Sky Schaudt/KJZZ

A Valley Metro bus in Phoenix on April 18, 2020.

Select Valley Metro express buses will return to their normal schedule on July 27 after being cut back due to COVID-19.

Valley Metro’s Brittany Hoffman cited an increase of in-person work in Phoenix as the reason for the schedule change. 

“The expresses have been running, they’ve just been running on a less frequent schedule,” said Hoffman. “And now that more people are going back to work, and going to the downtown area, we’re reinstating some of those trips.”

The express routes with trips being reinstated are:

• Route 522 – South Tempe Express.
• Route 531 – Mesa/Gilbert Express.
• Route 533 – Mesa Express.
• Route 535 – Northeast Mesa Express.
• Route 541 – Chandler/Mesa Express.
• Route 542 – Chandler Express.
• Route 562 – Goodyear Express.
• Route 563 – Avondale/Buckeye Express.
• Route 571 – Surprise Express.
• Route 573 – West Glendale Express.
• Route 575 – North Glendale Express.

The Tempe Orbit circulator, currently running every 30 minutes, will return to its schedule of every 15 minutes. Both the Orbit and the Express Bus routes will continue to run at reduced capacity, with 10 passengers for every 40-foot bus, and 15 passengers for every 60-foot bus.

Valley Metro continues to ask riders to make only essential trips, and face coverings are required on all public transit services.