Valley Metro has been awarded the top North American transit honor for mid-sized systems in 2026.
Valley Metro in metro Phoenix was named the “Outstanding Public Transportation System” by the American Public Transportation Association for agencies with between 15 and 50 million riders. It beat out 30 other agencies for the award.
Over the last few years, Valley Metro has seen an increase in customer satisfaction and on-time performance, and a decrease in passenger assaults, which are all metrics CEO Jessica Mefford-Miller said were considered for the award.
“It looks at our quantitative performance across a number of different categories, plus qualitative response over nine different areas, and it looks at our performance over a three-year period,” Mefford-Miller said. “So this was for 2023 through 2025.”
Mefford-Miller said Valley Metro had more than 41.7 million riders in the previous fiscal year, a 8.7% increase from the year prior.
Mefford-Miller said in that time frame, the agency has opened multiple light rail extensions and a second line.
“We opened [two] rail expansion projects, all ahead of schedule, all within budget,” Mefford-Miller said. “But that's not all. We have been working to improve service for our riders every single day, and we've seen double-digit increases in performance across so many areas, including on-time performance.”
Mefford-Miller said the agency is also working to improve its safety record. Between 2024 and 2025, rail passenger assaults fell 55% and bus operator assaults fell 60%.
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