Taking Transit in Tucson

By alantvuong on November 20, 2019

I was just in Tucson, Arizona attending Dusk Music Festival earlier this month. We stayed at Red Lion Inn & Suites downtown and that was about a 30 minute walk/stroll to Armory Park where the festival was held. Even though it was close enough to get to, we decided to take the street car Sun Link all weekend as it was FREE both days, courtesy of the festival and Dependable Healthcare & Nursing.

The Sun Link street car system opened in July 2014. The track runs for 3.9 mile (6.3 km) and takes about 30 minutes to ride from one end to the other. With 17 stops per direction, it connects the Arizona Health Sciences Center, University of Arizona, Main Gate, 4th Ave Shopping District, downtown Tucson, Tucson Convention Center, and the Mercado District. All street car stations are fully wheelchair accessible, which is great to hear.

Schedule and Fares

For the weekend, since the Sun Link was FREE, we just boarded the street car without having to buy a ticket or anything. For the Monday, when we went to the zoo, we did buy a Sun Go all day transit pass. This 24 hour pass cost only $4.50 and it allowed us to connect to the Sun Tran bus system and select Sun Shuttle accessible shuttle booked rides. A single one way Sun Link ticket is only $1.50, but we bought the day pass to get our money’s worth as we would be out all day Monday getting around.

at Cushing St / Frontage Rd station in Mercado area

It was worth checking the hours of operations of the Sun Link because we knew we would be out late both festival nights in addition to our last night in Tucson. On Saturday night, the Sun Link ran until 2 AM, while Sunday it was until 8 PM and Monday until 10 PM. We made sure, we got on the street car on Saturday night just before service ended, while the other 2 nights we just strolled home even though select Sun Tran buses were still running.

Accessibility of the Stations

As previously mentioned, every Sun Link station was wheelchair accessible. I have visited cities where we would have to figure out which station was and which station was not wheelchair friendly. The station that was a block from our hotel is the Cushing St / Frontage Rd station. This station was located in the median of the road as some stations were either right by the sidewalk or in the middle of the road. A ramp in the middle of the station led us up into the raised platform and it was only long enough for the length of one street car. Located on the platform, there was a ticket machine, a help emergency button and a digital sign telling us when the next street car was coming.

waiting for the Sun Link

Street Car and Bus

There is actually a wheelchair ramp button on the outside of the Sun Link street car. When the street car stops at the station, and the button is pressed, a ramp slides out at one of the doors to allow wheelchair access. Although there is two sets of doors at each street car, only one door will have the ramp. Just have to look for the big blue wheelchair button located right beside the door.

ramp coming out

Once inside, there is a machine where we validate our ticket or pass by tapping our card against the scanner. On the days that it was free, there was just a paper covering the scanner reminding us of the free ride. There is an open designated wheelchair spot where the wheelchair is to be parked. A stop request button and a wheelchair ramp button is easily located right at that spot too. The ride was never really bumpy or crazy so I guess that was the reason that there were no tie downs for the wheelchair.

wheelchair spot inside the street car

wheelchair button for the ramp

When we went to the zoo, we took the Sun Link to get us closer to the middle of downtown. Then we walked/strolled a few blocks to wait for a connecting Sun Tran bus. With the Sun Go all day pass, it was also valid for the bus. The bus stop was accessible and when the bus came, the friendly bus driver flipped open the ramp for my wheelchair. Once we got on, we scanned our Sun Go card and then the driver flipped up some seats near the front of the bus for my wheelchair to be parked. She even tied my wheelchair down with straps and let us know what stop to get off closest to our destination.

bus with ramp flipped open

bus driver tying my wheelchair down with straps

Overall Impression

Taking the Sun Link and the Sun Tran really was wheelchair accessible and easy as they share the same transit pass. It allowed us to interact and see different parts of the city, people watch and even meet new local people. On one of our trips, we got city tips from Mike, who was a local and was getting to his job at Main Gate. Taking transit was also a lot cheaper than taking a taxi and we did not have to worry about getting a wheelchair accessible taxi. Using google maps, it showed us various transit routes and we chose what was the most easiest and the most convenient way for us to get to our destination.

getting Tucson tips from a local we met on the Sun Link

Getting around Tucson using the Sun Link street car and the Sun Tran bus was a great experience. With the whole weekend being FREE for the Sun Link, we continued to use it for our remaining trip as it was very helpful in getting us around. Both the street cars and the buses were never overly crowded, and with friendly and helpful transit drivers around, I will certainly be using public transit next time when in Tucson.