Tempe City Council approved a contract for the purchase of four cutaway buses to add to the Neighborhood Flash system at its meeting Thursday.
Council members voted unanimously to take advantage of an existing contract between Phoenix and Arizona Bus Sales for the cutaway buses that seat 16 to 18 passengers. The additional buses are needed to accommodate the recent increase in ridership, said Greg Jordan, city transit administrator.
"We've got buses that are too crowded," Jordan said. The contract would increase the current fleet of buses used for the Neighborhood Flash from nine to 12.
The additional buses would reduce circulation time from 12 or 15 minutes to 10 minutes in the system's "core area," he added. Jordan described the core area as extending from Eighth Street and McClintock Drive to Mill Avenue and Seventh Street.
"Demand has just skyrocketed," Jordan said.
Tempe transportation determined more buses were needed last semester. The transportation division will order the buses today and they should arrive in May, said Jordan.
Sandeep Sudeep, a Ph.D. student in electrical engineering, said he rides the Neighborhood Flash almost daily to campus from McClintock Drive and Eighth Street.
"I think it's good, but it can be better," Sudeep said of the system. He added that the 15-minute cycle is often closer to 20 minutes. "It can be so packed, you have to wait for the next bus.
"If I had one complaint, it would be the infrequency of the buses. I think if they added just a few more buses, it would be much better," he said.
Samantha Morris, a pre-business freshman, said she rides the Neighborhood Flash from The Village on University Drive every Tuesday and Thursday. Morris said the service was pretty good.
Mayor Hugh Hallman also announced the council was still accepting applications for Joint Review Committee positions. Committee members would work with ASU and city officials to help plan the future of both communities.
The council extended the deadline from Feb. 11 to give community members more opportunity to participate in the committee, city officials said.
Reach the reporter at emilia.arnold@asu.edu.
