TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Bus riders could soon see changes coming to two Sun Tran routes, 5 and 22. Although Sun Tran identifies Route 5 as low-performing, several people who use the route multiple times a day are concerned.
If Route 5 is eliminated, bus riders living on Pima between Wilmot and Tucson Blvd./Speedway would have to walk a half mile more to another bus stop on Grant or Speedway. That’s what some riders tell me is their biggest concern as we near extreme heat conditions.
Maya Zantop says she specifically moved to Midtown's Garden District neighborhood for better access to Route 5 and uses it twice a day, Monday through Friday.
“My feet aren’t broken, they don’t look broken, but I only have so much walking ability," said Zantop.
It takes her ten minutes to walk from her home to the stop off Pima and Columbus.
“And if I were to walk to the next bus, which would be Speedway, which would be my bus, or even Grant, it would be like 15-20 minutes, and the more time you have to walk, the higher chances of heat exhaustion," Zantop said.
The elimination of Route 5 is being discussed because it overlaps with other routes, like 4 and 22, at its east and west ends. If this happens and Route 22 is then re-aligned to Pima Community College-West, it would save the City and Sun Tran $1.6 million, according to a mayor and council memo.
Other daily Route 5 riders, like Charlie Dearmore, say the city should explore other options.
“I certainly would rather pay the dollar or $1.50 or whatever they would charge if it meant they would keep the bus," said Dearmore. "Just so that I wouldn’t have to make the walk, just so that it would be a little more convenient for me.”
I asked the Department of Transportation and Mobility (DTM) if they’d reinstate fares to keep the bus, and their office stated the following:
“Staff was tasked with identifying systemwide efficiencies as well as various other transit funding options. The results of this will be shared with Mayor & Council at their study session meeting on June 17th.”
I also asked if DTM would consider running a bus on Pima from Wilmot to Tucson/Speedway, where residents can connect and transfer to another bus route, and the office stated:
"Route 5 was identified as one of the lowest-performing routes in the system. While such an alternative could be considered, it wouldn't result in significant cost savings and would likely still be low performing."
Meg Johnson, secretary of the Garden District neighborhood, says one of her neighbors moved to the area so that she could age in place and still have access to services.
“We have a lot of elderly people who rely on it to get to the grocery store, to the library, to their doctors," said Johnson.
Public information meetings where you can comment on this matter started this week.
Sun Tran held a meeting on Tuesday, May 13, to discuss the proposed changes for routes 5 and 22, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Pima Community College-Downtown at 1255 N. Stone Avenue.
A schedule of all upcoming meetings can be found on the Sun Tran website.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
