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Goodyear updates council on We Ride microtransit, explores Valley Metro integration
Summary
City staff reviewed transit facilities, funding sources, paratransit requirements and the microtransit program We Ride. Staff said fixed-route services are funded by Proposition 400, microtransit operating costs are borne by the city (pilot capital was FTA-funded), and a Valley Metro integration study is underway.
Steve Sento, Goodyear city engineer, and Christine McMurdie, the city’s transit coordinator, briefed the City Council on Sept. 8, 2025, about the city’s transit facilities, funding and the microtransit pilot known as We Ride.
Sento said the briefing covered fixed-route services, paratransit obligations, ongoing funding sources and the We Ride microtransit pilot. "The guidelines for fixed route bus service will change based on [Proposition 479], but it's too early to tell exactly how that's going to impact Goodyear," Sento said, referring to a regional ballot measure in development to replace Proposition 400.
McMurdie described We Ride as an on-demand microtransit service operating weekdays in a roughly 17-square-mile service area in central Goodyear. The service uses minivans and a larger vehicle for passengers with larger mobility devices, operates roughly 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, and can be booked via a mobile app or by calling the We Ride dispatch center. Fares are $2 for the general public and $1 for seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, students and children 12 and under.
McMurdie said the city obtained Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grants to launch We Ride as a pilot, but FTA funds typically do not cover ongoing operating costs, so the city uses local funds for operations. "The feedback from our ridership speaks volumes about why We Ride works for them," McMurdie said, noting that many trips serve employers, medical centers, grocery stores and schools. Staff identified top trip generators including Amazon and retail locations such as Walmart and Target.
The presentation summarized other transit assets and funding: Goodyear’s Park and Ride, maintained with Arizona lottery funds (annual maintenance roughly $24,000); about $125,000 annual advertising revenue tied to a billboard on federally funded land that must be used for transit purposes; and 25 bus shelters maintained by an advertising vendor that generate about $15,000 annually for the city. Sento and McMurdie reported that fixed-route services (Routes 3, 17 and the express Route 562) are fully funded by Proposition 400; work on Proposition 479 guidance is ongoing.
The council discussed operations and metrics. Councilmember Terry asked for a count of unique riders (how many distinct users, as opposed to total trips); staff said they can report unique-user counts from the app data in follow-up. Councilmembers raised accessibility and scheduling concerns: staff said they have monthly partner-city meetings to review fare-payment and customer-service issues and that the frequency of exact-change fare refusals has decreased since program startup.
Staff said they are working with Avondale and Valley Metro to evaluate whether Valley Metro can absorb or integrate We Ride into a consolidated on-demand service: Valley Metro has funded a consultant to study combining on-demand services and is using the same technology vendor Goodyear uses for We Ride. McMurdie said that study is beginning and that staff expects more information in 2026; integration could offer scale efficiencies but would require assurance of equivalent service quality and cost impacts.
On costs, staff reported the estimated operating cost for We Ride in FY2026 as $1,614,000 and a preliminary FY2027 estimate of $1,644,000. McMurdie said staff are reporting ridership data to FTA and pursuing limited federal operating and capital grant opportunities where appropriate, while noting FTA operating funds are constrained and competitive.
Councilmembers and the vice mayor emphasized accessibility and expansion. The vice mayor urged continued attention to service for seniors and people with disabilities and asked staff to pursue additional federal funding and partnerships. Staff said they are prepared to run pop-up ADA eligibility certification events in the West Valley and continue reporting ridership metrics to support grant requests.
No formal decisions were taken at the work session; staff requested feedback and said they will provide follow-up metrics (unique users, fiscal-year ridership breakdowns) and report back as the Valley Metro integration study progresses.
