Football games pack the light rail from front to back, and with thousands of people exiting the stadium at the same time, the Metro Light Rail has to plan to accommodate the crowds.
Hillary Foose, spokeswoman for the Metro Light Rail, said it prepares for special events in several different ways.
One of those ways includes separate stations for riders to quickly tap their U-Pass cards to eliminate waiting.
“We have added what we call independent validators where there is a density of U-Pass users,” Foose said. “It’s helpful to make sure people have quick and easy access to the machines.”
This equipment is allocated to stations that are the most popular, she said.
Metro Light Rail also adds extra security for events, not only for safety but also to make sure people are paying the fare, Foose said.
Less than 1 percent of all light rail riders are caught without a valid fare, she said.
“It’s not a lot of people,” she said. “It’s that personality that tries to cheat the system.”
With ASU students, the use of the U-Pass has been a learning curve, Foose said.
Tempe Police Sgt. Mike Powell said the department adds more staff during big events.
“During those peak times, our main concern is security,” he said. “When you have large crowds and you mix it with alcohol there can be problems.”
Officers are stationed at light rail stops near the ASU campus for safety, he said.
In preparation for the last home football game of the season, Powell said police don’t plan to change up the system.
“Everything has worked really well,” he said.
Foose said the UA game would be a point of focus for the Metro Light Rail.
“We are particularly aware of this game coming up,” she said.
Metro Light Rail uses its experience from Suns and Diamondbacks games to prepare for the ASU football season.
“We learned a lot from our experience there,” Foose said.
Metro Light Rail does have a partnership with the US Airways Center to allow fans that attend events there to ride the light rail for free with their ticket.
Foose said Metro Light Rail is looking into building the same partnership with Sun Devil Stadium.
Reach the reporter at nathan.meacham@asu.edu.
