A Queen Creek mom says what used to be a quick phone call for a ride has turned into an hours-long ordeal, leaving her adult son stuck and stressing about whether he will make it to work. Robynne Garrido says calls to Valley Metro’s RideChoice paratransit service jumped from a few minutes on hold to marathon waits after the agency rolled out a new booking system, and that riders who depend on the service are paying the price.
Her 32-year-old son David, who is on the autism spectrum, relies on the 24/7 shared-ride program to get to his job and appointments. Now, she says, the new system has meant unreliable pickups and long stretches of uncertainty. Their experience is feeding broader worries that a high-tech transition is quietly making an essential service harder to use for people with disabilities and seniors.
Garrido told ABC15 she "was on hold for like an hour and a half, and then I called back again. It was another hour," and that before the change they "never waited more than five minutes" to reach an operator. The station also reports it encountered an automated message for roughly 18 minutes before anyone answered when it called RideChoice, echoing the longer-than-normal hold times frustrated riders are describing.
Valley Metro points to new app
Valley Metro says the spike in waits arrived alongside a technology upgrade and the rollout of its Valley Metro Connect system that began last Saturday (May 2). The agency says the transition "offers real-time vehicle tracking and mobile booking features" and that call volumes surged while staff walked riders through one-on-one setup support. Valley Metro adds that it has brought on additional staff and that hold times are already improving.
How riders can book
ABC15 reports Valley Metro provided (602) 716-2111 as the RideChoice booking line for riders who prefer to talk to a person. Customers can also download the Valley Metro Connect app for mobile booking and real-time vehicle tracking; the app is available on the App Store. The agency says staff are helping customers with account setup and that the phone center will remain a booking option while riders get used to the new system.
Advocates warn tech changes can leave riders behind
Garrido says riders who cannot read or who do not have smartphones are especially vulnerable when agencies shift heavily toward app-based booking. Similar tech-focused paratransit changes in other regions have already sparked pushback. In Colorado, a federal judge allowed RTD’s Access-on-Demand changes to move forward even as disability advocates argued the overhaul would reduce access, according to CBS Colorado. Advocates say that when agencies roll out new systems, they should keep phone lines robust and well staffed while riders and employees learn the ropes.
Valley Metro says it is "committed to supporting customers throughout this transition" and is monitoring hold times as it adds staff. Garrido, meanwhile, says she will keep pressing for dependable service so her son and others can get where they need to go. For now, riders have both the booking line and the app in play and are urged to report persistent problems to the agency so they can be tracked. The dustup is a reminder that even small tech tweaks can have outsized effects on riders who rely on paratransit every single day.
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