The Neighborhood Flash is no more, but something else will be circulating in its place.
Later this month, Tempe will launch the new Orbit neighborhood circulator service to replace the Neighborhood Flash, which city officials say was never meant to be around so long.
But Orbit will not replace the Flash Forward or Flash Back at ASU, said Tempe spokeswoman Sue Taaffe.
Beginning Monday, July 23, the city will launch two Orbit routes: the Mercury route will run on the east side of Tempe and the Venus route will run on the west side, covering the areas where the Neighborhood Flash ran, Taaffe said.
But the Orbit system won't stop in the neighborhood around ASU.
A third route, Earth, will open in September and will connect downtown Tempe with the new Tempe Marketplace on Rio Salado Parkway and McClintock Drive, according to city documents.
Another route, Mars, is scheduled to begin running Nov. 26 down Country Club Way, documents state.
The Jupiter route, which will run down College Avenue, is scheduled to begin Jan. 15, the documents state, despite previous concerns from the residents in that area that the buses would create more traffic and inhibit bikers.
"We're already getting ready to do a public meeting in September about possibly adding a sixth route," Taaffe said.
This route, if approved, would run in south Tempe, south of the U.S. 60, she said.
Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman said in a press release that the Orbit expansion would improve the quality of life for Tempe residents.
"Many residents — young, old, disabled or those simply desiring to reduce vehicle emissions — are in need of alternative transportation," he said in the release. "The routes link up to bus and light rail lines as part of a holistic transit system. The Escalante Westside Tempe route has been very successful, and our hope is that the new routes become equally popular with residents."
The name-change with the Flash isn't a new idea to the city of Tempe, Taaffe said.
Tempe officials intended to name the Neighborhood Flash something else when the program began in 2001, she said.
"But at the time, we weren't sure how quickly we'd be expanding," she added. "Now it's later, so we said, 'Let's cut the Flash in half, name it Orbit and add three routes."
They decided to name the new system Orbit, Taaffe said, because that's exactly what it does – it orbits Tempe.
"We wanted something that was unique to Tempe that communicates the service we did," she said. "We wanted something different, like Tempe. It's different and unique."
Reach the reporter at: tara.brite@asu.edu.
