harassed by crazy-persons is less than on the bus. Here's an interesting tidbit ... one of the factors that went into siting the light rail line was areas in need of economic development. Hmmm... does that really make sense? Yes, the Christown area needs a whopping economic shot in the arm, but it seems to me that routes that would serve the greatest number of commuters should be prioritized. read more

I've been waiting for the light rail since it was first brought up back in like '94 or something, and now it's finally here! I really love using the light rail, but I do wish it came out toward my house, I'd be on it all the time! It's still pretty clean, and the other people that ride can sometimes be entertaining. Although, there was an incident when it first opened, and was standing room only, that some chick dropped her 44oz thirstbuster all over the place, including my new boots, seriously lady? omg. I'll give five stars as soon as it's expanded more across the valley. read more

I like the Light Rail. Just wish it went more places. From my house I can walk 10 minutes to the nearest stop, and from there go to Harkins fancy new theater at Christown, do some shopping while I"m there. Or do a day off of Phoenix Art Museum, the Heard Museum, lunch at Fez, down to City Center. Some days it's fun to go down to Mill Ave and wander. Sadly, Snottsdale denied the light rail a home, so I have to drive to work (or take my bike on the rail and then ride my bike for another 20 minutes uphill)....I may as just well bike the whole way. Great value, $5 for a day pass, ride it all you want. Don't understand the crabby attitudes of some of these reviewers. Drive your gas guzzler all you want and stay off the light rail if you hate it so much. read more

Having lived in Tempe and walking distance from two light rail stations, I have ridden the light rail more times than I can count. I've ridden it to work, to the airport and home from Sky Harbor, to and from events at Chase Field and US Airways arena, and to go downtown or Central Phoenix for Friday or Saturday nights out with my husband and/or friends. The trains are always clean and I've never had to wait too long at any of the stations for the next train. The ticket machines are for the most part quick and easy to use; however, I have had a few problems with them not accepting the cash I have tried to put in even though it's not wrinkly or crumpled at all. This caused me to miss a few trains which at the time really ticked me off. I don't mind the honor system that light rail employs, but is it really necessary to check tickets twice within two stops? Also, why check tickets when the trains are filled to the max before and after a baseball game? I know the trains are public, but I actually found being solicited on the train for petition signatures really annoying. As a woman who rode the train alone at night at times, I find light rail to be safe as the stations are well lit and there are never too many people on late at night. For the summer, can I put a request in now for misters?? The speed of light rail doesn't bother me either, as I really enjoyed using the time on the train to read or catch up on emails/ESPN/the news on my Blackberry. Thee ride from Tempe to the airport is about fifteen minutes and from Tempe to downtown (Central and Van Buren station) is about 35 minutes or so. Sure I could have driven in half the time, but the convenience of not having to drive and park at sporting events, work, the airport, etc, well makes up for the time. Additonally with the light rail running until 2 am on weekends, it's nice for when you want to have a few drinks and don't want to risk a DUI. I hope that light rail eventually expands throughout the Valley as I think it's a great addition to the Valley. Plus anything that affords such fantastic people watching (both at the stations and on the train) is A-OK in my book! read more

I've ridden the rail a handful of times now. It's ok, I still wish it was more like BART in the Bay Area. I hate that it runs along the street. I hate that it doesn't go a bunch of places. I've taken it to A's spring training games. About half a mile walk up Priest from the Priest/Washington station. Not a bad walk, slightly uphill. Glad to do it in the spring. Took it to downtown Phoenix. Shame on me, I didn't realize besides baseball and/or basketball, there is nothing to do in downtown Phoenix. I looked really stupid to my friends I took there. Buying a ticket is easy. So is NOT buying a ticket. Have yet to see a worker, besides the operator, on any of my rides. Lots of bums sleeping on the trains though. Trains can be full, but still comfy. The real test will be so see how hot they are during the summer. Avoid parking at the Sycamore/Main station in Mesa if you will be going anywhere after dark. You have to walk a bit from the station. I've taken to going to the Price/101 station even though it's a bit farther. The lot is right there and not hidden far from the tracks. read more

This is one of those reviews where a qualifier is required. It seems like everybody that gives this transit system a good rating is a Phoenix native. That makes this, like so many other things, good for Phoenix. The problem is that it's terrible compared to nearly every other metro system in North America and absolutely abysmal compared to more progressive parts of the world. This is quite possible the slowest train that I have ever ridden in my life. It seems to make stops every two blocks and it take far too long to get anywhere. Factor in the terrible hours of operation and you're going to easily find yourself stranded at one end or the other after a night at the bar. Please work on expanding the routes and hours, speeding up the trains and then maybe you'll be able to increase ridership. I'm a huge fan of mass transit but this train falls far short of expectations. read more

I've ridden the light rail a few times. Here's my opinion. Likes: I'd rather have some one else drive downtown anyway. Fun to meet people Comfortable enough. Saves money in gas/parking Faster to get home on game night than driving. Dislikes: Homeless people riding..no offense Not well policed, I've never seen security on a train, rarely on a track. Not convenient to get on from Mesa-need more lines. Not easy to understand how to pay, etc. If they are losing money, it's their own fault. My two cents. NB read more

I had no idea such a thing even existed in Phoenix until the nice chatty lady on the plane suggested it to me. Thanks, Valley Metro Rail and nice chatty lady, for making my 5 hour layover in Phoenix way more fun than the free wifi at the airport could possibly ever have, and helping me fall just that much more in love with the gorgeous state of Arizona! As I understand it, there isn't exactly a extensive public transportation network in place -- YET -- but this is a great start. It's one simple line that connects downtown Phoenix, the airport, right through downtown Tempe and Mesa. I took it from the airport to Tempe to walk around for the afternoon, grab dinner, window shop, enjoy the sun, generally be outside and happy and looking at cactii and non-flat terrain and SUNSHINE and not being in the airport! I'm such a fangirl! It's clean, quick, well marked and easy to navigate, and if you were starting from scratch on public transportation infrastructure, I don't know if there are many more logical routes to begin with. I can see how it would get a lot of traffic with university students, people working downtown, and my favourite, visitors in town for events at the convention centre downtown. Being able to offer an non-taxi, not rent a car option for visitors is SUCH a plus for the city, and just makes so much sense - I love it! Go Phoenix! read more

Phoenix has needed this for so long. I've lived with the construction and put up with it for so long that it would be silly to not use it. It's great to use to head over to the airport for a lovely evening of Paradise Bakery and people watching. It's great to use for a long night of drinking at FEZ so you only have to stumble to the stop in order to get home safely. It's nice because it can get my little bro out from the East Valley to see me because heaven knows the boy couldn't navigate his way to Downtown Phoenix. It's clean, it's somewhat efficient, and it doesn't take too long. Only on rare occasions does it smell. That's usually only when you get on the same train as all the construction workers who just got off work. I'm glad to have this in Phoenix and I am excited to see the future plans for extending it. Let's see how the summer goes. p.s. I would love it if there were a last call train that started at each end at 2:00AM. read more

I am an Arizona native now living in Dallas, Texas and all I can say is it is about time Phoenix began to compete with other large metropolitan areas that have light rail service. On a recent trip back home for a belated birthday excursion, I had an opportunity to ride the rail downtown to see a comedy show. The train was clean (for public transportation) and graffiti free. I found the honor system of paying for a ticket a little silly since it is my understanding this project was mucho expensive, but hey, I understand you have to find a way to entice those car loving drivers somehow. Unfortunately for us, the first night I rode the rail with a friend, it broke down 2 stops from our destination. After sitting at the station for 10 minutes with no announcement from the driver, we figured out we probably weren't going anywhere anytime soon. When we walked past the conductor's car, he just shrugged his shoulders and mouthed the words "It's broke". Gee, do you think you could have told us that over the intercom without us having to walk up and tap on your window? On the plus side, the majority of people on the train were going to the NRA convention, so walking downtown at night could not have been safer (and made for interesting people watching). Post Script: After the show, we caught the train back and the ride went without a hitch. The light rail gets 3 stars for the quick save in the bottom of the 9th inning. read more

Oh how I enjoy our time together. Although I have not come to trust you when it comes to getting me where I need to be at exactly the right time (i.e. the airport for an early flight) I love you when I really have no place to be and have a few hours to play. Up and down the rail, I study your stops and each time find something new. Hop off and on and walk to explore these neighborhoods I would have never explored before. You help me entertain not only myself but friends and family who are visiting. I look forward to your potential expansion eastward into Scottsdale and westward to the stadiums in Glendale. *sigh* Until then I shall remain enamored with your complex simplicity. read more

SAVES GAS. Because I started commuting to work via Valley Metro Light Rail, I haven't put gas in my car in 8 weeks. SAVES MONEY. Instead, my work subsidizes my 31 Day Local METRO card, so I pay $22.50 each month to ride the clean, efficient, on-time train. Even the $1.25 full fare one-way or $2.50 full fare all-day passes are reasonable, and you can transfer to the bus system on the same are. SAVES TIME. Instead of fighting traffic, I can read a novel or the newspaper or Yelp on my iPhone! SAVES COMMUNITY. When I ride, I try to talk to at least one new person per trip. (If you're that bearded man who ignored me, I forgive you.) People complain of a sprawling, impersonal Phoenix that is allergic to local community. Well, then, I try to make Phoenix as local as possible by taking the train, frequenting local independents, and trying to be a part of the community solution. SAVES BIKES. I mean this quite literally. I ride my bike 1.5 miles to the rail station and when the train comes, I raise my bike up onto the hook (or sometimes just stand with it) in one of the four slots per car, and then I chill. The bike amenities make the Light Rail + Bus system a nearly full-feature mass transit system. THE NEGATIVE. Other yelpers have noted the limited night-time hours of operation (save the occasional extended hours for a Suns game). I agree that the City of Phoenix should step in and use the light rail as an opportunity to extend hours on weekends as an overture to stem the drunk-driving rampant in AZ. Also, and this is very minor, one morning the doors closed before I could enter with my bike. When I pressed the yellow button, nothing happened; when a sympathetic passenger inside the train pushed the inside button, nothing happened. I was on time for the train but the train would let me enter. Thanks, Voters of Arizona, for approving the transportation sales tax necessary to begin, sustain, and complete construction on this pulse-providing, community-building light rail system. read more

I got an insulting e-mail from a user defending the tap-system on prepiad light-rail passes so I feel the need to explain: Take notice that the prepaid cards are PREPAID. That is, they're NOT FREE. I Pay for them in ADVANCE ($200/semester when they are available). -Yet, the system requires a SILLY validation only for prepaid cards; which are already paid for, so they could just as easily be done on the train. There's absolutely no need to give a ticket to someone who has PREPAID their Fare. THE FINE IS COMPLETELY UNJUSTIFIED. Ever stopped at the central stop to see all the HS students tap their cards at once? -It's a seriously deranged "plan"! The tap is superfluous, and any data derived from the tap has proved to be useless in the improvement of light rail over the years. -not withstanding my other complaints about the broken light-rail system in Phoenix. Among other things, the user who insulted me called me "irresponsible". Maybe if light rail was run by responsible people, it wouldn't be dangerous, gross, infrequent, overpriced, frustrating, embarrassing, slow, and ineffective. Perhaps it would help the community by staying open later, so that after shows people can take Light-rail home and cut down on drunk-driving. Perhaps the tap system would be avoided, there might be space for the elderly and disabled at all times; people wouldn't have to take 3 hours out of their day for what would otherwise be a 30 minute commute. There might be light-rail parking at the stations, it might go just a tiny bit further to useful places like metro-center [the major bus hub) and the airport; FROM THE BEGINNING, not as an expensive afterthought that the voters wish they had the chance to deal with when there was a budget to use. The problems with light rail are so numerous to mention it's not appropriate for this forum. ~But it's important that somewhere someone is telling the thousands of people who move to Phoenix in this time of econcomic crisis, that it's not the wonderland you see on TV. Light rail is just a tiny symptom of a broken and corrupt system in this 'sunny place for shady people'. --If you want to know what is great about Phoenix, check out my more frequent 5 star reviews. read more

I take transportation very seriously. I need to get places. I have a lot of important THINGS I need to DO. So when I get sick to my stomach because I have to fight the effluvia of 3 homeless people at the same time I get a little peeved. Do you know what peeved means? It means I'm upset. I'm upset about all of the pee-pee I have to deal with outside of my own bathroom. I hate pee-pee. Its gross. read more

My husband and I rode this on opening day and, although it was extremely crowded, we had a blast! We got on at 38th Street and Washington and got off in the center of downtown where we walked around and had lunch. We hopped on and off at various stops and finally felt like we lived in a real city. I'm a New York City girl after all, so I'm a big fan of public transportation. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the light rail (although I've decided I want to start calling it the Metro), will help to shape the city. Hopefully, this will create more real neighborhoods that will become a destination and maybe now Phoenix will start to built up instead of out. Let's hope so! read more

I love the light rail. How could I not, it stops where I live, and I am DUI insulated. Suns games, d-backs games (if i ever went), ASU games, concerts, Phoenix downtown, and Mill avenue. With the exception of not having a spur to scottsdale, its great! And that is why I didn't give it 5 stars, it needs to go down indian school or scottsdale road or both and tie the three main cities (Phoenix, Tempe, and Scottsdale) together. Cheers, D read more

For the past four months, I've used the light rail to get to the ASU campus and to work. In those past four months, the amount of books I've read has increased exponentially from when I spent the same amount of commuter time driving. Sure - it'd probably save time for me to drive, but then I'd have to pay attention to all of the dangerous Phoenix drivers. Personally, I'll take the lightrail and book. And as others have mentioned, there are plenty of bums and crazies, sure, but that's public transportation. Only once have I felt a bit uncomfortable due to an intoxicated rider. And he was just admiring my tattoos a little too closely. So in all fairness, I was probably asking for it. I understand that some people might have complaints about how much the light rail cost Phoenix (and the state), but as the fifth largest city in the country - isn't it time that we finally got a suitable public transportation system other than buses? We will always have to pay taxes, so why not use those tax dollars for something beneficial to the city? The state certainly doesn't seem to be planning to use those dollars for education and public safety. (Did I just give myself away as a liberal? Oh well.) And for those of you who might complain that the lightrail has made it unsafe for drivers (especially those drivers making left turns), might I mention that if the drivers just obeyed the traffic laws (you mean, red means stop?!) there wouldn't be any issues. I feel much safer taking the lightrail everyday than I did when I drove. The light rail is efficient and clean (really! how many other cities can say that their public transportation is clean?). Let's be happy we have it and hope that they break ground on new lines to Scottsdale, West Phoenix and East Mesa soon. read more

Normally I'd pen a long winded speech about climate change and environmental stewardship, but in this case I'll simply say that Valley Metro Rail is a start, and a long overdue piece to Phoenix Metro area's transportation puzzle. I am frustrated that it's not further expanded, and that it runs along traffic, and stops at the lights, and that the traffic systems don't seem sync'ed with the train schedule. That being said, I work 8 miles from my house, I don't take freeways, and I would never be able to use this mode of transport for my commute. I will primarily use it for attending sporting events or to get downtown without the hassle of parking. Bottom line: I like it, and I'm excited for it to grow. (p.s. I think we missed the opportunity to call this thing PhART - Phoenix Area Rapid Transit, more catchy imho) read more

The lightrail has come a long way. I remember riding it during "free week" and being scared for my life packed all in. And when it used to be open until 10, so there was no way to take it out drinking for an evening! I'm really glad Phoenix is taking strides to improve public transport. This still has a long way to go, but they are on the "right track" word pun! The stops are all decorated differently, offer seating, and have generally seemed pretty safe. You do get all kinds of diversity on here! I'm a fan and can't wait until we have the funding to expand this more throughout the Valley! read more

Here's the thing I loathe about the southwest - you're too spread out. You have no need to build up so you just build out. This means you are constantly in your car. For 20 minutes at a time. This is especially a problem when you're trying to go out for drinks. Enter the light rail. I was in town to visit the s.o. for Valentimes and we used the light rail every day. Rode it from (almost) one end to the other. Used it during All-Star game traffic. Used at as the high schoolers got out of class for the day. Used it on weekend nights and during the day on a Tuesday. Other than getting to the station just as the train we needed was leaving, I had nothing but love and affection for all of my light rail experiences. i want one in my city ASAP. read more

I'm a huge public transportation fan and prefer to take it rather than driving, as long as it's fairly direct. The light rail gets me to places I need to go (Festivals in Tempe, Central Phoenix for dinner and drinks) and with trains coming every 20 minutes or so, you don't have to wait forever. Yes, Phoenix is a huge city and this is a fairly new addition, so it doesn't and will probably never compare to the rail systems in other large, metropolitan areas. For what it is though, it's pretty great, and gets nowhere near the amount of respect that it should. Bike hooks so you don't have to stand and try to move your bike for passer-byes? That's awesome. Buttons on the outside so the doors can remain closed before the train takes off and you don't die of heat in the summer months? That's pretty awesome too. The payment system is a little obnoxious if you have never ridden it before and yes, it could be extended further into Mesa and Northern Phoenix (but that comes with time and more money, people), but once you get it down, you're all good. Now you'll save money by not having to pay a huge fee to park your car and you can spend that extra cash on more beer...then stumble down to the train station where the light rail will bring you home (or close to it). Brilliant! read more

Still a fan. Rode the light rail around today and did some errands. Bought an all day pass for $2.50 and didn't have to worry about traffic, parking, gas, etc. Parked at the Camelback and Central Park and Ride Lot and got my money's worth. Paid my bill at the Southwest Gas office on Central, checked out a few books at the library, rode into Tempe and got dinner, stopped at Mill Avenue and got dessert for later at home, rode all the way to the other end, did some shopping at Christown Spectrum Mall, and then rode back to the Camelback and Central station. And yes, it took me a few hours but I had fun and had a relaxing day instead of the stress inducing drive across the Valley during rush hour that I usually have. Yep....still a fan. (Well....except for that "Exit to LEF" announcement......what can I say? It REALLY bugs me.) read more

Living within walking distance of the VMR has been a great help to getting me around Tempe and Phoenix, and because it connects to the airport, around the world. The VMR is an excellent way for tourists to see the city, allowing them to travel through the two best downtown areas, as well as much of CenPho. The VMR is totally limited as of now, but an expansion into downtown Mesa and a branch into Scottsdale or at least Central East Phoenix will do wonders. The Light Rail's economic impact is yet to be seen. To judge the success of the service on ridership alone is missing the point of progress. There are several groups that opposed the rail, and many of valid points, but now that we have the rail here, shouldn't we just work to make it better? 3 stars because it is a good start and improves the value of the city to visitors and inverstors. Only 3 because of some poor planning (oddly configured change over at the airport, no extension to Mesa's downtown and the fact that it will stop in the middle of its route at midnight). read more