As the City of Phoenix braces for holiday festivities, residents should be prepared for a schedule shakeup impacting city services during Christmas time. According to a notice published on Monday by the City of Phoenix, there will be closures and adjustments to various public amenities, including solid waste collection schedules and public transit operations.
Regular curbside trash collection will take a break on Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25, pushing back the collection by one day with Wednesday's trash being picked up on Thursday and so on until Saturday; both the 27th Ave. and North Gateway transfer stations will halt operations at noon on Christmas Eve and won't reopen until Thursday, December 26, the City of Phoenix advises. The Public Works Customer Contact Center mirrors this closure, planning to close up shop at noon on December 24 through Christmas Day, resuming service bright and early at 7 a.m. on the 26th, for those trying to clear out their festive refuse.
Looking for a spot to park should require less hassle as parking meters will stay enforced daily, including holidays, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; just be sure to plug the meter if you find yourself parked on city streets during these times. For the avid readers, all Phoenix Public Library locations will also observe the holiday shutdown starting noon of December 24 and will remain closed the entire Christmas Day, though the digital reach of the library through its eResources remains constant.
For those relying on Phoenix's public transit during the festive season, December 24 will see bus and light rail services running on a standard weekday schedule excluding Express or RAPID bus services—customer service will be on hand from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., on Christmas Eve, the transit options will switch to a Sunday schedule and customer service centers at public transit centers such as Ed Pastor, Sunnyslope, and Central Station will go silent; for Dial-a-Ride services, which will be operating on the reservation between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. across both days, Phoenix residents can get more information on Phoenix.gov/dial-a-ride.
Flying out from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, the hustle of holiday travel makes planning critical; reserving airport parking in advance is recommended and can be done at skyharbor.com/parkphx. Travelers should check the airport's website for security checkpoint wait times and remember the flexibility of Terminal 4 allowing access to any gate from any checkpoint. The innovative PHX Reserve program at the airport provides a structured time slot for TSA security checks to alleviate some of the seasonal stress, a program that requires registration at skyharbor.com/phxreserve. Passengers are urged by the airport to confirm flight statuses with their airlines and arrive sufficiently early, at least two hours for domestic and three for international flights, to account for the heightened traffic; assistance is promised by Navigator volunteers—easily spotted in purple—if help is needed.
