Valley Metro challenging residents to participate in Rideshare Month

PHOENIX — October is Rideshare Month, and Valley Metro is challenging people to get involved.

It’s all part of helping the environment, according to Valley Metro’s Hillary Foose.

“It’s to really encourage people to think about the options at their disposal, which really do help the environment, reduce emissions from vehicle use (and) reduce congestion,” Foose said.

This year, Valley Metro has made Rideshare Month a bit more interesting, as it is challenging employees and employers to see who rides the most.

“Commuters can log their trips and miles saved and compete for prizes,” Foose said.

Riders can visit ShareTheRide.com to register and keep track of how much they have used public transportation throughout the month.

Foose said Valley Metro wants people to take advantage of all the various forms of alternative transportation to help reduce their environmental impact.

“Such as taking transit, using a carpool or vanpool, bike or walk,” she said. “It’s those commute options that really help provide cleaner air to the Valley.”

Foose said people can get more information about Rideshare Month at the Share The Ride website or at ValleyMetro.org. People can also attend a Rideshare Month kickoff event on Friday, Sept. 26, at CityScape in downtown Phoenix near Central Avenue and Washington Street.

As Valley Metro continues to push for more interest in and riders on the Valley’s public transit system, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said this week he is committed to continuing to expand transit, especially the light rail, in the Valley.

Recently, Phoenix received $1.6 million in federal grant money to further plan a proposed extension of the light rail down Central Avenue to Baseline Road.

“It’s going to help us plan the environmental and engineering portions of it, which is a necessary step,” Stanton said.

Stanton said he is excited about the possibility of a rail line servicing south-central Phoenix, which is an area he said is ripe for public transit and the business opportunities the light rail would create there.

“Next year, we’re going to be asking the people of Phoenix to support us so we can pay for it, (and) I couldn’t be more excited about that,” Stanton said. “We are moving forward as a city, and supporting light rail and public transportation is a big, big part of how we’re going to advance our city.”

In total, Valley Metro expects to implement 60 miles of light rail by the year 2034.

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