Tucson City Council voted at its meeting on Wednesday to keep Sun Tran's fleet of buses, and its streetcars, free to ride, at least for now.
The city's public transportation system has been free since March of 2020.
Tucson City Council began discussing reinstating the fares in early April. At that point, the fare-free system was set to continue through at least the summer of 2025.
Budget concerns and a growing outcry against several high-profile attacks on city buses, have garnered some criticism of the free fares.
However, riders like Tucson local Joseph Ahrens have a different opinion about the benefits of public transportation.
“When the Sun Tran is free, it does help all the homeless people. It helps everybody in our community,” Ahrens said. “We are out here 24 hours a day, and getting free buses helps because it gets us in the cool stations .”
When asked about the free fares, General Manager Mikel Oglesby said in a statement, “Sun Tran remains steadfast in our dedication to delivering quality, safe, secure, and reliable transportation services to Tucsonans, as we have over the past 50 years."
More information about Sun Tran bus routes and schedules can be found here.
