Sun Tran is the public transit system serving the city of Tucson, Arizona. In 2023, the system had 17,361,800 rides, or about 59,500 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. 100% of the fleet utilizes clean-burning fuels, such as compressed natural gas (CNG), biodiesel, and hybrid technologies.[6] In addition to more than 40 bus routes, the system also includes the Sun Link modern streetcar line.
History
Sun Tran busRonstadt Transit Center
According to David Leighton, historian for the Arizona Daily Star newspaper, Sun Tran's history began in 1897 with the organization of the Tucson Street Railway, which by the following year was providing Tucsonans with regular mule-powered streetcar service. Streetcar tracks existed in parts of present-day downtown and to the University of Arizona. Within a few years, lack of profit caused the company to be sold and it was reorganized as Tucson Rapid Transit Co. (TRT). It shortly came under common ownership with Tucson Gas, Electric Light and Power Co.[7]
By 1906, mules were replaced by electricity as the driving force behind the streetcars in Tucson. Four years later, TRT published its intent to increase the amount of track for its electric cars but insufficient money prevented this from occurring. In 1910, TRT owner United States Light and Traction was acquired by the newly formed Federal Light and Traction.[8]
In October 1925, Tucson Rapid Transit Co., having realized that buses were more flexible and economical to run than streetcars and were the future of public transportation in the Old Pueblo, bought the White Star Bus Line. This small bus company would become the basis for TRT's bus service in town. Also around the same time, Roy Laos Sr., noting the lack of transit service to the south and west sides of town founded the Occidental Bus Line to serve these areas. Laos' bus service would later be called Old Pueblo Transit.
In 1930, control of Federal Light and Traction was acquired by Cities Service.[9] On January 1, 1931, Tucson Rapid Transit formally ended all electric streetcar service in town. From this day forward it became strictly a bus company. Five years later, Jacob M. Bingham established the Mountain View Bus Line with one bus. His goal was to provide service to outlying areas that TRT didn't serve but turning a profit or even just paying his bills was difficult and soon enough TRT bought his small enterprise.
During World War II, ridership increased to a large degree, in part due to tire and fuel rationing that was carried out to support the war effort. The secondary reason for the surge was the need for public transportation for workers in the growing defense industry.
After the passage of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, Federal Light and Traction/Cities Service was forced to sell most of their operations. TRT was sold to W. Culver White, John B. Tigrett, A.V. Lindseth and L.A. Tanner.[10] Tucson Gas & Electric was sold in a public offering.
In late 1951, the Hughes Missile Plant (now called Raytheon Missiles & Defense) was finished and was operating with a small number of employees. Competition for ridership to the new factory between Old Pueblo Transit and Tucson Rapid Transit became heated and OPT filed an injunction in court to prevent TRT from providing service for employees. Early the following year, the Arizona Corporation Commission decided against OPT and allowed TRT to also provide bus service to the plant.[11]
The 1950s and 1960s saw a steady decline in riders for Tucson Rapid Transit. Even a change in ownership in 1965 to American Transit Corp. (and a name change to Tucson Transit Corp.) and the installation of air conditioners seemed to do little for the failing bus service. As a result, in 1969, the City of Tucson acquired TTC, changing the name to the City of Tucson Transit System.[12]
In 1975, a contest was held to give a new name to the bus system, with Benjamin Rios, a 25-year-old University of Arizona architecture student from Mexico, submitting the winning entry: “Sun Tran.” His prize was a $150 portable television.
Three years later, Sun Tran bought its competition the Old Pueblo Transit Co. and the city had but one bus service for riders. The year 1987 saw the opening of the Roy Laos Transit Center at 205 W Irvington Road, and in 1991, the Ronstadt Transit Center opened in downtown.
In 2010, Sun Tran received shipment of its first bus using hybrid technology and two years later Sun Tran's Northwest Bus Facility located at 3920 N. Sun Tran Blvd was completed.[13][6]
In summer of 2023, Sun Tran released their Comprehensive Operational Analysis, a pseudo bus network redesign that would increase frequency, realigning and extending routes and improving access and quality of service.[14]
Awards
Sun Tran won the America's Best Transit System award for 1988 and 2005 from the American Public Transportation Association in the category of 4 to 30 million annual passenger trips. Also, Sun Tran was awarded as the Arizona's Best Transit System for 2004 and 2012.
Fares
NOTE: all fares are free since late March 2020 ever since the COVID-19 outbreak.
The basic rate is free to all. Previously, it was $1.75; reduced fare for low-income, persons with disabilities, seniors at least 65 and Medicare cardholders was $0.75 (with a valid SunGO ID & card). The express bus fare was $2.35. No fares apply to kids under 6 with fare-paying rider, limit 3. All fares used to be paid with a SunGo card, which utilised smart card technology, and can be loaded with cash value or passes. 24-hour passes ($4) & 30-day tickets ($48) were available. The University of Arizona provided discounted passes for eligible students, faculty and staff through the UA's Parking and Transportation Services.[15]
These buses have a different seating configuration compared to the 2005 Gillig buses, as seats are all arranged lengthwise (except for the last row of seats). This was done to reduce vandalism that has been caused to bus windows and the interior.
These buses, labeled "Sun Express", are used on express routes 101X-312X, and occasionally as shuttles for special events. Features include low floor, head rests, reclining seats, and heat resistant windows.
The 29XX buses (known as transition buses) are Low Floor, not BRT, and feature head rests and reclining seats. The rest (3001-3010) are regular Low Floor buses.
First hybrid bus introduced in 2010. It featured a promotional livery until 2014 when it was painted with the same livery as the other regular buses. This bus is run on route 5, which runs between the intersection of Sabino Canyon and Tanque Verde roads and the Pima Community College West Campus.
These new CNG buses are smaller (35-foot-long compared to the standard 40 feet) and have a total of 30 seats. These will replace the 14-year-old Nova buses.
These buses were the first in Tucson to be built with air conditioning, and were also the first GMC "New Look" buses in service. They were withdrawn from service in the early 1980s.
Although this bus was built in 1966, it had the "Old Look" design. It was built for Old Pueblo Transit Company and withdrawn from service in the late-1970s.
These buses were ordered by an operator in Texas but ended up in service in Tucson. They were renumbered from 1402 to 1403 and were withdrawn from service in the mid-1990s.
These buses were delivered new to Tucson but were actually built for various transit agencies across the United States who did not take up these buses. They were temporarily operated in Tucson from 1974 to 1978, when they were replaced with AM General buses. 1475-1478 were sold to Valley Metro and were withdrawn in 1989, while the rest were sent to other operators. These were the first 40-foot-long (12 m) buses in Tucson.
These buses were the first to be built for Sun Tran (along with the 1975 AM General 9640-8 buses) and featured a different livery from the red and yellow that is featured on buses today. All of these buses were withdrawn in the mid-1990s.
These buses were the first to be built for Sun Tran (along with the 1975 Flxible 45096 buses), and featured a different livery from the red and yellow that is featured on buses today. All of these buses were withdrawn in the mid-1990s.
These buses were built for Old Pueblo Transit, which served the city of South Tucson. Originally, these buses were numbered 5050-5070 but after OPT was taken over by Sun Tran in 1978, these buses were renumbered to 7664–7684. All of these buses were withdrawn in the mid-1990s.
These buses were similar to the earlier 1986 GMC buses but were built as RTS-06 models rather than RTS-04 models. All were withdrawn from service in 2000.
Only 8 buses of various numbers remained in the fleet until May 2008 were mostly used on express routes. Most of this type was retired in the fall of 2005 with the arrival of the 2005 Gilligs. These buses were formerly powered by diesel.
These buses were formerly dual-fueled and could run on diesel or CNG. They have Luminator Mega:MAX flip-dot signs and a different A/C unit compared to the other Neoplan buses. The last ones in service were retired from the active fleet in 2012 with the arrival of the new 2012 Gilligs.
These buses were the first purely CNG-powered buses in the Sun Tran fleet. They also were the first buses to feature automatic stop announcements and hard seats throughout the entire bus (rather than just in the rear). These were withdrawn in 2011 when the new Gillig 2011 buses arrived.
These buses are similar to the 1996 New Flyer buses but feature grey interior flooring and sidewalls rather than the orange interior found on the 1996 buses. Retired in Fall 2012 with the arrival of the 2012 Gillig buses.
These buses originally featured Luminator LEDot front signs, but they were replaced with Luminator Horizon signs in 2005. 24 of these buses were retired from the active fleet in July 2014. The other were withdrawn in 2015.
Current Routes
Sun Tran operates 29 regular routes and 13 express routes,[17] as well as 10 Sun Shuttle routes, a neighborhood transit service.[18] Most regular routes provide service from 6am to 11pm. A few routes provide service until midnight. Sun Tran does not provide overnight service.
Regular Routes
Route No.
Route Name
Termini
Major Streets/Areas Serviced
Service Notes/History
1
Glenn/Swan
Ronstadt Transit Center, Downtown
↔
Swan Road/29th Street
Downtown, Main Gate Square, University of Arizona, Park Avenue, Glenn Street, Swan Road.
Weekday service operates every 30 minutes (60 minutes at night).
Weekend service every hour.
Route was restructured in 2015 and service on 29th St was eliminated.
2
Pueblo Gardens
Laos Transit Center
↔
Ronstadt Transit Center, Downtown
Irvington Road, Country Club Road, Campbell Avenue, 36th Street, Pueblo Gardens, Downtown.
Weekday service operates every 30 minutes (60 minutes at night).
Weekday service operates every 15–30 minutes from the start of the service until about 11:30am, and from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.
Weekday frequency increases to 10–20 minutes from 11:30am until 4:30pm.
Weeknight service every 30 minutes until midnight (no service to Wilmot/Tanque Verde after about 7:00pm).
Saturday service every 15–30 minutes.
Sunday service every 20–40 minutes.
Original Route 8 was restructured in 2015 and was split into Route 8 and Route 18.
9
Grant
Udall Transit Station
↔
Pima Community College (PCC) West
Grant Road
Weekday service operates every 15 minutes from 6:30am – 6:30pm; every 30 minutes from 5:00am – 6:30am, and from 6:30pm – 8:00pm.
Weeknight service runs every hour.
Weekend service every hour.
Route 9 was merged with the former Route 20 in 2016, to create a continuous route on Grant Road. Its frequency was increased to 15 minutes from 6:30am – 6:30pm. Route 9 no longer services the University of Arizona and Downtown.
Weekday service operates every 15 minutes north of Ajo Way, and 30 minutes frequency on both south segments (Ajo Way/Laos Center and Palo Verde/Tucson Airport).
Weeknight service frequency is 30–60 minutes after 7:00pm until 12:20am.
Alternated night service to/from the Tucson airport after 7:00pm.
Service every 30–60 minutes during weekends.
12
10th/12th Avenue
Laos Transit Center
↔
Ronstadt Transit Center, Downtown
12th Avenue, 10th Avenue, South Tucson, Tucson Convention Center, Downtown.
Weekday service operates every 15 minutes between 6:00am and 6:30pm.
Weeknight service frequency is 30 minutes.
Weekend service every 30 minutes.
15
Campbell
Banner University Medical Center-Southern Campus
↔
Tohono Tadai Transit Center
Roger Road, Campbell Avenue, University of Arizona, Eastland Street.
Weekday service operates every 15 minutes from the start of the service until 6:00pm.
Weeknight service frequency is 30–60 minutes after 6:00pm until 11:30pm.
Weekend service every hour.
16
Oracle/Ina
Ronstadt Transit Center, Downtown
↔
Thornydale/Ina roads (parking lot of Lowe's at Ina)
Downtown, Oracle Road, Ina Road.
Weekday service operates every 10 minutes between Ronstadt and Tohono (TTC) transit centers. Frequency increased to 7.5 minutes during the afternoon peak hours.
Weekday frequency every 30 minutes north of Tohono Center, increased to every 15–20 minutes in the afternoon peak hours.
Weeknight service every 30–60 minutes until midnight.
Service frequency during weekends is 15 minutes (60 minutes north of TTC) on Saturdays, and 20 minutes (60 minutes north of TTC) on Sundays.
Original Route 16 was restructured in 2015, and it was split into Route 12 and Route 16.
17
Country Club/29th St.
Broadway/Houghton Park & Ride
↔
Tohono Transit Center
Harrison Road, Golf Links Road, 29th Street, Country Club Road, Prince Road, Flowing Wells Rd
Weekday service operates every 30–60 minutes until 11:00pm.
Weekend service every hour.
18
S. 6th Avenue
Laos Transit Center
↔
Ronstadt Transit Center, Downtown
Downtown, South Tucson, 6th Avenue.
Weekday service operates every 15 minutes before 8:00am and from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.
Weekday frequency increased to 7–10 minutes from 8:00am to 6:00pm.
Weeknight service frequency is 30 minutes after 7:00pm until 12:30am.
Weekend service operates every 15 minutes on Saturdays and 20 minutes on Sundays.
19
Stone
Ronstadt Transit Center, Downtown
↔
Tohono Tadai Transit Center
Stone Avenue, Downtown
Weekday service operates every 30–60 minutes until 11:00pm.
Saturday service every 30 minutes.
Sunday service every hour.
21
W. Congress/Silverbell
Ronstadt Transit Center, Downtown
↔
West Goret Road/Dales Crossing Drive
Silverbell Road, Congress Street, Downtown.
Weekday service operates every 30–60 minutes until 11:00pm.
Weekend service every 30 minutes.
22
Grande
Ronstadt Transit Center, Downtown
↔
Grant/Silverbell roads
Downtown, Congress Street, Bonita Avenue, Commerce Park Loop, Grande Avenue, Riverview Boulevard, El Rio Drive.
Weekday service operates every 30–60 minutes until 11:00pm.
For at least the next five years, Sun Tran will use more biodiesel buses. Biodiesel is a cleaner than regular diesel. Sun Tran plans to buy an additional 119 biodiesel buses over its five-year contract with bus manufacturer Gillig Corp. buses are also capable of running on regular diesel, but Sun Tran does not use petrodiesel in any of its buses. Sun Tran uses B20 and B5 biodiesel blends in its 114 biodiesel buses. It is believed that the increased use of biodiesel avoided a potential fare increase and fuel surcharge in July 2008.[19]
Customer service
Sun Tran publishes a transit book, known as the Ride Guide, and it is updated twice yearly, on February and on August. It contains maps and schedules for all regular and express routes. Copies are available at multiple locations around town, including the Sun Tran offices, many public libraries, community colleges, major malls, pass sales outlets, at other civic facilities around the metropolitan area, and on the buses themselves. The Ride Guide is also available online at the Sun Tran website. Additionally, route schedules are posted at the transit centers in the City of Tucson.
A customer service call center is operated for passengers to plan their bus trips with the assistance of a live customer service representative, information for Sun Tran, Sun Express, Sun Shuttle and Sun Link, fares and SunGO information, detours, comments and questions. The Sun Tran website also has an online trip planning function, and includes all schedules and maps featured in the Ride Guide.
In May 2006, voters in Tucson approved a Regional Transportation Plan (a comprehensive bus transit/streetcar/roadway improvement program), and its funding via a new 20-year half-cent sales tax increment.[20] The centerpiece of the Regional Transportation Plan is Sun Link, a 3.9 mi (6.28 km) modern streetcar system (inspired by the successful Portland Streetcar in Oregon) that travels through the downtown area, connecting the main University of Arizona campus with the Mercado District master plan area (known at that time as Rio Nuevo) on the western edge of downtown.
In December 2010, a $63 million federal TIGER grant was awarded to the City of Tucson, meeting most of a remaining funding gap and allowing the modern streetcar project to move forward. An additional $6 million of federal funding was obtained through the Federal Transit Administration's New Starts program. Funding also came from utilities for relocation and improvements along the streetcar route, most significantly $10.6 million from Tucson Water.[21][22]
The Sun Link name was officially announced in the spring of 2012. Construction began in April 2012, with revenue service beginning in July 2014.[23][24]
A Tucson Sun Link streetcar on Congress Street at Fifth Avenue in September 2014
Oregon-based United Streetcar manufactured the Sun Link vehicles.[25] Sun Link maintains a fleet of eight vehicles, using up to six cars at once. Tucson placed an initial $26 million order for seven cars in June 2010.[26] The eighth car was ordered for an additional $3.6 million in July 2012 in order to satisfy FTA requirements for a second spare.[27] United's first model 200 car arrived in Tucson by flatbed truck on August 30, 2013.[28]
Sun Link is double-tracked, replacing a single-track configuration previously used by Old Pueblo Trolley (OPT), a volunteer-run heritage streetcar operation, begun in 1993, mainly used by tourists and local patrons (including University of Arizona students) of the numerous small shops, bars and restaurants along the line. The maintenance facility is located just west of the OPT car barn and yard on 8th Street west of 4th Avenue. OPT last ran on October 31, 2011, when service was suspended for Sun Link construction; the plan was for Old Pueblo Trolley to share operations, trackage and stations with Sun Link, but no date has yet been set for OPT service to resume.[29]
Regional seamless transit system
On January 22, 2009, a regional seamless transit system was unveiled[30] that helps to better unify the various public transit services in and around the Tucson metropolitan area. One change was the renaming of several of the services under the "Sun" moniker: the Sun Tran express bus routes become Sun Express; Van Tran (paratransit) becomes Sun Van, circulator routes in outlying areas become Sun Connect, and RideShare (carpooling) becomes Sun RideShare. Along with this name change comes a new logo and color scheme, replacing the old red, yellow, and white with a blue, yellow, silver, and white livery that extends across not only the Sun Tran buses, but the other services as well (even the renderings and computer animations of the then-under-development Sun Link streetcar were converted to the new design). The new livery was introduced into service on February 16, 2009, with the addition of 47 new Sun Tran buses and 42 Sun Van (formerly Van Tran) paratransit vehicles to the fleet. Current vehicles will keep their existing liveries until they are either overhauled or replaced. Also in the works are new fare machines that allow a single "smart card" to pay fares on Sun Tran, Sun Express, Sun Connect, and the downtown streetcar; and improved signage at bus stops and transit centers.
Sun Connect service started on May 4, 2009, under the name Sun Shuttle, with routes to the north and northwest, Green Valley, and Sahuarita.
.jpg)
.jpg){kind=spacer}
.jpg)
