Goodyear reviews We Ride microtransit as Proposition 400 phases out; city to seek funding options

Steve Sento, Goodyear’s city engineer, and Christine McMurdie, the city’s transit coordinator, briefed the Goodyear City Council on Sept. 8, 2025, on the city’s public transit services, funding and the We Ride microtransit pilot, and said staff will explore options to sustain and possibly expand the service as regional funding changes.

Sento opened with an overview of the city’s transit assets and funding. He and McMurdie said fixed‑route bus service in Goodyear (Routes 3, 17 and express Route 562) is fully funded by Proposition 400, the half‑cent regional transportation tax that ends this year and will be replaced by Proposition 479; they added that the policies for Proposition 479 are still under development. “We believe the guidelines for fixed route bus service will change based on this, but it's too early to tell exactly how that's going to impact Goodyear,” Sento said.

McMurdie described We Ride, the city’s on‑demand microtransit pilot that serves a roughly 17‑square‑mile zone in central Goodyear. The service uses minivans and one larger vehicle for mobility devices, operates weekdays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and requires an account to book trips via mobile app or by phone; trips may be booked up to six days in advance. The general fare is $2; eligible riders (seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, students and children 12 and under) pay $1.

McMurdie said microtransit does not fall under Proposition 400, so its operating costs are paid by the city. She provided the FY26 and FY27 operating estimates discussed at the meeting: $1,614,000 for FY2026 and $1,644,000 for FY2027. Staff obtained one‑time Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grant money to launch the pilot but FTA does not fund ongoing operating costs. McMurdie said staff are reporting ridership data to the FTA to seek targeted grants for seniors and disabled riders and that those federal pots are small and competitive; she gave an example where the city requested $131,000 and received $13,000.

McMurdie outlined other funding and revenue details: park‑and‑ride ongoing maintenance is paid from Arizona Lottery funds at about $24,000 per year; the city also receives roughly $15,000 annually from bus‑shelter advertising and about $125,000 per year from a digital billboard whose revenues must be used for transit because the billboard sits on land purchased with FTA funds.

On operations and performance, McMurdie said We Ride has achieved steady contractor performance, with on‑time pickups, a mix of regular and new passengers, and many shared rides. She said the 17‑square‑mile zone contains enough population density and trip generators—schools, employers (including Amazon, Chewy, FedEx and others), grocery and retail—to support the service. Sento and McMurdie said Avondale and Valley Metro are studying whether Valley Metro can integrate similar microtransit operations regionally; McMurdie said Valley Metro recently selected the same microtransit technology vendor Goodyear uses, and staff are optimistic that scale could reduce costs if the integration maintains service quality.

Council members asked for additional metrics and operational details. Councilmember Terry asked whether the city can track unique users through the app; McMurdie confirmed that app data should provide unique‑user counts and said staff can report that metric. Councilmember Hampton asked about the timeline for Valley Metro integration; McMurdie said work is just beginning with Valley Metro and the city expects more information in the coming year but cannot confirm a firm date. On fare handling, McMurdie said drivers will generally allow a rider without exact change to board and the city follows up with customer service, but repeated nonpayment can lead to service denial.

Questions from council and the vice mayor raised eligibility and access issues: McMurdie said ADA paratransit rules require comparable service within three‑quarters of a mile of fixed routes, and that We Ride accommodates ADA passengers and has a larger vehicle for mobility devices. She confirmed that riders 12 years and older may ride unaccompanied; children under 12 require a guardian. Council members expressed an interest in expanding service area coverage and in continued pursuit of federal and regional funding; McMurdie said she is reporting ridership to FTA and coordinating with regional partners but cautioned that operating grants are limited.

Discussion only: staff presented facts about service, funding, ridership and facilities, and council members raised questions about metrics, eligibility, service area expansion, and grant pursuit. Direction: staff will continue to report ridership data to FTA, pursue available grants for seniors and disabled riders, and work with Valley Metro and Avondale on an integration study. Formal action: none recorded during the work session.

Next steps include continuing the Valley Metro integration analysis, reporting unique‑user counts and other requested metrics to council, and bringing potential funding or agreement items forward for council consideration as guidance on Proposition 479 becomes available.