Transit agencies are always playing tug-of-war. What, you ask? Yes, indeed, they do, struggling to balance coverage and frequency in their systems. On the one hand, they want to reach as many people as possible. Conversely, they want high-quality, few routes that do not need planning to use transit, making it simpler. Confusing for you, or do you want to know more? If so, check out this explanation by the GOAT of transit planners, Jarett Walker. Within Valley Metro’s expansive system, the 128 is clearly a coverage route. Come along on my trek to find out why and to see if it holds up.
After visiting a Catholic parish, I walked to Stapley and Jarvis to catch the northbound route. The stop greeted me with a sign and a telephone pole next to it. It was along a typical, older suburban arterial, with a sidewalk alongside fast-moving traffic. Consequently, no protection, not even from the weather, existed.
Boarding our bus offered a respite from the prior conditions – a full 180-degree respite. We also one-upped the ridership. But our fellow rider got off shortly after at Main Street – the transfer with the Valley Metro Rail A Line.
North of University Drive, Stapley Drive had a weird, widened part. But the houses became nicer, dotted with the standard commercial plazas at the major arterial intersections. It all gave way to more contemporary suburban communities past the canal. Only then did we reach our northern terminal at McKellips Road, in front of a transit-accessible Taco Bell.
Going back south brought us back to the more established neighborhoods. Yet more modern ones returned just past Broadway Road. Throughout this period, ridership ticked up slightly (by only a few more people).
No sooner than passing Southern Avenue, we crossed the US-60 Superstition Freeway. Then, we reached the southern endpoint at Inverness Avenue.
Upon alighting, we were greeted by a stop that at least had shade from the trees and a pullout for the bus to wait. But, we weren’t going to wait there; instead, we turned around to get dinner at a fish restaurant in the nearby car-centric retail center named “Mesa Grand.” Grand for the cars, at least.
The return trip back north didn’t involve walking back to our stop because we feared the same driver could make us wait another 30 minutes for the next one. Instead, we chose to Stapley Dr & Baseline Road, the line’s southernmost stop (not the terminus, of course). To get to us, the bus would finish laying over, turn left onto Solomon, go through an industrial frontage complex, then loop onto Baseline and onto Stapley Drive. I went to Main Street, where it was my turn to catch the light rail. I then returned home, and that’s about it.
Route: Phoenix Valley Metro Local 128 (McKellips & Stapley <-> Inverness & Stapley)
Ridership
Unfortunately, despite being a coverage route, not that many people ride it. After all, we only had 1-2 other riders, so the average was three. It’s no surprise, then, that this route ranks in the bottom quarter in average daily ridership (217 riders across all types of days, Valley Metro, 2024-25).
Strengths
It has a reliable schedule, with one bus every 30 minutes, 7 days a week. Owning to the route’s short length, trips usually arrive on time to maintain consistency.
Weaknesses
The short length could also be its biggest weakness, as it does not go south of Baseline Road into Gilbert and Chandler. Looking at Google Maps, it appears that, as Cooper Road, Stapley Drive serves much of the same development as other places along the route and similar suburban routes. Consequently, the “Coverage” goal falls short of serving as many people as possible.
The Noteworthy
- If you are a foodie, Mesa Grand at the southern end has many good restaurants.
- Lots of food places, especially Bobby-Q for BBQ (so good!).
- But there are also many chain restaurants.
- There is a patch of rural influence at Brown Road to break up the monotonous suburbs.
Grade: C-
It tries its best at the coverage goal, achieving consistent service through suburbia. But it only provides it to a small part of Mesa, which is not enough.