Sun Metro’s new bus network aims to speed up service as riders worry about safety, longer walks

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Sun Metro’s upcoming network overhaul aims to shorten travel times and improve frequency, but some riders say the changes will make their daily commutes harder and less safe.

The plan known as Sun Metro Rising is meant to “optimize” the system without increasing the agency’s budget, Director Anthony DeKeyzer said during a recent presentation.

“This is what we call optimization in transit, and here's the key. This plan had to be done without increasing any financial responsibilities or any other resources,” DeKeyzer said.

The redesign reduces routes, shortens overall travel times and cuts hundreds of low-ridership stops.

DeKeyzer said the goal is to make buses come more often and help riders make connections faster.

“This will get people to where they want to go faster, and we'll do it being financially and operationally responsible,” DeKeyzer said.

In response to questions from ABC-7 about how taxpayers will be affected, Sun Metro said there will be no financial impact.

“There will be no impact to taxpayers as Sun Metro is not funded through property taxes. Sun Metro is funded through state sales tax revenue, grants and fare revenue," a spokesperson said. "The cost of removing shelters associated with the implementation of Sun Metro Rising is not yet available as deactivated shelters will remain in place until the system changes are implemented and the review period to evaluate the changes is complete. To put it simply, we don't want to take down a bus shelter and reinstall it again."

But for riders who depend on the system daily, the changes feel very different.

“I ride the Sun Metro for everything. I don't own a car, so it's my main form of transportation,” Sun Metro rider Viridiana Villa said.

Villa said her commute takes, “minimum 45 minutes if (she catches) the bus and all the connecting buses."

While Sun Metro says the redesign will improve speed and efficiency, Villa said riders will pay the price.

“I think the changes are optimizing time, then user experience,” she said. “These changes are not really prioritizing how people will experience the bus as they commute.” She added that “it's more like they're cutting down stops and making people walk more.”

Villa said what would truly help riders is more service, not less. “We need more routes, more busses, to get faster. Not cutting down service or stops,” she said.

Villa's biggest concern is safety. “The fact that I'm going to have to walk more feels very unsafe,” Villa said. “It feels like the people coming up with this plan are disconnected from the experience of riding the bus because there's so many other factors than just a five-minute walk,” she said. “There's weather, there's disabilities, or there's also the danger on the street.”

Her hope now is that Sun Metro listens more closely before making final changes. “I wish they could ride the bus for a week so they could understand our situation,” she said.

Sun Metro says riders can continue sharing feedback online at sunmetro.net, at transit centers, through the Sun Metro app, or by attending future public meetings as the agency works toward its planned June rollout of the new system.