You may have seen these blue bus/vans in Tempe but not known exactly what they were. I myself have seen these but didn’t know exactly what they were - until today I met with a friend who works with the Tempe Chamber of Commerce and explained to me what the Orbit buses are all about.
Orbit is a free service in Tempe that connects it’s residential neighborhoods with it’s growing urban core and other retail, businesses and local destinations. There are currently five routes on Orbit.
Unlike traditional bussing systems, Orbit uses “flag stops.” Because Orbit busses run through an area at least once every fifteen minutes from 6 AM to 10 PM seven days a week, a rider simply has to waive their arms to flag down an Orbit bus and have it stop. Except on major streets, the Orbit bus will stop anywhere to pick up a rider. On major streets, like Mill Avenue, University Drive and Broadway Road, Orbit will stop at designated bus stops.
Currently, Tempe is considering extending ridership hours to 1 AM or later on the weekends to coincide with the light-rail and other bus services. I think this is a “no brainer” if the city is dedicated to creating viable mass-transit options for it’s citizens while also cutting down on drunk driving. I’m sure Mill Avenue and Tempe Marketplace bars and restaurants would appreciate that as well considering Arizona’s recent tough (and needed) stance on DUIs.
If you live in or are considering a move to Tempe - Orbit is a great and free service that really adds value to the area. Those living on Orbit routes now enjoy the convenience of hopping on a bus and enjoying what Tempe has to offer - the Mill Avenue District, Tempe Marketplace, the Tempe Center for the Arts, the Gammage Theater, ASU sporting events and more. Incidentally, Orbit will run until midnight on nights of ASU Football games this upcoming season.
Currently, Orbit only runs north of US-60 but Tempe is also considering extending the service to South Tempe as well.
Other cities, such as Chandler and Scottsdale, may want to take a hint from Tempe. Destination areas such as Old Town Scottsdale (which does currently have a free Trolley Service connecting parts of nearby Scottsdale to Old Town), Historic Downtown Chandler and Chandler Fashion Center would definitely benefit from a service like Orbit.
In this era of high energy costs I think most people would consider a service like Orbit to take them out for the evening. There would not longer be a need to worry about where to park in Historic Downtown Chandler on Friday or Saturday evenings and no need to worry about having that extra beer or martini. If marketed correctly, a service like Orbit in other Phoenix valley cities would be a hit and enjoy ridership like Tempe has - in less than one year since Orbit began it’s enjoyed nearly 1.3 million riders.
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