After Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman’s State of the City address late last month, questions have been raised as to whether or not Valley Metro, which controls the city’s bus lines, and Metro Light Rail should be merged into one entity.

However, representatives for both Metro Light Rail and Valley Metro expressed support for the two sister-agencies ability to coordinate and work together, instead of merging.

During his speech, Hallman suggested having two separate agencies for transit was a source of “waste and conflict”.

“We all want our buses and light rail to work together seamlessly,” Hallman said. “We likely would be better served if there was only one governmental agency working to that end.”

Metro Light Rail spokeswoman Hillary Foose said that while the two agencies work very closely together, both have different goals.

“Our agency is very specific to planning, designing, building and ultimately operating the Valley’s high capacity transit service,” she said.

Valley Metro spokeswoman Susan Tierney echoed Foose’s sentiment, saying Valley Metro’s current focus was on rolling out new bus service in December with the opening of the light rail.

“Light rail will only work with a bus connectivity, a system that offers connectivity and bus service,” she said. “It takes both of us to work together in order to be successful.”

She said she didn’t see any problems with the current system.

“I don’t know that any government structure change would make a difference,” she said. “We need to be working as hard as we can and effectively with tax payer dollars, getting service rolled out.”

In order for the agencies to merge, an agreement would have to be reached between both boards of directors.

“I don’t think our model is inefficient… [but] it would really come down to a board decision,” Foose said.

One student said she already sees the effects of keeping the agencies separate.

“On days when they’re testing [the light rail], I’m always late, even when I take an early bus,” creative writing senior Victoria Flower said.

Interdisciplinary studies senior Patrick Richey said he is not convinced merging the two agencies together would benefit students.

“They should be separate because the bus system in Tempe is mostly student based, and light rail will be a universal [transit] tool for the majority of cities,” he said.

Reach the reporter at deborah.bevers@asu.edu.