Sun Metro sees drop in ridership and increase in collisions

All of the construction taking place in downtown El Paso and on the city’s west side is frustrating for drivers. But it is having a bigger impact on Sun Metro.

Ridership is down and the number of collisions, especially hit-and-runs involving city buses, is up.

The Director of Sun Metro explained this to city council at Tuesday’s meeting and warned fewer riders means higher prices.

Sun Metro director, Jay Banasiak, told city council members that construction on the west side and in downtown is a factor, causing buses to take several detours.

“It gets frustrating for our passengers when we have to detour so much and that’s also hurting our on time performance a little bit,” said Banasiak.

And it’s not just construction affecting ridership numbers. Banasiak said other factors include the low cost of fuel, lower car loans, and the devaluation of the Mexican Peso.

While Sun Metro is making great strides with projects like Brio, the director says these are factors out of his control. And that’s not all. The construction is also being tied to a rise in the number of collisions.

“The cars that are driving downtown in all of the construction, they are getting confused and they are starting to hit our buses. It’s just the way it happens. Our hit-and-runs are up from six a year ago, to 17 this year coming up,” Banasiak said.

Despite the numbers, riders ABC-7 spoke with had mixed reactions to Sun Metro’s performance.

“I take the Brio and it stops by very often, so like I am always on time. So, i don’t have any problems, really,” said one rider.

Another complained, “No, they are not coming on time. Well, we have to wait for them. There is nothing we can do about that.”

Sun Metro plans to additionally train its drivers and look for new ways to lure riders back.

“We have a marketing plan,” said Banasiak.

“We have a full staff now back in our marketing department. So we are going to come up with a marketing plan to try and fight all those odds and see if we can get ridership back up,” added Banasiak.

Sun Metro also reported a rise in the number of complaints tied to its LIFTservice, which helps disabled people get to where they need to go. The agency is asking riders to factor in more time when making their appointments.