COMMUNITY
PUBLIC TRANSIT USE IN MARICOPA
HOW OFTEN DO YOU RIDE MET?
ALEXANDER PLATES, 63 SENITA
WHO’S PAYING FOR ALL THIS?
Annual MET ridership, representing all trips taken, hovers around 12,000. City spokesperson Monica Williams said July marked one of the highest ridership months Maricopa has ever recorded for its Dial-a-Ride service. She credited record staffing. “It was the only month we had three drivers for the micro-transit,” she said, adding: “The city currently has an opening for an additional position, and we are confident we will see the numbers trend up once the position is filled.” Overall ridership has been on a steady climb. While growth in recent years was gradual, MET recorded a 20% surge in total ridership during the first quarter of the current fiscal year compared with the same period last year.
Despite being in service for more than 15 years, it seems most Maricopans haven’t used or heard of public transportation in the city. In an August InMaricopa poll of 265 readers, roughly one-third claimed they had never heard of MET, while more than half said they knew about it but had never ridden. Meanwhile, 1 in 20 said they used the service daily or weekly.
Some of you number crunchers are probably wondering exactly how taxpayers are subsidizing the lifestyle of bus riders. Until recently, Maricopa’s buses were funded through the Section 5311 grant program from the Arizona Department of Transportation, which provides funding for cities and towns with fewer than 50,000 residents. “Given our growth, we are now eligible for receipt of funds under a 5307 program through the federal government,” said Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer Matt Kozlowski. That Federal Transit Administration program makes resources available to urbanized areas for transit expenses such as bus purchases, constructing pullouts, system operations, vehicle and facility maintenance, and staffing. This fiscal year, the program is covering MET’s entire $383,744 budget.
How long have you been riding MET?
Five or six months, since I totaled my family’s car. I have chronic obstructive lung disease, chronic bronchitis and breathing problems, so 30% of my lungs are gone and I can’t walk far anymore. If I walk more than 10 or 15 minutes out in this heat, I’ll pass out and end up in the emergency room. How important is MET for you? It’s a lifeline. I don’t have any other way of getting around and a Lyft is expensive. During the week, I might be able to find one for $8 one way, but I can’t always afford that. The MET staff are wonderful people. They’ve become like family.
I’ve taken MET before but wouldn’t consider myself a rider.
I take MET as needed, like for appointments.
It’s part of my daily or weekly routine.
MET DIAL-A-RIDE
Total 3,993 *
I know about MET but never used it.
*
*
Total 12,500
Total 12,600
Total 14,907
I’ve never heard of MET.
What would you change about the service? I’d like to see more bus stops and maybe service to Chandler or beyond.
FY 2023
FY 2024
FY 2025
FY 2026
Source: City of Maricopa
*Through one quarter
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InMaricopa.com | November 2025
November 2025 | InMaricopa.com
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