• Centered in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area  
• 10 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport 
• 42 square miles
• Population of 185,000+
• Median age is 28.1 years
• 48% of residents have Bachelor’s Degrees
• Over 20% have graduate degrees
• 93% of residents have high school diplomas
• Home to Arizona State University, the nation’s largest and most innovative university
• Census quick facts

Tempe has the most educated and technically-skilled workforce in Arizona, which is a testament to the strength of the city’s higher education institutions.

Photos of the Streetcar (view on Flickr)

View and download dozens of photos of Tempe streetcar and the area of the future extension. 

Tempe has a long history of advocating public transportation, and is now the first city in the Valley of the Sun with a modern streetcar. It connects riders to neighborhoods, major business centers, and regional events and destinations. Tempe has the highest per capita ridership of any city in the region and expects to see more growth and expansion to meet the public’s transit needs.

Over $208 million in private investment has been made within a half mile of streetcar stations since service began, including more than 339,000 square feet of commercial/office space and 822,000 square feet of residential space. The area surrounding streetcar stations has seen an increase of 803 residential units.

• Streetcar quick facts:
  • Makes 14 stops along a 3-mile route
  • First modern streetcar service in the Valley
  • Project cost: $200 million. Paid for by federal grants, regional Prop 400 and local city of Tempe transit funds
  • Timeline:
    • Design: 2016 – 2017
    • Construction: 2018 – 2021
    • Opening: May 20, 2022
  • Ridership:
    • Total Boardings for 2024 (January - June): 357,853

• Total ridership FY24: 793,628
• Total ridership since opening in 2022:
  • Total Ridership (May 2022- June 2024): Over 1.4 million (1,448,365)

• Rider Demographics
  • 75% Student on Streetcar vs. 15% student on system overall
  • 62% under 25 on Streetcar vs. 28% on system overall
  • 49% trips to college on Streetcar vs. 9% trips to college on overall system

• Rio East-Dobson Streetcar Extension Study quick facts:
  • Began in August 2023
  • Builds off Tempe-Mesa Streetcar Feasability Study which identified proposed route
  • Proposed route runs from current end of line at Rio Salado Parkway and Marina Heights in Tempe to Dobson Road in Mesa and south on Dobson Road to Main Street. 
  • 4.4-mile route will provide connections to key destinations such as:
    • Tempe Marketplace
    • Marina Heights
    • ASU and Novus Innovation District 
    • Mesa Riverview Mall
    • Sloan Park
    • The Asian District
  • Study will provide analysis of how streetcar will most effectively operate along the 4.4-mile study route
  • The final route recommendation (locally preferred alternative) is expected to be presented to Tempe and Mesa for possible action in early 2025.  
  • Once the route recommendation is adopted, the project timeline will be determined by the cities of Tempe and Mesa.
  • In June 2024, Valley Metro was awarded a $15.9M federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE)grant to advance the study, which will help propel the project into the engineering and environmental analysis phases.
     
• Purpose and Need:
  •  Supports projected growth in area population and employment as well as the projected increase in transportation demand along the corridor.
  • Based on data from MAG, the study area is predicted to see a 55% population increase as well as 45% worker increase by 2050.
  • According to the U.S. Census American Community survey, 58% of study area are zero or one-car households.
  • Adds another connection to light rail.
  • Provides enhanced connectivity to employment and activity centers in north Tempe and west Mesa along Rio Salado Parkway and Dobson Road.
  • Supports current and future land-use planning for economic and transit-oriented development.
  • Improves access and mobility for low income, minority and transit dependent populations.
  • Streetcar is a critical piece of our evolving regional transportation network and an investment into a sustainable, more connected region.

Read more about the extension. 

Tempe is dedicated to providing a balanced transportation system that is environmentally sustainable, accessible, preserves neighborhoods, promotes transit-oriented development and involves citizens in the process.  Tempe’s transportation system continually strives to be:

HIGH PERFORMING – Nearly 10 million annual boardings pre Covid; highest per capita in region.

MULTI-MODAL – Local bus, express, circulator, rail, streetcar, paratransit, bike-pedestrian facilities.

SUSTAINABLE - Alternatively fueled buses, 2 LEED certified facilities, off-wire and battery powered Streetcar.

ACCESSIBLE – Fully accessible buses and trains with bike racks; wheelchair accessible.

FORWARD THINKING – Free youth pass program; unique transit shelter designs, pursuit of electric buses.

REGIONALLY INTEGRATED – Tempe is an anchor of the region’s total transit network.

Tempe Transportation Facts

• Most walkable and bikeable city in the Greater Phoenix Area, with hundreds of miles of bike lanes and pedestrian corridors.
  
  
• Only Greater Phoenix Area city with a streetcar.
  
  
• Border to border light rail that connects to Phoenix and Mesa.
  
  

• In 1996, Tempe was the first city in the Phoenix region to pass a half-cent dedicated sales tax with no sunset. Prior to the sales tax, Tempe had six regional bus routes (funded by the state), one circulator route and 70 miles of bike lanes.

• Today, Tempe has 13 local bus routes, two express buses, seven free Orbit/Flash circulators, streetcar, light rail, paratransit and over 220 miles of bicycle facilities.

• Currently, the transit tax supports the operation and maintenance of the transit system and bicycle and pedestrian network. The City also has a shared active transportation vehicle licensing agreement with three companies, and is proactively working on creating transportation demand management and transportation management association plans, as well as creating a guide for mobility hubs.

   

• Before the creation of the lake, The Salt River throughout the Greater Phoenix area was dry due to a series of upstream dams and had become a detriment to the Tempe community.
• The Arizona State University architecture class of 1965 came up with a concept to rejuvenate the Salt River area with water, housing, commercial attraction and more.
• In 1999, Tempe Town Lake became a reality.
• Today, Tempe Town Lake is one of Arizona's most visited public attractions.
• More than 40,000 people work and more than 30,000 people live within a one mile radius. 
• The lake is responsible for more then $2 billion in economic development since its creation in 1999.