At the Oct. 2 Prescott Valley study session, Yavapai Plan staff gave an update on the Yaviline transit service, reporting more than 99,000 completed rides since service began and telling the Town Council that demand currently exceeds capacity.

Leslie Contreras, regional development manager for the MPO, said the Prescott Valley zone of Yaviline began service in September 2022 and a second zone in Prescott began in March 2024. “We have delivered 99,000 plus rides since September 2022,” Contreras said, adding that the system has received about 132,000 ride requests, leaving a gap between requests and completed trips.

Contreras said the town originally contracted operations to New Horizons, the operator that managed service and maintained on-time performance above industry standards. She said the contract with New Horizons has ended and the MPO is operating month-to-month while it evaluates new operators. The MPO issued a request for proposals and, as of the RFP deadline, had received five proposals from established transit companies.

Why it matters: Council members and presenters framed Yaviline as a small but growing demand-response transit system that connects riders to jobs, medical appointments and other services; presenters named partnerships with local agencies, veterans’ services and health providers as evidence of community use.

Contreras emphasized partnerships that expand service reach, including a daily service link between housing providers and the VA and pilot Saturday service funded by a farmers-market grant. She said planners hope to connect the two current zones within about a year.

No formal council action was taken; staff asked the council to continue supporting outreach and partnership efforts while the MPO evaluates operating proposals.