Sun Tran is the public transit system serving the city of Tucson, Arizona. In , the system had rides, or about per weekday as of . 100% of the fleet utilizes clean-burning fuels, such as compressed natural gas (CNG), biodiesel, and hybrid technologies. In addition to more than 40 bus routes, the system also includes the Sun Link modern streetcar line.
History
Predecessors 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.
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.
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. 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. 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.
Founding 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.
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, named for historic Tucson business leader Federico José María Ronstadt.
Unification On January 22, 2009, a regional seamless transit system was unveiled 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. 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.
Sun Connect service started on May 4, 2009, under the name Sun Shuttle, with routes that serve the communities of Casas Adobes, Tucson Estates, Ajo, Oro Valley, Rita Ranch, Marana, Avra Valley, Tohono O'odham Nation, Green Valley, and Sahuarita.These transit services are operated by the Regional Transportation Authority of Pima County (RTA).
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.
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.
Services
Sun Tran Sun Tran operates 29 regular fixed bus routes. Most routes provide service from 6am to 11pm. A few routes provide service until midnight. Sun Tran does not provide overnight service.
Current routes Route No.Route NameTerminiMajor Streets/Areas ServicedNotes1Glenn/SwanRonstadt Transit Center, Downtown ↔Swan Road/29th Street Downtown, Main Gate Square, University of Arizona, Park Avenue, Glenn Street, Swan Road. Route was restructured in 2015 and service on 29th St was eliminated.2Tucson MarketplaceBanner University Medical Center-Southern Campus ↔Ronstadt Transit Center, Downtown Irvington Road, Country Club Road, Campbell Avenue, 36th Street, Pueblo Gardens, Downtown. 36th St./WilmotPima Community College (PCC) East ↔Pima Community College (PCC) West Stella Road, Wilmot Road, 5th Street, 6th Street, University of Arizona, Downtown, St Mary's Road, Anklam Road. 4SpeedwayBroadway/Houghton Park & Ride (1st segment) Udall Transit Station (2nd segment) ↔Ronstadt Transit Center, Downtown Speedway Boulevard, Harrison Road, Kolb Road, University of Arizona, Downtown. Route 4 rerouted from Golf Links/Kolb Park & Ride to Udall Transit Station in 20265Pima/W. SpeedwayUdall Transit Station ↔Pima Community College (PCC) West West Speedway Boulevard, University of Arizona, Pima Street, Tanque Verde Road, Udall Park. 6Euclid Ave./N. 1st Ave.Ronstadt Transit Center, Downtown ↔Tohono Tadai Transit Center Downtown, Main Gate Square, University of Arizona, Euclid Avenue, 1st Avenue. Original Route 6 was restructured and split into Route 6 and Route 25 in 2015.722nd St.Broadway/Houghton Park & Ride ↔Ronstadt Transit Center, Downtown Downtown, 22nd Street8BroadwayRonstadt Transit Center, Downtown ↔Broadway/Houghton Park & Ride Downtown, Broadway BoulevardOriginal Route 8 was restructured in 2015 and was split into Route 8 and Route 18. Route 8 was restructed again in 2026 to merge with 108X and eliminate Udall Transit Station branch, with all trips traveling to Broadway/Houghton Park & Ride.9GrantPima Community College (PCC) West ↔Pima Community College (PCC) West Grant Road, Kolb RoadRoute 9 was merged with the former Route 20 in 2016, to create a continuous route on Grant Road. Route 9 no longer services the University of Arizona and Downtown. Route 9 was rerouted from Udall Transit Station to Pima Community College in 2026.10RuthrauffDavis Avenue/Ruthrauff Rd ↔Ronstadt Transit Center, Downtown Ruthrauff Rd, Romero Rd, River Road, Miracle Mile, Oracle Road, Downtown.11 Alvernon/AjoAjo Way/Mission Road (1st segment) Tucson International Airport (2nd segment) ↔ Dodge Boulevard/River Road Alvernon Way, Palo Verde Road, Ajo Way, Corona Road, Valencia Road, Tucson Airport.Laos Transit Center branch merged with Route 50 in 2025, to create a continuous route along Ajo Way.12S. 12th Avenue Los Reales Road/Nogales Highway ↔ Ronstadt Transit Center, Downtown 12th Avenue, 10th Avenue, South Tucson, Tucson Convention Center, Downtown.Merged with Route 24 to become a circular in 2025.15CampbellBanner University Medical Center-Southern Campus ↔Tohono Tadai Transit Center Roger Road, Campbell Avenue, University of Arizona, Eastland Street.16Oracle/S. 6th AvenueLaos Transit Center ↔Tohono Tadai Transit Center Downtown, Oracle Road, 6th AvenueOriginal Route 16 was restructured in 2015, and it was split into Route 12 and Route 16. It was restructured once again in 2025, where service north of TTC was split into Route 62 and the remainder of the route was merged with Route 18.17Country Club/29th St. Broadway/Houghton Park & Ride ↔Tohono Transit Center Harrison Road, Golf Links Road, 29th Street, Country Club Road, Prince Road, Flowing Wells Rd19StoneRonstadt Transit Center, Downtown ↔Tohono Tadai Transit Center Stone Avenue, Downtown21W. Congress/SilverbellRonstadt Transit Center, Downtown ↔West Goret Road/Dales Crossing Drive Silverbell Road, Congress Street, Downtown.23MissionLaos Transit Center ↔Ronstadt Transit Center, Downtown Irvington Road, Mission Road, 36th Street, Silverlake Road/29th Street, 4th Avenue, South Tucson, Downtown.25 S. Park Avenue Tucson International Airport ↔ Ronstadt Transit Center, Downtown Downtown, Park Avenue, Irvington Road, Tucson Airport.26Benson HighwayCraycroft Road/Benson Highway ↔Laos Transit Center Valencia Road, Benson Highway, Drexel Road, Campbell Avenue, Irvington Road.27Midvale/ValenciaValencia Road/Camino De Oeste ↔Laos Transit Center Valencia Road, Cardinal Avenue, Drexel Road, Midvale Park Road, Santa Clara Avenue, 12th Avenue.Route 27 frequency during peak hours was reduced to every 30 minutes in 2016.29Pasqua Yacui/UMC Banner SouthBanner University Medical Center-Southern Campus ↔Casino del Sol, AVA Amphitheater Park & Ride 6th Avenue, Valencia Road, Los Reales Road, Tetakusim Road, Pasqua Yaqui Pueblo.34Craycroft/Ft. LowellDavis Monthan Air Force Base Visitor Center ↔Tohono Tadai Transit Center Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Craycroft Road, East Fort Lowell Road, North Stone Avenue.37PantanoPima College (PCC) East Amazon (Kolb Road/Valencia Road) ↔Udall Transit Station Pantano Road, Tanque Verde Road.Route 37 buses do not stop on the 22nd Street segment. Select trips serve Amazon at Kolb Road/Valencia Road. Route 37 was restructured in 2016 to eliminate the segment north of Tanque Verde due to low demand.61La ChollaTohono Tadai Transit Center ↔Foothills Mall Drive at La Cholla (in front of Walmart) Wetmore Road, Auto Mall Drive, La Cholla Boulevard, Ina Road, Shannon Road.62Ina RoadTohono Tadai Transit Center ↔Thornydale/Ina Roads (parking lot of Lowe's at Ina) Ina Road
Sun Express Sun Trans operates 10 Sun Express routes, which offer limited-stop service on weekdays during peak commute hours.
Current routes