Valley Metro Rail served 250,000 local residents and visitors from around the world between Feb. 4-5 and 9-12 during Super Bowl week.
“Our accessible and efficient light-rail system met the needs of thousands of residents and visitors this past week and along the way showcased how Phoenix’s continued investment in public transit supports our efforts to sustainably grow our city, create jobs and reduce our carbon footprint. I’m proud of and thankful for the countless city employees and volunteers who made using the light rail a highlight of the Super Bowl LVII experience and I hope more Phoenix residents have been turned into daily public transit users as a result,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.
“Our hardworking people is one of the many reasons Super Bowl LVII was a success – including all those individuals who went above and beyond to provide public transit services,” adds Phoenix Councilmember and Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority Chair Laura Pastor. “Phoenix has proven itself as a successful venue for mega events and we look forward to hosting more in the future.”
Ridership on light rail exceeded average ridership by 60 percent for the entire six days of events, proving public transit is essential to hosting an international mega event.
“Our Valley welcomed visitors from around the world for an unforgettable week of Super Bowl LVII events,” said Jay Parry, president and CEO of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee. “The week was highlighted by the free event, Super Bowl Experience presented by Lowe’s at Hance Park, which was easily accessible with the no-cost fare on light rail.”
Valley Metro Rail, which was part of the successful formula in serving the 2015 Super Bowl, travels across the busiest and most densely populated area of metro Phoenix. In 2023, the system served several large event venues across the downtown Phoenix area, with many riders traveling at no cost thanks to a ticket partnership sponsored by downtown stakeholders.
“High light-rail use certainly eased traffic congestion in downtown and delivered thousands of fans to and from Super Bowl LVII activities safely,” said Downtown Phoenix Inc. President and CEO Devney Majerle. “Hopefully the positive experience converted countless locals into light-rail transit users again in the future.”
More than 150 Valley Metro staff and city staff worked 1,500 hours at stations and park-and-rides to support the fan experience and answer questions about riding transit.
“I am extremely proud of our entire Valley Metro team. They have demonstrated their expertise in successfully and safely moving hundreds of thousands of people on light rail during four busy days of major Super Bowl events,” said Jessica Mefford-Miller, Valley Metro CEO. Overall, more than 400 team members from Valley Metro and contractors across operations, maintenance, customer service and safety and security supported enhanced service levels.
Prior to the Super Bowl, Valley Metro launched mobile fare on the Valley Metro app. During the four days of the SBLVII events, the app was downloaded 5,300 times by new users and more than 4,400 digital passes were sold. On an average day, the app is downloaded an average of 350 times.
