Did you know in 1887 the city of Phoenix first mass transportation was mule and horse drawn trolley cars in downtown? The first streetcar route was along Washington Street and included 8 miles of track. In 1893 electric streetcars were added, as the city grew so did its transportation service, by 1909 the service reached as far as Indian School Road. In 1911 the Phoenix Railway Company started between Glendale and Phoenix, there would quickly be 10 trips a day between these 2 cities the cost to ride was 5 cents for the duration of the railways run. Sadly the line stopped operating in 1925 due to financial issues, the tracks were removed by 1940. Catch phrases like “Ride a Mile and Smile the While 5¢ ” were used to attract riders, the slogan is also the title of Lawrence J. Fleming book: ” Ride a Mile and Smile the While: A History of Phoenix Street Railway, 1887-1944.” In 1928 the city took over ownership of the streetcar service, due to private ownership having trouble maintaining the line. As the streets began to be paved more and more and the development of buses began less and less use of the rail system began, many people chose the buses due to the quietness of the paved roads. Buses being cheaper and flexible pushed out street cars until the shortage of rubber during WWII gave a brief revamp to street cars but that ended with the war. The last run of the Phoenix street car line was February 18, 1948. 60 years later in December of 2008 the cities current light-rail service began and follows a similar path along Washington Street. You can visit the Phoenix Trolley Museum at 25 W Culver Street to see the original streetcar system.
Sourced AZ Central.