Maricopa’s 12-year-old public transit system is going through another transformation.

Mayor Christian Price unveiled the newest incarnation Wednesday. What was the COMET will now be the MET, with expanded routes and stops around town. The website also has a new address.

There are currently 12 stops. That will expand to 18 by the beginning of 2021. Price said the routes will have two buses, shortening wait times.

Service to Ak-Chin will resume. Bus stops will be added in Tortosa, Maricopa Meadows, Cobblestone Medical area and City Hall.

Price said ridership has increased 41.5% in the past fiscal year to 9,741 rides. Transit started in 2008 as service from Maricopa to the Valley. That morphed into a local and regional dial-a-ride service as COMET. It later added the current route service.

2008: Maricopa Express
2011: City of Maricopa Express Transit (COMET)
2020: Maricopa Express Transit (MET)

As the MET, the transit service will have three buses on the circular route and three minivans on dial-a-ride duty. It is funded through a 5311 ADOT Rural Transit grant.

1-833-MET-RIDE
MET-Ride.com